MySpace.com and the PR Principle of Collateral Damage

An article from FOXNews.com provides an excellent example of what I call the Public Relations Principle of Collateral Damage. This principle is based on the premise that messages intended for one audience will inevitably be seen or heard by other audiences. If you fail to plan and thoroughly think through what you're doing, a message that resonates with your target audience may unintentionally spark a negative reaction from another equally important group.

The FoxNews.com article discusses the popularity of social networking Web sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com among today's college students. The article also points out something of which many students who post on those sites may be unaware: that prospective employers are also browsing those sites. The article says, "those same hard-partying young people might want to watch what they post about themselves if they want to become tomorrow's buttoned-down corporate employees."

The article provides an interesting, timely look into a situation in which messages intended for one audience -- other students -- may be seen by another, unintended audience: prospective employers. A student's short-term failure to exercise responsibility in terms of what they post could have an adverse effect on their job prospects in the longer term.