I used to be a Partner at Ketchum so I feel bad for my friends there. I also dabble and work in social media, so I can see the other side of this story too.

It's a prime example of the opposing pull of business discretion with self expression as our professional and social lives become more blended. Discretion is certainly required in any client/service relationship, and self expression is almost mandated if you want to be noticed in the online social world.

It looks like Ketchumite James Andrews got caught in a trap not unlike the unwitting college graduate who gets turned down for a job because the recruiter went to his Facebook page.

If you are wondering what I am talking about, the whole sordid mess is laid out in a series of posts on David Henderson's blog. If nothing else, it's interesting reading.

Ketchum has done great work for FedEx for years, so hopefully FedEx will remember that. And while I've used just about every other sort of social media, I haven't yet ventured into Twitter.

Maybe I'll wait a while.

Labels: public relations, social communities, social network content