MySpace, but whose business?

We asked boston.com users: "Have you ever posted something on MySpace or Facebook that later came up in a job interview? Or when you're posting something on MySpace or Facebook, do you think about whether it will create problems for you in future job interviews?" Here are some of their responses.

melli_fera: "How can checking up on someone's MySpace page be considered 'intrusive '? If people put their business in the public domain, they shouldn't be surprised if someone in the company [they're] working for, or seeking to work for, checks them out. Some companies require background checks, and credit checks. If you PURPOSELY put anything on the Internet that you don't want people to see . . . all bets are off."

Nasochkas: "Some recent college grad applied for a job where I work. He included the URL for his MySpace page on his resume. The page did not reveal anything job-related. Why would we want to see pictures of his friends? Too bad, because otherwise his resume was great and he probably would have had an interview."

rapidcitygirl: " The naivete of many My Space and Facebook users may unfortunately serve against them in a job search and many other things unbeknownst to them. To think that what you write and describe about yourself for the world to view, with your permission 'should' be regarded as private and personal is unfortunate. It is not. Many professional corporate recruiters of major corporations use this information to truly slim down the massive applications they get on a daily basis and if you have anything on the Web that even slightly suggests you might be a problem, your resume is cast aside for those who do not choose to present themselves that way. You don't even get a chance and you don't even know it."

amgian: "I have a motto. It is 'don't be the story.' It isn't a tough one. Let someone else act like a fool at an event. Let someone else have the more outrageous behavior. If you are a person who has posted all sorts of nonsense on social networking sites, you are a person who strives to be 'the story.' If you are that person, I don't need you working for me. Case closed."

movingtangent: "Here's a thought. If you're old enough to be going on job interviews you're old enough to quit surfing the pre-teen websites."

WVW: "The bottom line is that posting anything on a public MySpace page is just like putting that same information on a billboard over the highway. I work with the teenagers in my church's youth group, and I constantly need to remind them that MySpace is NOT a personal diary and there is NOTHING private about it."