“A Penny for your thoughts!”

Think Before You Email

Our Land of the Free will soon celebrate its independence July 4th. Thousands will flee to the beautiful Frio Canyon to enjoy the crystal clear Frio River, spend time with family and friends, delight in the traditional and historical Leakey parade, rodeo and other Jubilee festivities, and feast on some delicious Texas barbeque.

Free speech is a cherished right Americans celebrate as a result of our free and democratic society but be ye warned, free speech isn’t always free.

Agreeably, email is a convenient and economical form of communication. However, emails can be sent to just about anyone in the world, even a personal email you sent to a friend. So....Think before you email.

I recently learned of a secretary employed by a Texas Public School who sent an email to a co-worker complaining about a new hire. She accidentally punched the wrong button and the email was sent to every employee in the district, including the superintendent. She was dismissed from her duties that afternoon.

Email abuse has become a serious problem in our country. Sending personal emails from public or company computers can be grounds for dismissal. Theft of public funds and company time is serious business. And just because you delete the email and send it on its merry way to the Recycle Bin and then clean the bin, this doesn’t mean it can’t be traced. Emails can be forwarded and printed, just about anywhere, at anytime to just about anyone, including your employer. Data recovery tools have become very sophisticated and can be utilized for investigative purposes.

So, think before you email. It could cost you your job and even some serious legal ramifications.