I have written a number of blogs on cybervetting and social media. One important case involved an ambulance company, American Medical Response of Connecticut that had fired an employee, Dawnmarie Souza, for criticizing the company on Facebook. The National Labor Relations Board argues that employers are in violation of the law when they fire workers for engaging in work related conversation, even negative ones, on social networking sites. This case was settled before it went to trial with the company agreeing to make changes to its policy.
For a description of the settlement see the New York Times.
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can my employer send out a memo after i posted something on face book stating that i can no longer post about work related issues and if we do we will be terminated! If in fact i only stated the truth on MY facebook wall.
Tanya, sorry for the delay. If I am still up and running, your question ends up being a legal question. It would depend on a number of issues with respect to your employment contract, whether you are unionized, etc. Certainly, as a general matter, an employer can develop a social networking policy. For a more specific answer, you might want to ask the question at a legal blog, but they would probably need more details.