Considering that I started this latest thread, I'd like to just point out that there's no problem with having private (i.e. invite only) groups on FB which are for staff only (similar to the airline-specific sounding boards on PPRuNe), but the big problem that faces the airlines is that newspapers like The Sun got access to these postings, and that yes, because it is posted at a third-party (like PPRuNe or FB), it raises issues about the image of the company concerned, or how management views the threat to the image of the company concerned.
The reason I posted this was to show that it is not only Virgin Atlantic who have this, but British Airways have a similar situation on their hands, which, by the looks of it, they are trying to handle internally without involving the likes of The Sun. Social networking sites like LinkedIn (a SN site for 'professionals') and FB have their place, but these sites blur the line between who you represent between 9 and 5 (figuratively speaking) and who you represent the rest of the time.
Security organisations like Sophos have indicated in the past that FB and others, when left at default settings, still leak more information than what people intend (just look at the fiasco involving Bono and two young girls who met him a while ago and whose photos can be misconstrued as him having affairs while away from home), so if you DO have a FB group or belong to one, be careful what you post. Assuming that everyone on a group is kosher is not good practice (as PPRuNe members have intimated in the past).
So yes, Virginia and others are correct in saying that there are more pressing matters to think about, but remember, The Register is an IT-focused media organisation and because VS and BA both got caught on FB with their pants down so to speak, it is something that does affect people on here and the industry that everyone here is part of.
Just thought I'd point out that this is not about a slow newsday, but an early warning that if you belong to the customer-facing side of the airline business and you have groups like these scattered all over, you had better make sure that they are secured in such a way that gutter rags like The Sun, News of the World etc do NOT get access to their content.
S.
Last edited by VAFFPAX; 3rd Nov 2008 at 19:37.