64 thoughts on “Blog #15 – Henry Ford’s Omnipotent Approach to his Workers”

1. Philip Johnson March 26, 2011 at 12:03 pm

   1. I do think that Ford’s use of the Sociology department was wrong because I feel like as long as his workers were just sober and doing their job correctly and efficiently, it was ultimately their right to have the choice of spending their money however they wanted to. If they messed up financially for themselves and ended up in some debt, it wouldn’t have much effect on the company so Ford shouldn’t have tried to control that aspect of his employee’s lives because that wasn’t his job as an employer.

   2. Knowing the Internet and its legacy, it makes me want to make my facebook and twitter profiles private so that colleges and future employers can’t come across any of my things. I also will make sure to be very careful about what types of pictures and posts I put up because I know that that could make or break a big opportunity. I definitely think protecting my tweets and only letting my profile picture appear to those who aren’t already friends with me is the smart way to go because it would be very unfortunate if there was one thing found on one of these profiles that ruined a scholarship offer or a great job.

   3. I don’t think that it’s an invasion of privacy or unfair for companies to use this stuff against you because they know exactly what type of person they are trying to hire so it is only fair that they know what type of person any of their possible employees are because in an important company, if who you hire turns out not to be trustworthy and they make a detrimental decision or mistake, then you will wish that you had some way of knowing that things would happen like this before hiring the person.
2. Cameron Crawford-Mook March 26, 2011 at 4:54 pm

   1. I do think Ford’s use of the Sociology Department was unethical and wrong. Its fine to create a culture at work that frowns upon drinking, smoking and other behaviors that Ford looked down upon and its fine to not allow and of those substances at work, but I think it is a huge violation of privacy to check in on his workers at home to ensure they were subscribing to his values. By invading their home life, Ford became like an over-reaching parent that refused to trust his “children” to make good decisions. Even though Ford personally did not agree with some of the things his workers did, I think he should have been a big enough person to say “I don’t agree with your decision, but you are free to make it”

   2. The internet’s lasting legacy just reinforces the idea that I shouldn’t post or publish anything that I wouldn’t be proud to be attached to my name or that I wouldn’t want my grandma seeing. I think people really need to realize that internet=forever. Especially in pictures, I’ve seen things that I really wonder if the person posting realizes what kind of message they’re sending about themselves. I also think that people who are in the job market need to make sure their privacy settings are set so only people they know can see them.

   3. I don’t really think it’s an invasion of privacy for potential employers to hold something against someone that they posted on their profile, especially if it’s been in the few months. After all, when you post something, you’re saying that you want the world to see what you’re thinking. With so many companies having twitter, facebook, and other social networking accounts, employers need to make sure they’re hiring someone who can be trusted to censor their thoughts instead of just posing every random inconsequential thought that crosses their mind to a company blog. As shown by the recent example of a man loosing his job and his company’s contract with Chrysler after posting an inflammatory comment on Chrysler’s twitter feed, companies are very sensitive about their image in the social networks and need to make sure they’ll be well represented.
3. Claire Fisher March 26, 2011 at 7:07 pm

   I don’t think that there was anything wrong with what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Department. I think that if you are the head of a company and you want to know that you have responsible and respectable employees, then you have the right to check up on your workers. As for employees who feel this is an invasion of privacy, work somewhere else. That’s Ford’s policy, if you don’t like it then you don’t have to work there. I think that if a worker has a right to have their personal life private and if they want that they should find a company which fits their needs.
   I think that the lasting legacy internet reinforces my thoughts about not making a lot of information available to the public. Being that I am friends with my Grandmother, my extended family, and my Rabbis on Facebook, I often go through to make sure there isn’t anything I wouldn’t want my Grandmother to see. I think that to a certain extent setting things posted online as private can help, but when it comes down to it if somebody wanted to see it, they could. I also, make sure not to send anything in e-mails or IMs that might be something I wouldn’t want my Grandmother to see. Sending an e-mail or IM is putting something in writing, something that can be copied and pasted anywhere.
   I absolutely do not think it is an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process. I think that what you put up, you are responsible for. When it comes to getting a credit report from an employee, companies are required to ask for the employees consent—putting something online is the same as giving consent. I do, however, think that it is unfair for them to use information put up by other people about you. While this is unfair, I don’t see it as illegal in anyway.
4. Fred Ayres March 26, 2011 at 8:46 pm

   1. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with violating the privacy of your workers as long as you’re paying them well. I hope the sarcasm was flagrant there. Honestly, what was Ford thinking? If ‘1984’ had been published, one of his nicknames would have been ‘Big Brother’. Sure, he had extremely strong moral convictions, so much so that he forced them upon his workers, but is that really all that bad? What if Henry Ford had forced his Evangelical Christian beliefs onto his workforce so much that those not ‘saved’ were put on probation or fired? There would have been an outcry from the non-Christian community, even with the extravagant pay. And that’s exactly what was going on, just with a difference face.

   2. Considering the things I’ve posted on my Facebook profile, I am always going to keep it private from the eyes of those who search my name. I have very strong views on certain things, it’s true, but it is completely irrelevant to my job performance. I fully understand that what I post on the internet has a huge impact—that’s why I do it! Should a possible employer not hire me just for that reason, so be it, I will not change for anyone.
   3. It’s not unfair, it’s just misleading. It’s like if I picked up a book because of the hot babe on its cover and I later find out it’s a dud. If I had ignored the cover and picked up the book with the single flower on the front, I would have been thoroughly pleased. If employers wish to form an unfounded bias because of their online investigation, I say, go for it! There is nothing to gain from searching an online profile. If an employee commits himself to the organization and leaves his opinions at the door, there’s no problem. In that sense, I suppose it is unfair.
5. Brittany Kashat March 26, 2011 at 10:48 pm

   1. I don’t see anything wrong with what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Department, in exchange for the $5/day wage because he was just trying to make sure that his workers were on their game whenever they came to work, and not all boozed up. Because Ford increased his pay wages, he wanted his employees to spend their earnings on the right materials, and not on liquor. I think that having a Sociology Department shows that Ford genuinely cared about his workers and their lives, whereas in today’s business department, I don’t think that the heads of some businesses even know all of the first names of their employees.
   2. The internet’s lasting legacy just reinforces my thoughts about what I should put online or make available to the public, because everything on the internet can be found some way or another. So, if you put something online that might make you look bad, the most companies won’t hire you, or if you already work for them, they might fire you. Companies don’t want people who will give them a bad reputation. If someone doesn’t want their company to see what they put online, then they should change their privacy settings, or just not post it at all. As the old saying goes, “Is it something you’d let your grandma see?”
   3. I don’t think that it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process, because it’s not an invasion of privacy if you put something on your profile where everyone can see it. If you put something up that could possibly incriminate your chances of being hired, it’s not illegal or unfair for the company to use it against you, because you put it up in the first place. If a company uses something that you put on your profile, it’s your fault that you didn’t get hired, because you put it up in the first place.
6. Sarah Szekely March 27, 2011 at 10:07 am

   1) I think that the action was an invasion of privacy. Busting into people’s homes to see what they did with their private life isn’t exactly innocent but I have to say it is a way to make sure the job gets done every day and it would improve the home life of many people. I think if it didn’t improve lives and give them a very nice pay, then I would have a lot more problems with it, truthfully. I would be outraged if an employer insisted on checking into my private life in such a manner but didn’t pay me for the trouble. Plus, if he didn’t pay his workers so much, they couldn’t have gotten themselves back on their feet if they tried.
   2) This reinforces my thoughts quite a lot. People shouldn’t be posting to much personal info anyway. It will stay on the internet forever, so it’s already dangerous for anyone to put anything on the internet that would give too much away about them. If that information is open to anyone, just keep it to yourself. If the information is available to anyone, you could get into serious trouble in school, with friends, with your boss, or with some random stranger and we all know how that could turn out.
   3) I don’t think so. I think employers have a right to see if their employee will get the job done, keep the work place peaceful, and won’t get into any trouble. I don’t think that using information that is already public against you is too much of an invasion of privacy. I think it would be natural to want to know these things about people. Plus, technically if something goes wrong in the workplace involving this person and it’s their fault, then it’s the employer’s fault too because they hired them.
7. Brandon Herman March 27, 2011 at 10:46 am

   1. I personally believe that fords sociology department is wrong. I understand wanting to make an nice work area, but not to the point were you hire people to fallow them around. I view it as a personal invasion of privacy. In the book they said if they were not living a “healthy” lifestyle that they could be fired. That is redicoulously unfair. If you are a great worker but like to have fun and drink then you can be fired. This is for something that is not even inside of the workplace. I also believe that the 5 dollar wage is not an equivalent trade for an invasion of privacy.
   2. The lasting legacy of the internet makes me very careful of what i put on the internet. I do not put any pictures of me that could be frowned upon, and i do not say anything inappropriate. This also makes me keep very high privacy on my internet, so people i dont know and maybe even future employers cant see it. Although i do think it is very unfair of company’s to hire based off facebook or other internet websites. It seems unfair that they can judge you based on what you say out of work, and or even when you were a kid.
   3. I personally think it is a very large invasion of privacy, and i view it as possibly even illegal. IT is unfair for a company to hire you on something that is outside of the workplace. If you are a kid and say or do something stupid it unfair that you can be help responsible for that. I believe asking for a credit reportis not unfair though. It does make sense to make sure employees are smart and do not have either dangerous habits or bad spending issues. I believe it is also fair for companies to look at criminal records. This is due to the obvious fact that no one wants to hire a criminal or someone who went to jail.
8. Michael Nona March 27, 2011 at 11:31 am

   1. I think that Ford made the right decision. Even though using the Sociology Dept. wasn’t the best idea he still raised his wages for employees. Doing that more than doubles the minimum wage and undoubtedly helped out many families that weren’t very well off. Majority of people were in poverty or not far from it in the first quarter of the twentieth century and Ford became a large employer for many people, so when Ford increased wages it helped out a lot of people. Also several other companies followed Fords example thus helping out more people financially.
   2. A big problem I see with the internet’s lasting legacy is that it actually is lasting. Most people overlook that detail. If you write down one bad thing on your facebook or myspace it is frozen in cyberspace for the rest of eternity, unless the internet is suddenly destroyed. If a young man one day puts a picture of something inappropriate or offensive up on his facebook, and ten years later he is trying to get a job, his soon to be employer might see that and say we don’t want someone like this. Just because you have a private setting, doesn’t mean that nobody can ever see it.
   3. I think it depends on the circumstances on whether or not it is any invasion of privacy. I think employees should have to give consent unless there is “reasonable cause” to see what is going on in one’s life. Employees have the privilege to privacy unless they do something to ruin it. I think the most important thing is don’t put something online today that you will be ashamed of tomorrow. A good test is would you show it to your grandma. If not, don’t post it.
9. Ellen Searle March 27, 2011 at 12:19 pm

   Henry Ford’s Socialogy Department may be either good or bad depending on how it is viewed. Some may view Henry Ford’s intentions to be good and simply trying to make sure that his workers are doing the right thing. As an employer, he wouldn’t want his workers to be doing bad things. However, others may view this as an invasion on people’s privacy and not like it. They might not like the fact that Henry Ford was getting into their personal lives. This could be especially problematic if the Socialogy Department found out something about someone’s personal life that got them fired.
   This doesn’t change too much about how I feel about the internet. I have always known to be careful about what I post on the internet. This just means that I should be even more careful about what I post online because employers and colleges might be able to see my posts and I might either get fired from a job or rejected from a college because of something that I post on the internet.
   Whether a company looking at someone’s profile is an invasion of their privacy depends on their intentions and what they find out. If they only want to find out more about their employee, then it’s okay. However, if they try to find out more about their personal life such as their relationship status or any type of illegal activities that they might be participating in, then it is not okay. Employers have no right to find out to interfere with someone’s personal life by trying to find out more personal things about them online.
10. Alexandre Rochaix March 27, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    1. I do not believe that what Ford did was wrong, but of course it needed a few regulations and some fixes. I believe that Ford had the right to do that because it was a fantastic deal he was offering. He just asked that you not come to work drunk, depressed, hungry, or anything that would interfere with your ability to work. He created that department to verify that his money was well spent. These guys weren’t creeping on you in the middle of the night, they were just verifying that you supported your family, bought food instead of beer, and to verify if you were trustworthy enough to be paid such a revolutionary wage. He wasn’t imposing “Evangelist values” (sorry Fred) because he knew that Detroit couldn’t be more diverse in faith and ethnicity. In our time that’s about 33, 000 dollars a year, a comfortable small family supporting wage for an unskilled worker. Even today unskilled workers don’t tend to make that much.
    2. I believe that the internet is not a toy to be loosely messed around with. If you are going to insult or criticize someone harmfully, you should keep it to yourself first of all, but who in their right mind would put it where everyone can see it! And if an employer wants to judge someone worthy of their money, they should be able to access the opinions and past actions of a potential candidate. Being able to trust an employee is imperative to success. If you are going to put something online, make it something to gives you positive credit. The end word of this topic is that if you don’t everyone to see what you do, then why is it online!
    3. I do not believe that it is an invasion of privacy to use an online profile against people to hire them. If someone puts something stupid online, it only reflects the type of person they are, and if the company does not want them, it’s their choice. If it is confidential profiles, I would understand, but things like twitter and facebook are meant to be public, so it is not a violation of privacy.
11. Riley Landgraf March 27, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    1. Ford’s sociology department was a good idea but I think there could have been a little more respect for his workers when he set it up. I think the concept of checking up on his workers is a good one but the fact that he punished them if they were not living their life the way he wanted is a little backwards. In my opinion you should be able to do what you want with your life as long as it does not harm anyone or anything around you whether you make good or bad decisions. Ford did not let his workers do that and that is unfair. Ultimately, work life and home life are two separate parts of someones life and they should stay that way.
    2. Whatever goes up on the internet will be there forever. I always think of what I am going to say on the internet before I publish it, especially facebook. I do not want to get denied a great job one day because of what I put on facebook in college. It definitely makes me more cautious about what I put out into the world and how it will affect me 10 years later.
    3. If you want a job that consists of being out in public, representing your company or in politics or the government then your company or the person responsible for hiring you has every right to Google you, check your references or look you up on facebook because they are looking out for their company. On the other hand, if you have a quit job with no public attention, your work is seperate from your private life. Whatever happens at ho0me should not be brought into your work and no one should care what you do at home. But, the person should be aware that the people in his or her office will look them up and find out what they do at home. For example, the TV show The Office, all the co-workers know what each other does at home, whether its creepy or normal, but the boss has no right to fire someone over that.
12. Eleanor Chalifoux March 27, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    I understand things were different back then but I don’t think the use of a Sociology Department was right. There were more concrete expectations during this time and Ford wanted to make sure his workers were living responsibly but really that’s not up to him. Women worked so they could “dress attractively and get married” and then men were supposed to work so they could buy a house, save money etc. Not all people choose to live that way and I think it was unfair that Ford threatened them by saying he would take away their jobs if they didn’t live that lifestyle. Not all women wanted to get married and getting paid less was definitely not fair. Sure the $5 a day wage was nice but Ford didn’t have the right to spy on his workers like that.

    I know I am very careful about what I put on the Internet because once it is posted its permanent. You can delete posts but they are still out there saved somewhere. Too many people make wrong choices and post things they later regret. This can later come up during college or job recruiting and might even ruin one’s chances of a position. I have a facebook and seldom use my twitter and I am very aware of the risks involved with using social networking sites. I don’t feel the need to share all my thought and give a play-by-play of my day but use it as a way to communicate with friends.

    I don’t necessarily think its illegal or unfair because really when you post something on the Internet you have to understand that it is available for anyone to see. Companies and even the police find ways to get into your profile even if you thought you had it blocked. It of course would be a bummer if something was found and used against you but then again you should have made smarter choices when it comes to posting on the Internet.
13. Evan Daykin March 27, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    1) No, there is nothing wrong with the sociology department. It is no different than a company now running background checks on employees. In my eyes, If one of my employees were doing things i didn’t like, i would tell them to stop or they would be fired. It’s a matter of expectations when you get hired- you will behave yourself, do your job and do it well, and set a good example for yourself and the company. This pertains to the earlier blog about a job being a civil right. If you are doing a terrible job, you can’t be entitled to it if your behavior is out of line (I’m not saying the whole get married thing wouldn’t be obsolete today, though.)

    2) This reinforces what i post on the internet, because common sense, or not so common sense, sadly, dictates that anything you say can and will be subject to merciless misinterpretation, and is capable of being there forever. Nobody cares about your opinions on the internet or your unwarranted e-self-importance, unless of course someone wants to use them against you, in which case they are nit-picked with a fine toothed comb. a basic rule of thumb: You aren’t deep, you aren’t an intellectual, you aren’t an artist, you’re not a critic, and you’re not a poet. You just have internet access.

    3) I think, like the sociology department in the Ford era, that an employer or potential employer has every right to look at what you post on the internet. The Internet is public domain. What you do outside of the workplace is a great indicator of how you are in it. In addition, there are things on your Facebook that employers have just cause to worry about, or fire you about.

    Case in point: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/23/sickie_woo/
14. Alex Cooper March 27, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    1. I do see something wrong with what Ford did with the use of his Sociology Department in exchange for the $5 work day wage. I don’t think that just because Ford didn’t like the use of alcohol or tobacco doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t let his workers at their own homes not be allowed to use it. If it wasn’t interfering with the work being done in the work place, then he shouldn’t have been caring about it in the first place. It shouldn’t matter to a company if their employees get married, buy a house, or save their money. The money that they earn is theirs to deal with and they should do what they want to do with the money as long as they are doing what they need to do to earn the money. It shouldn’t be the companies responsibility to act as a parent and check up on their employees.
    2. Knowing the internet and it’s lasting legacy it reinforces my thoughts about making what I say online private. I don’t put anything up that I wouldn’t want my family that I am facebook friends with online to see. And for the future when looking for a job I would make sure not to say anything inappropriate about the company. Some people don’t understand that what you put on the internet will stay on their forever, even if it says it’s “deleted”. Some people could get in serious trouble if they say stuff on the internet that they wouldn’t want everyone who can see their profile to see.
    3. I don’t think that it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process. The companies are only doing a background check on their future employees to make sure that they are the type of person that they would want to represent their company. I am pretty sure that companies would not want to hire people who have said rude things about their previous employers or coworkers, because that would just show that the person could have the ability to say some of the same stuff about the company if they hire them. It is a smart idea for companies to do to make sure that who they potentially would hire could be trustworthy to make the right decisions about the company.
15. Stephanie Dudek March 27, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    1. I don’t think that what Ford did with the Sociology Department was really fair. Everyone is allowed to have their personal life and their professional life, and Ford was not allowing that to happen. Ford was trying to control everything and everyone in the Detroit area. Ford was basically blackmailing all of his workers. He was using the $5 a day to make everyone do what he wanted.
    2. Once you put something on the internet it never leaves even if you delete it. I already knew this and to really be careful about what you post and this blog and discussion just reinforced that. But it isn’t just what you post if a friend or co worker puts something about you on the internet that can affect you too. So it isn’t enough to just watch what you post you have to tell you friends not to do anything about you either. You never know what job you will want or when and you don’t want anything to come back from high school or college and haunt you. But I also think that there should be a limit because people change from high school and shouldn’t be punished by something stupid they did when they were younger. But if it was recent or in like the last 5 years or since you started working a steady job.
    3. I don’t think that using your online profile against you in the hiring process is an invasion of privacy. If you post something on the internet you realize that anyone at anytime can see it. So just because someone goes looking for your info doesn’t make it and invasion of privacy, it just means they care what you do in your free time and if you would portray their company well. I t is completely fair and if you don’t want this to happen to you then don’t post anything on the internet or be careful about what you post.
16. Lenny Gross March 27, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    1.) Ford created the Sociology department in order to check up on his workers, in my opinion this is a complete violation of ones privacy, however Ford compensated with giving the employed people $5 per day. He thought that giving high wages would give him the right to hire private investigators and spy over his workers. He wanted to make sure that his workers were spending the money the right way. His workers were actually, for the majority okay with Ford keeping tabs on them, 75% of Fords workers were okay with having being spied on in exchange of the 5$ pay day, however I disagree. The Sociology department was a sneaky way of Ford forming all of the employed how he thought they should. The Sociology department was disbanded in 1920.
    2.) When you put something online, its there forever. It’s available to anybody who has access to computers and a wifi server. People can pretty much publish anything onto the web and make it feasible to anybody. Fords ideals were extremely controversial, had be not been the most influential man in Automobile history. Having his thoughts published on the internet could be trafficked to other people who don’t feel the same way about the Jews, or Jazz or tradition, however they would have different opinions because they weren’t being affected by the assembly line and the $5 wage. People wouldn’t feel the same about him had they not known about his success in the auto industry.
    3.) I don’t believe its an invasion of privacy for companies to research online aspects of the potential worker when hiring. You’d be very surprised what you’d be able to find, people nowadays publish everything across Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Companies can find what isn’t on paper about the prospective employee. I don’t believe that it is unfair or illegal, it gives companies the abilities to
17. Mallory Moss March 27, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    1. I think what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Department was wrong because workers should be evaluated on what they do at work and not their private life. America has a long history of protecting people’s civil liberties. Ford certainly has every right to see if his workers are doing their job to the best of their ability but as long as they are doing their job he should not intrude on their private life. There is a line between work life and private life and Ford was crossing it. America was built on a foundation of freedom of choice and free will. Ford wanted his workers to make choices in their personal life consistent with his beliefs, not consistent with their beliefs.
    2. The internet and its lasting legacy reinforces what I put on it because I am aware that future colleges and employers use it to make decisions that can affect whether or not I get into that college or get that job. Even if my facebook or twitter is private or if I delete something from the Internet, I still need to be careful of posting things because people can still access them. Even when things are deleted, there are websites that can find and access the deleted items. I have always been careful on what I post on the Internet because I don’t want it to jeopardize my future.
    3. I don’t think its an invasion of privacy for employers to look at people’s online profiles because if you are putting something on the internet, you are aware that other people will be able to see it. Employers want to access information about the person they are about to hire so that they can see if their future employee is a hard worker and can be trusted. Although its unfortunate to not get hired because of something on an online profile, it was the person’s decision in the first place to put it up, therefore, it is not unfair for an employer to use it against that person.
18. Kaylee Brown (2nd hour) March 27, 2011 at 5:54 pm

    1. I think that Ford’s Sociology Department is wrong. I think this because if the workers come to work and do their job and get their pay then what does it matter what they do with it? If they want to throw it all out the window so be it, they can come back tomorrow and continue working for more. As long as how they are spending their money isn’t directly affecting their work performance then I think it’s a personal matter and should not be investigated. Really, it’s an invasion of personal privacy. I guess I could see where Ford is coming from, basically saying that he doesn’t want to give workers money if they are just going to blow it but everyone has different priorities. Who is Ford to tell his workers what they can spend more or less money on? For example, some families find it more important to have a big home but some families think it’s more important to eat out all the time or fill their smaller home with nicer things. You can’t tell people what their priorities are so it’s obnoxious of Ford to even try.

    2. If I were someone to post my whole entire life on the internet then this might change my thoughts but for me I guess it really reinforces them because you never know who is redistributing what you post.

    3. I think it’s the biggest invasion of privacy. A company can’t judge you on who you are outside of work. Especially because some of the things posted on a personal profile are literally from years ago and you could have changed so for someone to use your profile against you while hiring it’s not fair. I think the only time they should really judge you off of something like that is when you are dissing the company you work for etc.
19. braxton March 27, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    Blog #15
    Braxton Allred
    3/27/11
    Wickersham 3rd hr
    Although I believe that Henry Ford’s obsession with watching his workers is kind of weird, I don’t believe it wrong for him to do. I mean, take it from Henry Ford’s point of view. He not only believes in old time values, Ford also wants to probably makes sure that every employee that works for him represents the Ford Motor Company well. Ford probably wanted to make sure that no one would threaten and embarrass his company by doing something foolish and unnecessary. And even with the occasional checks made by Ford, the workers remained happy with what they were getting in return (they were getting a good, consistent wage and were avoiding they yet not known poisons of tobacco and alcohol). But if a company that might hire me were to make these background check today (using the internet or any other source), I would probably be very careful of what I say to my friends, family and what I put online. First of I would feel very constrained because I feel like I should be able to express anything I want and with the constant threat of my bosses checking my personal web pages, I would need to control myself in what I say. Secondly I might feel the need to protect my online pages because of this same threat. One thing that’s true about these checks is that they are an invasion of privacy. I understand if a company is monitoring and firing people that have alcohol or drug problems, but I don’t think that everyone should be monitored in this manner. But a person should usually be free after work to do whatever he/she wants. I mean everyone you hire should be able to make whatever stupid decision’s they want, and if it outs them at risk of losing their job, than it was their own fault for making the choice anyway. Also I don’t think it’s fair for a company to use theses online pages and such against when you’re trying to be fired. First off not everyone has one so that could put some people at a disadvantage because the company might find any “dirt” on the people that do have these social pages. There’s nothing wrong with checking public or state records on a person, but NO ONE should be able to decide who you are and what you can do based on things that should be private and away from the work place.
20. Declan Gibbons March 27, 2011 at 6:51 pm

    1. Do you see anything wrong with what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Dept., in exchange for the $5 / day wage? Why or why not?
    1 A: I do see somethings that where wrong with Ford did and some things that where right with what Ford with his sociology department.I feel his intentions where just to make it seem that Ford motor company only hired people who where not just model workers but model citezens too. But with doing that peoples privacy where invaded to the point where it didnt need to be. I feel he could have made revisions that would have made the socialogy dept. much more fitting and fair. The policy should have been be made so that it doesnt matter what you do in the privacy of your house as long as it doesnt hurt your and the companies rep, but if you embaress the company in public consiquencess should be made.

    2. With the internet and its lasting legacy, how does this change or reinforce your thoughts about what you put online or make available to the public? Explain:
    2A: With what happens on the internet and its legacy it makes me think a lot about what I put on it. I make sure not to put on things that couldn’t hurt my rep as a member of my community and I make sure excspicially sure not to give out info that gives my age and where I live. If you think about it anybody can see anything even the smallest comment or anything on facebook, and if a boss is picking bettween you and another person and it comes down to what kind of “model citezen” you are facebook or myspace is going to be one of the first things that they will look at. You don’t want to give out information about where you live because you could get raped or killed.
    3. Do you think it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process? Or do you think it’s possibly illegal or unfair? Explain.
    3A: No I don’t think its an invasion of privacy when an employer looks at your online profile. With an online profile everything is public, and where you work is public and I dont think that thier public reputation should be put on the line when thier hiring people that do stupid things in public, and the way to check if they do ignerent things in public is to check thier facebook. Also why should something like checking someone that you are gonna pay facebook when anybody in the world can view thier profile and send a friend request?
21. Erick Dagenais March 27, 2011 at 7:38 pm

    1. I don’t think that there was anything wrong with Ford’s use of the Sociology Department. The increased wage for a crew that helps you make the right choices is a great deal. Ford can afford to increase the wage because of the assembly line. And in return, through the Sociology Department, he ensures that his employees are healthy and successful, raising the reputation of his company. This serves somewhat as advertisement for his cars and to promote expansion, as more people would want to work for Ford.

    2. The internet and the ability to see what everyone publishes may sound like a pain, but knowing that many can see it makes you think twice before you write something. It may be useful to communicate with someone or a group of people to transmit information you want others to know about, but at the same time it could harm you by others seeing information about you or things related to you that you don’t want others to see. To help against this, a solution could be to adjust the level of privacy to each thing you post on the web, limiting who can see it to only those who you want to.

    3. I think that it is an invasion of privacy, but it is fair for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process. If you post something controversial or about illegal matters, it would be useful for companies to see this to prevent negative effects towards their company. If a bank wants to hire you, and see a message that you sent to your friend saying that you’re going to get a job at the bank so that you can rob it, it would be helpful for that bank to see that message to prevent it from getting thousands of dollars stolen from it.
22. Autumn Palmer March 27, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    1.I don’t think Ford was completely wrong it what he did in the use of his Sociology Department, but I think he could have changed some things. For example, I think it is a little much for him to send people out to check up on all of his workers. Since most workers probably drink, it would be hard to fire so many of his workforce. On the other hand, it makes sense that Ford would want to check up on the workers that might come into work drunk. I believe that what happens in a person’s personal life should not concern the employers unless it affects the workplace or work efficiency. I think Ford overdid it, but he had good intentions.
    2.The internet and its lasting legacy reinforce my thoughts about what I put online or make available to the public. With the statistics stated in the blog, it only makes me want to be even more careful about what I post online. What I put online never completely disappears. I would never want something that I posted carelessly online to come back to haunt me. Seeing cases like Kwame Kilpatrick makes the fact that things never get deleted real, and not just a crazy theory.
    3.I think it is an invasion of privacy for companies to use the profiles of prospective employees against him/her in the hiring process. As I said in question one, what happens in a worker’s life outside of a job, does not concern the workplace unless it affects the worker’s performance, or the performance of other workers on the job. I do not think it is illegal, however. I think it is more of a moral issue. It is wrong for a company to invade on someone’s privacy, but some companies have different moral standards that don’t have anything to do with invading privacy.
23. Eli Sherman March 27, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    1) I do see the use of the “Sociology Department” as an immoral thing to do, although only because it was so extreme. Ford had every right to make sure that his workers were spending their money appropriately and not on liquor or tobacco. He took it too far though when he also included not getting married or not buying a nicer house as part of his weeding out of workers. While discriminating for alcohol and tobacco practices is reasonable since those activities could cause problems that make their way back to the assembly line (cancer or liver failure etc.), firing workers because they didn’t have a wife is inappropriate. For some people, having a wife was not a necessity until later in their adult lives and not having one doesn’t produce any real problems that would affect the company or production of the product.
    2) This does not really change the way in which I act on the internet. I am already very self-conscious about keeping private while online from being careful what I sign up for to keeping inappropriate language to a very small minimum on facebook just in case a future college or employer is looking to find out about my past when considering me for a job. In my opinion, the internet is very dangerous in what it has become. If its not employers that are trying to determine whether or not you are a viable candidate for their job (and as a result finding something incriminating that causes you to lose the job), there are people out there looking to steal your social security number and your identity just to make a quick buck and leaving you financially ruined for life.
    3) Its perfectly alright for a company to use information you post online for or against your hiring. A company does not want to be put in danger by one of its employees. If someone seems to have a history of illicit activities, such as corporate espionage or spending their money on alcohol or weed or some other product that could endanger the status of the company, the company should be allowed to not accept that person as an employee.
24. Molly Sovran March 27, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    1. To me, Henry Ford was living in the wrong time period. He was nostalgic, so maybe he should have been earlier than his time, but he was also doing things that corporations do today, so maybe he should be living later than his time. I don’t think what he did was necessarily wrong, but his head was in the right place. He was looking out for his workers, but he may have gone about it the wrong way. He was doing his workers a favor by increasing the pay, but maybe in return he should let them spend their money how they want too. Personal lives aren’t for the corporate owners to rule and control, but they should be able to see what you’re up to, to see if you are a good employee.

    2. Everything and anything you put on the internet stays there. If you try to delete, it will somehow some way still be on the internet. Yet, with all of this people still put up things and don’t keep in mind that anyone can see it. My generation is all about facebook and twitter, and I personally think that it’s there to show people what you’re up too, or to stay in touch with old friends, or new ones. I think that putting something online is fine, but just make it clean and classy because you never know who will see it. It could affect you in your career in the future.

    3. I think a company invading the personal life through the internet is totally unfair. We are humans, so obviously we make mistakes and there will be things on there that we aren’t proud of. We should not be chastised by what one picture could mean, because it could have just been a onetime thing. Your work life could be completely different from your personal life, so you shouldn’t be judged based on a picture that was on facebook etc. They could ask you about it, but if you simply tell them that it was a slip it should be okay. Companies should not base this off of who they hire, because facebook doesn’t tell who the whole person is like. Just because there are risky things on the profile, doesn’t mean they won’t work hard and be a great asset to the staff.
25. Lizzie Davidson March 27, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    1. I do think that what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Dept. was wrong. Ford definitely had the right to ban alcohol and tobacco at work, but no employer has the right to tell an employee how to spend their time outside of work; it’s none of their business. It’s a complete invasion of privacy checking up on them like that. The employer runs the show at work, but once an employee gets home, they should be able to spend time however they want to.
    2. I think it is important to be careful about what you put on the internet because it doesn’t go way. Especially with Facebook, once it’s out there, it’s out there. Even with privacy settings, people have ways of getting a hold of whatever they want if it’s online. Personally, I don’t put up anything I wouldn’t want my parents to see and I’m friends with my dad on Facebook, so he could actually see it. It’s better to be safe than sorry in that regard.
    3. I think it is a complete invasion of privacy for companies to use online profiles against you in the hiring process. If it doesn’t have to do with the job, why should it matter? An online profile typically doesn’t reflect the work like, unless it is specifically made for that purpose, so why should a company be able to judge you off that? I don’t know about illegal, because if you put it out there, anyone can see it, but I think it is definitely unfair. An employee’s personal life should stay separate from their professional life, and I think the employers should respect that. Most employers would want the employee to leave their personal life at home, so I think the employer shouldn’t have the right to judge them off of it when it doesn’t apply to work. I get that there is a lot of competition for jobs right now, but I don’t think that makes it okay to look through their online profile.
26. Chase Dino Turner March 27, 2011 at 9:47 pm

    1
    I personaly feel that what ford did in the use of his sociology Dept in excahnge for the 5 dollar a day wage was wrong. the workers reserve the right to do what they want with thier money who cares if they drink smoke or anything else for that matter shouldnt matter its thier money and they can do what they want with it they worked and earned it as long as they dont show up drunk or high or smoke cigerattes on the job then ITS FINE ford was very wrong and stupid for what he did at least maybe he should have payed them more then 5 dollars a day because some of these people have families to feed and support

    2

    in our day and age we are so extermely electronically advanced and we healivly rely on computers to live people now a days are getting suspened expelled and charged with crimes just cause they are stupid enough to put things on the internete that shouldnt be up there. i personally wouldnt put anything on the internet that would put me our any of my peer in harms way. people who put pics of them doing illegal stuff are just plain ignorant and think that they are un touch able so i wouldnt ever think of putting anything of me doing something illegal on the internet…not like i do illegal stuff

    3
    no not at all i dont believe that its an invasion of privacy what so ever i feel companies have all the right to see whom they are hiring and what kind of kids they are same with colleges they need to judge what the kid is like, comanies shouldnt rely fully on what is on kids face book pages but they should take that into affect if they are going to try to hire or accept them or not. now i dont support them taking ur passowrds and stuff but they have full right to look and see what is on it. kids these days are stupid as hell they put pics of them drinking smoking and vadalizeing houses its rediculoiously stupid how blind people in america are them checking out ur face book isnt illegal AT ALL
27. Elizabeth Benedetti March 27, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    1. No I don’t think what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Department was wrong for the $5/day wage, because he as an employer has the right to check up on his employees. Some of things he looked after though—like getting married—was a bit much, but he was paying them a good wage at the time so he did have a right to check up on some of the things that his employees did with their personal lives.
    2. The internet is a place where a lot of people express themselves and people should start being more careful of pictures they put up on there. People that are looking for a job or are currently employed should really be careful of what they put on there, because it would be easy for employers to go on and see what their employees are doing. This could affect how the work place functions, because employers could put more restrictions on what their workers can and can’t do inside and possibly outside of work, and they can even threaten a person’s job if the company doesn’t like what they see of the employee on the internet.
    3. I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use online profiles against possible employees in hiring, because they have a right to see what their employees are doing. I do not think it is right for them to hack into their employees profiles or require them to give them a password, but I don’t think it’s unfair for them to look at what their employees are doing on their profile. It shows the employers what to expect from them and it gives them an idea of what that person they are going to hire is going to act like.
28. Saul Levin March 27, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    1. Yes, I find it extremely unfair that Ford checked up on his employees’ personal situations. The Sociology Department was a way for Ford to know things that he shouldn’t have. If a worker is getting the job done at work he should complement them, he shouldn’t peek around their personal lives. If a worker isn’t being productive he should talk to them, not nose around their files. Workers would have to agree 100% in my opinion to the conditions of the department. His “research” was only not made a big deal because of how well he paid the workers.
    2. I don’t believe that one’s personal life should be investigated by their employer. That being said, I do think that social media websites, blogs and postings on the internet are public. I feel that no one today realizes that some computer genius somewhere can access all of their information. In addition to being public, a high percentage of workers’ time spent online is from a computer their employer gave them to do their job. This information is theirs to see and judge. Because of its inability to be private, the internet, unlike personal files and information must be treated as a public source.
    3. As stated in the previous question, my belief is that the internet is a public place. It cannot be private and should not be treated that way. People applying for jobs or even college should be mature about what they post online and realize how accessible it is. That accessibility makes someone’s appearance on the internet who they are to the outside world. People form opinions of their friends every minute because of what they tweet or post as a status on Facebook. In this modern day in age I believe that the internet is not a personal place and should be distinguished as such by employers. Punishing people based on online discoveries should be legal and is fair.
29. Calvin Greer March 28, 2011 at 12:13 am

    1. I don’t see anything wrong with what Ford did in the use of his Sociology Dept. in exchange for the $5 wage because anyone that worked for it knew about it. Sure, his methods were a little weird, I mean why should he care if his worker is getting married and leading a good life, all I would care about would be if he’s doing a good job at work or not. But it’s not like he was sneaking around and looking into people lives, using that as grounds to fire them. His workers knew about it and agreed to it, so it’s not wrong, it’s just weird.
    2. As the Internet grows bigger and more popular, and as more and more companies use the Internet for more and more things, it’s started to really persuade the kinds of things that I put onto the Internet. I keep any information I have on the Internet private, but I’m sure with all the computer geniuses in the world out there that there are ways around it. It would be stupid to lose contention for a job or college, or just even to lose the respect of an authority figure just because of something stupid posted on the Internet that easily could have been prevented.
    3. I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy when companies use your online profile against you in the hiring process because in the end, it’s your fault for having it up there. Anything that you let out to the public can be viewed by anyone, so how could it be illegal or unfair for them to look at it? It’s not an invasion of privacy, because obviously you didn’t privacy protect it if they can see it. A profile is almost like an online snapshot of your life, so I think it’s more than fair for companies to take this into account when hiring.
30. Denny Walsh March 28, 2011 at 1:25 am

    1. I think that there is something wrong with what Ford did with the sociology department. It makes perfect sense for him to not allow his workers to drink or smoke while on the job, but he shouldn’t be able to control what they do in their own personal lives outside of work. I don’t think that it is ethical to fire someone based on something that is entirely unrelated to the quality of the work that they do, and what people do in their free time has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of work that they do while on the job. This being said, given this business model, Ford would end up losing many of his best workers to his competitors because they would be willing to hire someone that did not necessarily follow all of Ford’s guidelines.
    2. Knowing that future employers can and will use the internet to find out more information about new employees, I am going to be very careful not to put anything incriminating on the internet. I am going to try to put as little personal information online as possible.
    3. I do not think that it is an invasion of privacy for employers to use your online profile against you in the hiring process. I think that any and all information that an employer knows about a potential employee can and should be used in the hiring process. If your online profile reveals information about you that your employer should know about then they should be able to use it in deciding whether or not to hire you. I do not think that it is illegal or unfair at all for an employer to use online information. If you put something online you should understand that there can be consequences for doing this.
31. Tharron Combs March 28, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    1. I have a moral issue with what Ford did when he created the Department of Sociology. I believe that it was a blatant invasion of his worker’s privacy when he searched for information on their lives outside of the workplace. From Ford’s perspective, however, the institution of this department may have seemed like a very fair idea, as he was only keeping his workers happy, healthy, and productive, and he was trying to do something to slow the rapid deterioration of moral standards in America. His decision is even further justified by the 5 dollar work day that Ford gave his workers, which would have been unavailable to them anywhere else.
    2. Knowing that employers can use my online social network activities to make a decision on whether or not I’ll be hired, this reinforces my thoughts that I should always make sure that my online activity should always be made unavailable to the public through the use of profile protection options.
    3. I do not think that it is unfair for employers today to use online profiles as a means of determining who they will employ and who they will not. I don’t think that this is unfair because if someone posts something inappropriate or disrespectful on the internet, how can you be sure that they will not repeat this same behavior in the workplace? If the employee does repeat this behavior, sexual harassment lawsuits and other similar dilemmas can result which directly inconvenience the employer, and I think that the employer has a right to use the tool of the internet to protect him or herself and their business from such issues, and people that disagree with that statement and would take issue with employers viewing their online activity should take steps to make it impossible for their employers to do so.
32. Erin Lammers March 28, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    1. Yes, there is something wrong with an employer spying on his employees’ lives outside of work. Henry Ford had no right to create a department designed for tracking the things his employees did on their free time. Sure, five dollars a day was quite the improvement back then, but was it worth having their rights taken away? Everyone has a price, and for some people, if their price is met, they’ll comply with the finer points of any contract. This is America, and employers don’t have the authority to interfere in their workers’ lives, especially not to the extent of being followed by secret agents. It’s peoples’ own business what they do in their free time, not their bosses’. If companies have legally attained proof that an employee is engaging in activities that they find legitimately unethical, only then can they dismiss the employee. Otherwise, they have no case against the worker, as they can’t have workers followed nowadays.
    2. Knowing what we do about the internet, it’s hard to forget the way that anything you write or post can be traced back to you in a heartbeat and for years to come. This idea is more enforced than ever as I start thinking about applying for colleges and jobs. The same way that Henry Ford overstepped boundaries in terms of his workers’ privacy, today’s employers undoubtedly turn to the internet to do extensive background checks on prospective employees. It’s not a bad idea for universities, either, in order to see exactly what kind of students they’re admitting to their campuses; that possibility only increases my awareness of the monster we call the internet.
    3. No, I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to look at the profile of an employee. Though it’s obnoxious and unfair to the job-seekers, it may sometimes be a good idea for employers to check someone’s online profile for any potentially incriminating information. If someone has everything about them on a setting where anyone could see it, then it’s like inviting your place of business to sift through your life. No, it’s not illegal if the corporation has attained the information legally, and though it’s unfair, it’s the employee’s fault. They can choose what to put on their profile, and if it happens to be used against them, it’s their problem.
33. Larry Geist March 28, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    1) I think Ford’s Sociology department was wrong. He didn’t want his workers to smoke or drink on the job, and that’s fine. He’s the employer and he should be able to enforce what his workers do while they’re working for him. But when he hired people to find out information about their private lives, that crosses the line of privacy. Workers had to do certain things while they were at home, or else they would be put on probation. That’s like being on work all the time, even when your shift ends. You won’t have any time to be yourself.

    2) The fact that employers can and will look to see what I’ve posted or done on the internet makes me alot more cautious. I only let my friends see things I post on social networking sites anyway. I want to protect my own privacy but I also don’t want to lose a good job just because I said something about the company years ago, or because I have different opinions than the person hiring me.

    3) I think it’s fair for companies to use the internet to find out things about you. With all the things that they can’t do on their own, such as look at credit statements or medical information, online information and social networks are one of the last resources for the employer to actually find anything about their employee. You can’t always take somebody’s word for everything, and if a potential employee has a habit of lighting fires in buildings, you should know that. That being said, there’s a limit between coming across information about people, and prying into their private life to find it. I think employers should only be able to look so far to find information. Privacy is a two way street, and if people don’t want to have their own privacy broken, they should respect the privacy of others.
34. Jacob Seid March 28, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    Jacob Seid

    This really answers questions two and three. I think that it is not an invasion of privacy that companies use someone’s online profile in the hiring process. I think this because the internet is a place where anything written is kept forever. I think that in that “forever” period, there are surely somethings posted by people that reflect their mistakes and reflect their overall person in general. Because it seems that everyone uses the internet, everyone then gets a sort of record which could make or break you. A good record, a clean facebook page or myspace of facetube or whatever is like a clean slate and often has a reflection on the person like wearing nice clothes. This record could also work against a person because it can show the bad, lazy, mean and etc. type of person that they are. Because everyone has access to the internet, it may be seen by anyone. Some think that it is an invasion of privacy but because they have it on a place where everyone goes, it really isn’t. Because of this I don’t think it is illegal for hiring jobs to look at their employees, or people they are looking to hire, especially if they are trying to see the type of people they are. In many cases, it seems as if people, students, people tied down to work, create facebook pages, blogs and etc as a way to show who they are because they don’t get sufficient time to express who they really are in a non virtual world. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be too good. In this day in age however, this is what people are turning into and if you can’t get a good sense of who people are by meeting them face to face and having a conversation, you can understand them much better when viewing their facebook pages.
35. Jacob Seid March 28, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    Jacob Seid
    In answer to question one, i think that ford’s use of Sociology department was wrong to many because it involved spying and strong measures to get to know his employees. I see this more from an employee standpoint. I can also see from Henry’s standpoint and I can see that in order to get the best out of the workforce, certain regulations must be achieved in order to be successful. At the time, the only way to achieve these goals of success was the use of the Sociology Department. Some say it was an invasion of privacy but it’s no different than judging someone because of their facebook page. This leads me to the answers questions two and three. I think that it is not an invasion of privacy that companies use someone’s online profile in the hiring process. I think this because the internet is a place where anything written is kept forever. I think that in that “forever” period, there are surely somethings posted by people that reflect their mistakes and reflect their overall person in general. Because it seems that everyone uses the internet, everyone then gets a sort of record which could make or break you. A good record, a clean facebook page or myspace of facetube or whatever is like a clean slate and often has a reflection on the person like wearing nice clothes. This record could also work against a person because it can show the bad, lazy, mean and etc. type of person that they are. Because everyone has access to the internet, it may be seen by anyone. Some think that it is an invasion of privacy but because they have it on a place where everyone goes, it really isn’t. Because of this I don’t think it is illegal for hiring jobs to look at their employees, or people they are looking to hire, especially if they are trying to see the type of people they are. In many cases, it seems as if people, students, people tied down to work, create facebook pages, blogs and etc as a way to show who they are because they don’t get sufficient time to express who they really are in a non virtual world. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be too good. In this day in age however, this is what people are turning into and if you can’t get a good sense of who people are by meeting them face to face and having a conversation, you can understand them much better when viewing their facebook pages.
36. Courtney Stewart March 28, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    I don’t believe that having a sociology department that kept watch on the workers was wrong because he was paying the workers $5 per day. In this day and age $5 a day was a great and steady income that any worker would love to have. I think that the increased pay check should be given to those who were are the best and most devoted to their job because anyone of the street could act the part of a factory worker for the pay. But in fact be terrible at their job and cause the Henry Ford to lose money instead of being a positive gain to the profit of the company.So I think that the sociology department was an incredibly smart idea for the best interest of the company.
    With the knowledge of how the Internet has a lasting legacy and that once something is posted on Facebook or Twitter it will remain there or it can be visible to anyone online. Before I post anything online I think about what my mom would say if she saw it, with that in consideration the pictures or things I post are all appropriate ant wouldn’t hinder my chances of getting a job or an acceptance letter from the college of my dreams.
    I think that using certain things from online profiles is 100% acceptable. If you apply for a job as a child mentor or counselor and there are pictures of you on Facebook doing distasteful things for your age, the job has every right to know what your morals are. They have to be held accountable for their behavior. If a child is in the care of another adolescent and that adolescent is a drinker and a smoker than the job is the one to blame if any young child is hurt or in danger.
37. Ophelie Ovize March 28, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    1. I see something wrong with Ford using his Sociology Dept. in exchange for the $5/day wage. I mean sure the workers are aware and have accepted it but he is still evading into their lives. I feel like he has a right to restrict alcohol and tobacco in his working areas but taking it to this extreme is a little too much in my opinion. He should not be evading the privacy of his workers even if he is willing to keep the ‘old’ ways going in his community. If a worker decides to drink and smoke on his own time, I don’t think it would affect the Ford Company.
    2. . When I think about the internet and its legacy I want to be most careful of what I post on it. Posting something that appears funny at that moment on Facebook could eventually ruin an opportunity. Something I already make sure of already is my privacy settings. No one that isn’t friends with me can see anything besides my profile picture. Even something on YouTube should be posted smartly knowing that anyone in the world can see the video you are posting. Some people post pictures, I am not even sure they realize how ridiculous they are and the image they are setting themselves. More and more do bosses and schools look at these websites. And anyone could miss an opportunity for a great scholarship or job.
    3. I do not think that it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use online profiles against you in a hiring process. By looking at these profiles they often can see the type of person they are willing to hire. For important companies they can use this to be aware if the person can be trustworthy and be reliable. Now sometimes people lie a lot on these sites, but that jeopardizes their future sometimes. So people need to be careful with these profiles.
38. hannah Voigt March 28, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    I believe that fords use of a sociology department was necessary to insure that the company was hiring worthy employees. Ford had very strict moral slanderers and to avoid being a hypocrite he expected the same of the men and women who worked for him. I can see how some individuals would find this an invasion of privacy but it would be unintelligent to hire an individual without first checking to make sure that they would benefit the company and the employer. What if the man you just hired was an ax murderer or worse what if he was Unqualified.

    My mother had always warned me that what you posted online could be condemning in the future, she told stories of racy photos, emails that dictated what people were doing, and stories of tragic suicides by cyber bullying. I was (and still am) always careful to avoid posting or commenting what could be harmful to my reputation or potentially damage my future as a civil-defense lawyer/doctor/musician. I consider it perfectly appreciate to use Internet history as a way to find evidence against an individual (shall I bring up the text messages of Detroit’s x mayor Kilpatrick and his infamous affaire)

    I do not think it is an invasion of privacy for companies to use an online profile against me if they were considering me for a job. I believe that companies should give a fair and advanced warning that profiles may be searched and info will be uncovered. It should not be a concern for most people. I would say that companies should not go as far to sharing the information with other companies and employers. That could be seen as a potential blacklisting. But you should not be posting things that have the potential to be job threatening in the first place! Think before you post.
39. Jenny Richter March 28, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    1. There does seem to be something wrong with Ford’s use of his Sociology Department even if it was in exchange for the glorious $5 day wages. It seems like a logical way for Ford to get the workers and results he wanted, but there’s something about interrupting the privacy of a home that seems very personal and morally iffy. Everything about you that you tried to keep hidden, that you never wanted anyone to see, is shown to the members of the Department. The only thing safe is your thoughts, and even then if you were unable to act on those thoughts (like if you wanted alcohol but couldn’t drink because of the Department) it may have made life difficult for those who wanted to work at the factory. However, five dollars per day was high pay in those times, so for people who were willing, it was a pretty sweet deal. If they didn’t mind, then that’s all that really matters.
    2. The thing about the internet is that it’s really easy to think that it’s private when you’re sitting alone in your room, when really it’s quite the opposite. Anyone who has the internet can look at any blog you post, picture you upload, or comment you make. It makes a person realize how important it is to be cautious about what you make public online. It’s like passing out flyers on the street advertising your private life. Anyone can (and will) read and/or look at it. Considering that it could cost you a job, it’s more important than ever to keep secret stuff hidden.
    3. It may, in some ways, seem unfair to use your internet profile against you, but on the other hand it’s a very effective tool for determining what kind of employee the company could be hiring. If you’ve got internet profiles where you’re posing as someone else (in order to creep on children for example), that’s quite worrisome for the company (continuing the above example, a daycare would NOT want to hire this sort of person). I think that it’s perfectly alright for employers to look at things that people make public on the internet. It’s not a private place. Save your secret diary for under the mattress.
40. willy thompson March 28, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    1. I think Ford’s use of the Sociology Department was not ethical. In exchange for the $5 work day, the assembly line workers were constantly under surveillance to make sure their money wasn’t poorly spent. Ford’s methods were not right, because he was saying that I will pay you good money, but I decide what you do with your money, and if you try and pull anything I will fire you. Knowing that the money that you are earning isn’t entirely yours must have been hard on the workers employed by Ford. Ford was extremely over-involved in the lives of his workers and this was taking it to a new extreme of paranoia that no one had seen before. The Sociology Department was morally wrong and I am extremely surprised protests were not held against it.
    2. The internet is a double edged sword; used for good, but mainly for bad. It seems to me that a company never sees good things when they do a background check on the internent for you, only the things that are bad. When something goes up on the internet, even for a milisecond, chances are people will see. A soccer player, in anger of being benched by his manager, tweeted his frustration, but after only 20 seconds of the tweet being online, he took it down. However, during those 20 seconds, thousands of people view it and he was fined by his team. Putting things online may seem relaxed at this age, but when I stop and think about the possible consequences it has in the future, putting a picture of a party up on Facebook can only cause harm.
    3. The internet has no rules, no boundaries. You may think you have privacy on the internet, but anyone can access your information if you put it online. Companies have free reign to look at information about you. If you post a paper about yourself in the school hall with a flap covering it that says “private” people will still just lift the flap are read all about you.
41. Katie Donnellon March 28, 2011 at 7:51 pm

    I don’t think that there is anything wrong with Ford’s Sociology Department. Ford was paying his employees better than most companies until 1917. Also, he owned the company, and was the one who was going to be paying them, so I think that it is his right to hire employees the share his ideals. If Henry Ford made it clear when he was hiring his staff that they were expected to live up to certain standards then I think that there was nothing wrong with monitoring their personal lives, especially because they knew what they were getting into, but if they didn’t then, I think that it was an invasion of privacy.
    I think that this reinforces the idea that you always need to be careful what you put on the internet. Even when you think that what you are doing is safe and private, you still have to be cautious of what you do or say. People have always said that internet is a permanent thing, so even if you think that you have deleted it there is always a trace of it there. Putting things on the internet is making information public, and it is out there for everyone to see.
    If employers want to get to know you using information that you have made public, then I think that they have every right to do so. People aren’t themselves during interviews; they try to make a good impression because they want the person to hire them. When you comment on articles online, or put up pictures of yourself you create a profile of yourself that doesn’t come out during an interview. I think that it is entirely fair for people to use online profiles to help form accurate opinions of future employees seeing as they are the ones who might be paying them in the future. Overall I think that you should censor the things that you put online so that you can avoid being judged for it.
42. Emily Kakos March 28, 2011 at 8:10 pm

    Blog #15

    1. This is a difficult question for me to answer because I think he was wrong to use the Sociology Department, but right in his idea. I think we should all be allowed to have our privacy, it’s basically one of our rights as humans, but Henry Ford definitely had good intentions. He wanted to make sure his workers didn’t drink or smoke or maintain unhealthy lifestyles, and that was nice of him. He was showing his overprotective side because if you think about it, drinking and smoking and being fat or whatever are not good for you, and Ford just wanted everyone to live happy, uninfluenced lives. Even though he had good intentions, doesn’t mean he should take it so far as to have people go check up on his employees to make sure they’re following his rules. That’s kind of like a dictatorship in a way, with Ford as the dictator, sending the police around to make sure you weren’t breaking the law. I suppose that since it was for $5 a day it must have been a good enough deal for the workers for them to continue to stick around.
    2. I’m definitely not stupid enough to post anything idiotic online. I know the consequences of posting pictures and statuses and I’ve heard enough from my dad and older brothers/sisters to know that the internet is not to be trusted. I know Colleges and places of employment look at the internet to see what kind of person you are, and I’ve made 100% sure that when/if they look, all they’ll see is…nothing. That’s the point though. I’m super private on my facebook and I don’t bother with twitter. Even when I text I make sure nothing stupid is going into it. As interesting as this question is, it doesn’t really apply to me; my thoughts about the internet are still the same.
    3. I don’t at all think it’s unfair or illegal for companies to use online profiles against you. It’s your stupid fault for putting anything up on the internet anyway, and once you put it up somewhere, it’s no longer yours; it’s everyone who reads it also. I can’t believe with all the stories out there about kids not getting into schools or getting jobs that people will still do dumb things like say “fjdksj;afjei im so durnnkkkk”. That actually is the most annoying thing ever. Every time I happen to log on facebook and see those kinds of statuses, I want to scream. Anyway, they’ll probably suffer for it later on in life and unfortunately, they deserve it.
43. Nathan Willey March 28, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    1. I do not think that it was unfair or wrong. What Ford did was completely understandable because he just wanted to get the most efficient workers he could. Now, workers who drink will automatically get fired but at least Ford gave his employees a chance at probation. The smoking may be considered a tad excessive but Ford truly new that smoking was bad while others thought that it was potentially good for your health. The fact that ford wanted his workers to buy houses and get married is a bit excessive but its only because he cared! Ford knew that if his employees were poor and wasting money they would be depressed and wouldn’t be the most efficient workers they could.

    2. I am very careful about what I put onto the Internet already but now that employers can look at profiles, I am especially careful. I think it is totally justified for an employer to look at a Facebook or Twitter and so I make sure that what I put on is very appropriate and wouldn’t cause any problems in the future. If my future jobs were affected by things I did, said, or wrote when I was a kid, that would be VERY unfortunate.

    3. The Internet is a very shaky subject especially for employers but the complete bottom line is that the Internet is open to EVERYONE. The Internet can’t be restricted from employers just because people don’t want them to find out about their past, and employers should be relatively forgiving of these things. If you had a criminal record, people who are hiring you may want to know these things and it is totally their right to know. If we were to restrict the Internet from people like that, then undeserving people could get jobs over others. The Internet is open to everyone and everyone to obtain information can use it.
44. Cierra McPherson March 28, 2011 at 8:52 pm

    1. Just about everything is wrong with what Ford did, he basically controlled their lives, although the workers were fine with it, I just find it disturbing how someone who probably doesn’t care for his workers but only his business can be comfortable with violating his workers personal lives. This may have been effective, but I mean really was you decide to smoke, drink, who to marry is your own business, as long as no trouble have been brought to work then Mr. Ford should allow them to live their life as they please.

    2.I just feel that the internet is a privilege for people and lots of people take that for granted, whether they are naïve or whatever and posting the wrong things that you wouldn’t other people to see can affect you in the long run. Also just because you delete something or perhaps even block or put something in private, I’m sure a tech wiz can easily “hack” and find the information if not careful. Also just because you delete doesn’t mean it’s gone forever, cause it’s not it will always be there so be careful what you do and say online.

    3. I don’t feel that it’s an invasion of privacy if they want to see who their hiring. If I had a company I would attempt to look at their online profile, if it’s for the best of my business. I would make sure that they are not embarrassing me and my company. People may say that it’s unfair but when you put your business out there in the public to view its fair game.
45. Chris Robbe March 28, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    1. Yeah, theres definitely something wrong with ford if he had to do something like this. Maybe his father or another close family member was a drunk, but this is an extreme invasion of privacy that Ford forced on all of his workers, otherwise they would have lost their jobs and half of them would be begging on the streets within a month. The $5 should be spent on whatever the worker wants, if they work hard in the factory they should be able to relax. Henry Ford doesn’t have the right to control thousands upon thousands of lives just because he owns the jobs.

    2. It doesn’t change a lot, basically you just have to not be an idiot and put up anything illegal and you should be fine. Besides this you can just make your profile unavailable to the public.

    3. This is perfectly legal, but a little unfair. Pretty much everything is optional, but if you want the job you’ve got to give them what they ask for. Another thing about this is the public records such as divorce papers and minor crimes that you committed, that was what was great about the 1800s if you screw up you get a second chance by moving out west. Nowadays you’re weeded out when theres a lot of competition for a job so theres a very small chance that you’ll get a good job, the technology just makes unfair to the people who want a fresh start
46. Samuel Kepes March 28, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    1. I think there is nothing anything wrong with what Ford did. He was paying his workers more money so that they would stay in his plant for longer. They were making a lot of money, and for Ford, hiring someone that was going to be making that much money for a factory job was a big investment. By creating a program to check on his workers all he was doing was making sure his investments were staying on track. He was even creating jobs by making the Sociology Dept.
    2. I think that eventually the internet will be a tool of yesterday, but until then its ability to affect the world is huge now a days. I think that people should have the right to put something online, but limit the audience that can see it. Unfortunately because of the technology available to the public there is no way to put something out there, but restrict those who can see it. People just have to be smart with opinions and ideas that they post, and if they are not it could cost them friends or even a job.
    3. It is defiantly not an invasion of privacy for a company to use online profiles such as facebook to choose who to hire. If you make a social network account, you know that there is the possibility of employers to look at it. Therefore you should be very careful with what you post. And if someone else posts something inappropriate of you there are ways to “untag” or delete this from your personal profile. I don’t think that it should be illegal either. When you are posting something online for everyone to see, everyone should include employers and employees, so if you have a strong opinion on a subject it may be best to keep it to yourself.
47. jake rZZZeppa March 28, 2011 at 9:21 pm

    I think it was not Ford’s place to dig so deeply into the personal lives of his employees, but I don’t think it was enough of a invasion of privacy that it hurt anyone, even though Ford shouldn’t have been able to control the actions and spending of his employees leisure time, it is his business and he has the right to hire anyone, by any standard he wants. Also it makes sense, he is trading high wages, for workers coming in on time, doing work well, and in a way he is protecting the children of the worker. He is keeping a harmful substance out of their lives. He is offering an attractive offer of $5 a day, in exchange for an efficient worker, and if the worker see’s this as to high a price to pay then he does not have to take the job. With the internet where everything is always there forever we can say whatever we want and do whatever we want, we just have to keep in mind that while the internet is a private place in some ways, it is even more public the a community shower. People can post anything that they want but really the internet is really forcing to pick and choose our words. We have to realize that our facebook, our youtube, twitter, and even xbox live accounts are all connected. Anyone can learn anything about anyone, I still believe it is extreme and an invasion of privacy to be digging around in someone’s youtube comments, finding out that last Tuesday they ate thai food for dinner but, if your going to put it out you can only blame yourself if you don’t get a job because you are seen doing a keg stand in a picture on you facebook profile. If you thought it was funny at the time then you really need to take step back and ask yourself “is this gonna come back to bite me in the butt hard”. The answer, if you have to ask yourself, is probably yes, so don’t be an idiot and you wont lose the job offer. It is disconcerting that companies are going to such great length in the hiring process, it isn’t morally right, but they can do it, if its online it is there because you put it there and that’s your fault. Certain things are absolutely wrong though it is discrimantory to not hire someone based on their political beliefs, when looking for an employee their opinions don’t have to be in line with yours they just have to do their job well. It think that if a company is going to look into someones online actions it must tell the worker and they must tell the worker EXACTLY why they were not picked. That way the worker can at least benefit and take it down, companies should try and be more understanding, maybe be a little less like machines and more like humans and not hire based on one off the cuff status comment on facebook.
48. Ben Cooper March 28, 2011 at 9:33 pm

    1. While I’m not too comfortable with Ford’s Sociology department snooping into peoples personal lives, it could be worse today. I don’t approve of any company trying to control its employee’s personal lives. On the other hand though, Ford clearly helped the plight of the workers by making 5 dollar minimum wage and employing an eight hour work day. I think what Ford did popularized this new minimum wage in other companies which is a very good thing.
    2. Due to the permanence of everything you put on the internet, I am consequently very careful about what I post. On Facebook it’s important not to post incriminating or inappropriate comments and especially photos. I really can’t comprehend why people post incriminating photos of themselves on the internet. They obviously don’t understand that anything you post on the internet is permanent. I think that if you have incriminating photos of yourself on the internet that it shows that you aren’t a very intelligent person.
    3. I have no problem with employers researching potential employees on the internet. It is completely your fault if you have something bad posted on the web. Companies have the right to know if they are hiring the best, most responsible employee available.
49. Rachel Goldstein March 28, 2011 at 9:33 pm

    1.I think that Henry Ford’s Sociology Department was creepy. Wanting them to make good decisions is fine, but Ford should have just encouraged them to save their money, buy a house, get married, and have his definition of a “normal” lifestyle. he could have offered seminars on how to invest wisely, hosted balls to help his employees meet single women, and helped them find homes that they can afford. Having investigators stalk his employees is an invasion of personal space. Maybe a worker isn’t getting married because he doesn’t want to. It doesn’t mean he’s a pervasion of nature, just that he likes being single. Not being married is a stupid reason to be put on probation or fired. It’s the worker’s life, not Ford’s. All Ford can do is point his employees in the right direction and hope they choose to live the way he wants them to.

    2.The internet’s lasting legacy reinforces my thoughts about being careful of what I put online. Even if you delete something, you can’t be sure that it’s really gone. Anyone could have copied and pasted your pictures, videos, or words and posted them somewhere else.

    3.I don’t think that it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in the hiring process. By having an online profile, you are saying it’s okay for people to look at your private life. Unless you turn on privacy settings, Facebook is public information. By having one, you give up the right to feel invaded if someone (like your prospective employer) looks at it. Companies have the right to know who they are hiring. I do think there should be a statute of limitations on what employers can judge you on though. An album on Facebook full of pictures of your drunken college escapades should not hurt your chances of being hired for a job when you’re (for example) thirty seven.
50. Rob Swor March 28, 2011 at 9:55 pm

    1: No, I don’t see anything wrong in what Ford did with the Sociology Department in exchange for the $5 per day wage. I think that his policy needed to be enforced, and he made it specifically so the workers would do their jobs, so a department that observed his workers occasionally would be okay. It’s not like he had his people stalking his employees nonstop, as that would be possible, due to there being 150 members of the Sociology Department and there being millions of employees. Also, if he hadn’t had the sociology department, then there would have probably been a ton of workers paying no attention to his policies and they’d start to perform worse.
    2: This doesn’t really change my thoughts about what I’d put on the internet at all. I’ve always known that anyone can see anything you put on the internet, and have been careful because of it. I think it’s a little annoying that anyone can see anything you do on the internet, but it’s really just a part of life now.
    3: I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy for companies to use your online profile against you in hiring or anything, and I don’t think anything about it should be illegal, however I think it could be unfair. Some people act completely different on the internet than in real life. For instance, a perfectly nice person could be deprived of a job because they screw around on the internet and come across as a jerk, when they act that way on the internet just as a joke.