Mind your own business

By Nicole Zerillo | Special to amNewYork

October 8, 2007

Veiled threats over half-eaten yogurt containers, toothy smiles and cheap plaid kilts paired with $1200 boots are the premise of the CW's teen-dramedy, Gossip Girl. In the office, as in the glittery world of Gossip Girl, gossip is simultaneously a way of keeping tabs on what's going on, as well as a destructive force.

Though always intriguing, "what's different now is that the proliferation of social networking (like myspace.com and facebook.com) makes it easier to find out personal information about people -- and then spread it--more quickly online," said Alexandra Levit, career consultant and author of "They Don't Teach Corporate In College: A Twenty-Something's Guide to the Business World."

You may have forgotten your drunken profile picture, featuring a magnum of champagne and sunglasses, but odds are your Google search hasn't. So while once upon time it may have been enough to keep tightlipped in the office or during job interviews, now some attention should be paid to your online identity.

If you find yourself in the position of having un flattering postings surrounding your name in cyberspace, try bumping them off the first page of the search engine by adding comments to a variety of websites under your real name. Just make sure what you write isn't so controversial or private that you wouldn't want co-workers or employers to see it.

Also, whether online or in the office, another big no-no is pitching in to stories that could hurt someone else's reputation. "Damaging stories spread like wild-fire, and being nailed as the source can be a career killer," said Levit. So while your boss might actually be an anarchist or a paranoid schizophrenic, it's best to keep those criticisms to yourself, not provide copious links.

On the other hand, it's not a fantastic idea to chastise office gossip either. While it might seem like a noble cause, it actually makes you look pettier than the office gossip-monger.

It's definitely difficult (not to mention mind-numbingly boring) to keep conversation focused on the weather and the state of the roads all the time. If you feel you must gossip, stick to discussing the of your favorite celebrities rather than your rivals for the corner office. Neither is good, but bashing Britney's legal battles is definitely a safer bet than calling out a co-worker's Codine habit.