I was rather perturbed to read about FaceBook on the Metro recently about the founders, err, shaky start and I have held back from writing about it as I felt that it was a bit negative. I have a vested interest, I love social media, I have been involved in it for years and I have difficulty in saying bad things about it…

However, on balance, the truth will out and the truth has outed, probably in part because of social media, I will test that in a moment… The key issue as I understand it is the main founder of FaceBook stole the code from his employer. Now, he was unwise to do that as it is not an ethical foundation to a business and it seems he has paid the price.

This is only half the reason I am posting. You see, this whole scenario has happened to me. Staff have left and lied and have been discovered to run off with clients. They have seduced other members of staff and set up in competition and this has been, to put it mildly a very expensive waste of time. They have willingly and knowingly signed lengthy contracts agreeing that they will not do this, yet gone ahead on the basis that they might find a loop hole? Why would they even consider this as a reasonable course of action, they must not be thinking clearly.

I have written to all those involved and left it to them to make good. They have decided not to make and they are calling my bluff – to see what I would do? So now I have to make the decision to proceed, I have all the evidence, I have given them the opportunity to make good…

I have to admit, when things happen as personal as this, it makes you think much more about the best course of action to take. Did they mean it, was it an accident, would it have happened anyway and what is the real cost? Does it matter?

Whatever the reasons, it has certainly cost and at the end of the day it was their decision to break the terms of our agreement. But when I read about actual cases and we start to see just how much compensation has been won and also how embarrassing it must be to the people who committed the crimes. It is a shame that their careers have been ruined because they could not maintain a basic agreement that they entered into as adults. It has to stop, I have to take a stand, I cannot continue to help others, for those people to then bite the hand that feeds them.

In the case of FaceBook the cost has been the shame through the public notifications that have occurred and millions of dollars have been awarded against them, I understand. In my case I have seriously considered cancelling my account with FaceBook. I know I am not alone, we could be witnessing the demise of FaceBook.

Ultimately I have decided not to cancel my account with FaceBook and this is why I feel comfortable writing about it. They have paid the price, the quality of the software is not in question, just the ethics of the team behind it – heavy stuff – for them – not me. They have to work that one out for themselves, there is no one else to blame. Ultimately the law has won through and those whose invention it was have been rewarded as they should have been.

Also I have to say I like the application. I have recently been talking to my first born via FaceBook, after 21 years of separation, so to give that up is not something I am in a hurry to do.

I must admit to finding it difficult for the people that I had personal working relationships with to knowing and willingly break their trust with me. Their actions demonstrate their true selves and demonstrate their immoral and unethical attitudes to the world – their problem has become mine. It does not have to stay with me, there is a just world out there. It is they who are caught with their hands in my till. I have already paid the price – upfront! Now it is right that they will pay the price for their actions. We need laws, as the final protection when ethics, morals, common sense fail… I am very sorry to say I just feel that we have no choice in the matter the choice has already been made and there is a well trodden path to the law courts with many companies winning their cases for this kind of disloyalty.

I just read two excellent descriptions of the word FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real or False Education Appearing Real, the latter describes the kind of people that perpetrate these crimes. They clearly cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. They cannot determine for themselves how they should behave, so ultimately I, like we all actually have to do as law abiding citizens have no choice, we have to go with the law.

There is a further issue to this. I have noticed in my conversations with other people about FaceBook that they are cancelling their accounts, but in spite of doing this FaceBook are keeping the information. FaceBook are continuing to display information after the person who supplied it has decided that they should not have it any more. They feel tricked. I feel tricked, I have become the unwitting victim of their betrayal. Is it right that I should constantly watch my back whilst trying to move forward, I dont think I can afford that, indeed it would blight all our lives if we had to live this way.

Indeed there have been a few reversal of terms and conditions recently at FaceBook it would seem. They should be ashamed, there is something wrong at the heart of these people for them to think that they can get away with it – it is a warning to others including those that “will do no evil”. I think that they should jump up and do something to make good, but it seems neither are about to do that. No doubt they would be afraid that it would amount to an admission – as they probably imagine it is someones else fault. Or it could be that FEAR coming through again.

I think we might be witnessing the fall from grace of some very interesting software, that definitely has the ability to work very well. The same for the people who used to work for me and who I have no choice in pursuing, I have a family to protect, not least of which are the current staff, friends and clients of my businesses. Watch out all those that work with these type of people in the future, I am glad they have left!

It is obviously a sad reflection of society that these cases exist and are very real. I have to meter it though with the fact that this is not the behaviour of the vast majority of service websites as it is not the behaviour of most employees and partners.

I know I am not alone, it is with some irony that we are able to match online corporate behaviour with offline human behaviour. It is interesting to note that when you are caught with your hands in the online till that you are reported offline. That ultimately there is no escape for the immoral and that people do get the justice that they deserve and that  online and offline, at times, merge.

I would like to know if any other have had any difficult experiences like these, as I think that they should be out there in order to remind people this is not how to behave… I would also like to know if and how such situations are resolved. What can we do to protect ourselves. What can we do to ensure that things like this never ever happen again?