YouTube Copies Facebook

YouTube just launched a new section of its site where students from specific schools can upload videos that will only be accessible to other students at their schools. Or will they? My thanks to Hal Fischer of MilitaryStars.com for bringing this item to my attention.

In order to view a video posted by a student at your school, you need access to an email address from that school. So that means just students, staff, faculty, alumni, etc.
Just like with Facebook, students will incorrectly infer that the videos will only be accessible to other students. Just like with Facebook, employers will include the videos in their background checking process of potential hires. Just like with Facebook, videos with objectionable content will result in students not being hired. And just like with Facebook, employers will be making terrible decisions about whether and how to use the content.
Employers should be wary of using these videos for a variety of reasons, including that they may have been edited to portray an excellent candidate in a false light and that students will view the use of such “personal” information (their belief, not mine) as having nothing to do with their professional lives (their belief, not mine) and that any employer that uses personal information against a candidate runs the risk of becoming a pariah on campus (their belief and mine).
Should employers use YouTube as part of their background checking process? Yes, but with great caution. Inform the candidates in advance that you will be searching sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube if you are going to do so. But also use those sites to include candidates in the hiring process by searching them much like you would search a resume bank.