US Open Officials say no to Twitter

Serena & Venus Williams each have one. So do Andy Murray and Andy Roddick. I am speaking today of Twitter and the warning from US Open officials about reckless tweeting by the players.

Ostensibly, their concern is the dissemination of “inside” information from the Courts and it’s effect on the game and illegal wagering. Judging from recent tweets from the players (click on their names above to go right to their Twitter page), this doesn’t seem to be a real issue.

Serena is busy plugging her new book, Venus is exciting about ringing the closing bell on the stock exchange and Federer keeps us plugged in on some pretty mundane goings-on such as checking his email and going to sleep. Roddick seems to enjoy his tweets and really engages. Here, he comments on the US Open “No Tweet” rule (10:28 PM Aug 28th from web):

i definitely respect the rule about inside info and on court, but u would seriously have to be a moron to send “inside info” through a tweet

But the US Open is actually being pretty proactive, given the online climate and the lack of forethought that is rampant in our online behavior. I know I sound preachy, but I cannot stress this enough, especially to my younger readers…be mindful of what you post online! At least make some small effort to think a little down the road. Do you want that angry post “out there” in perpetuity? I’ve seen the t-shirts that admonish, “Don’t drink & text”, which I think is both hilarious and great advice. The same rules apply to your photos and to your Tweets.

One of my Facebook “friends” recently made a really angry post about a family member that made everyone who read it really uncomfortable because there were clearly serious issues that needed to be discussed “offline” and not aired on the wall for all to see.

Open season on your life and every whim? Think before you press those keys and hit the “post” button.