JBoyd said:
This story will surely spark a debate on whether or not it was ethical for her boss to fire her over facebook (pubically) instead of in person.. It also should be used as an example to all to watch what you put (or say) on facebook.. it may not be as private as you think.
It is not accepted standard practice to fire a person electronically, but only because a person is expected to be able to ask, in person, why they are being fired (or released, downsized, rightsized, temporarily laid off, etc.).
In this case its pretty obvious why the person is being fired, so an in-person meeting is not required to discuss the issue. It should also be noted that the employee took the issue to the Internet first, disparaging her work, supervisor, and employer, so having made the issue public knowledge cant really complain that it was a private matter. Not only was it communicated, it was made permanent by a posting. Who posted that clipping to the world is a different matter, but the persons involved were not identified (at least not here), so claiming worldwide embarassment is a bit much at the moment.
A lot of people still havent figured out that nothing you say on Facebook is 'private' - you can have privacy settings, you can block public access, but any person with access to your account can copy and post your materials at any time.
As for making such a comment while 'forgetting' your boss is part of your network... Social Darwinism at work!