If it seems that there are more social media apps out there than ever before, you’re not going crazy.  No longer do employers just have to worry about Facebook. Rather, a whole host of sites has popped up leading to new headaches and challenges for employers.

I’ve talked about this before, but Law360 published a pretty thorough article last night in which I’m quoted regarding “What Employers Need To Know About the Latest Social Media”.

In it, I talk about the practical consequences that Facebook’s purchase of WhatApp (for $19 billion) will have on communications in and around the workplace.

With Facebook’s recent $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, a cross-platform instant messaging subscription service for smartphones, it’s safe to say that messaging platforms are on the rise. These messaging services provide their users with quick and convenient ways to share information, which means employees may be eschewing more established means of corporate communication like email in favor of messaging sites, especially when they are using mobile phones.

“For employers, this means that information is traveling quickly outside of typical corporate controls,” Daniel Schwartz of Shipman & Goodwin LLP said.

“It’s important to understand when your information is not going through normal channels if you have a document retention policy or regulatory concerns like in the financial or health care industries, to make sure that your secure information is not being leaked through the faucet that is instant messaging apps,” he said.

There’s lots more good stuff in the piece including a tip from Delaware Employment Law Blog’s Molly DiBianca about apps like Secret too.  Never heard of them? You should because confidential information and rumors are being spread.

Check out the rest of the article for additional tips, including this quote from Adam Forman, a great labor lawyer out at Miller Canfield as well.

“Employers need to understand that the days of simply putting up a firewall at work and having that protect you are over,” said Adam S. Forman of Miller Canfield Paddock & Stone PLC. “You need to survey what’s out there and figure out where you’re vulnerable. You need to understand the scope of today’s issues — college kids are not on Facebook anymore, and these are your employees.”