What is with all of these high-profile people shooting their mouths off?  First there was Mel Gibson, then Michael Richards, and now uber-publisher Judith Regan.  What do these three have in common?  They let their guards down in the heat of the moment, and are living to regret it big time as their racist remarks spread through cyberspace faster than cold germs in a kindergarten classroom.

Here’s the thing.  What was once private, even for celebrities, isn’t private anymore.  My husband and I were watching the movie Walk the Line on cable last night, and we observed that today Johnny Cash couldn’t get away with a tenth of the stuff he pulled back in his day, before paparazzi, 24 hour news channels, and blogs.  Given that every move they make can be broadcast across the world in seconds and they’re living in smaller bubbles than ever, you’d think A-listers would think twice before getting drunk and going out in public, or having a meltdown in front of a “small” audience.

While it’s true that celebrities are natural targets for negative publicity (after all, only K-Fed could inspire thousands of blog postings, complete with photo, of Britney dumping him over text message), the breakneck speed of the gossip lane on the information superhighway has implications for us average folks in the business world too.  We must be aware of the frequency with which harmless workplace videos meant to be funny end up on YouTube, or personal photos from last summer’s risqué Caribbean vacation stand proud on a potential employer’s computer screen – courtesy of MySpace.  We have to watch what we say in the office – especially when it comes to touchy issues like sex, drugs, religion, and politics – because you never know who’s listening and who might decide to blog about it. 

Judith Regan probably thought her anti-Semitic remarks would stay between her and a HarperCollins lawyer.  While she is one of the highest-paid women in publishing, she’s no Angelina Jolie.  It can happen to us too, so let’s learn from her mistakes.