Since 1935, the National Labor Relations Act has protected the right of private-sector employees to discuss workplace conditions. But as conversations shift from the break room to the sphere of social media, regulators are facing new challenges in distinguishing protected speech from "mere griping." Bob talks with Lafe Solomon, General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, about what can and can't be tweeted about the workplace.

NPR's Andy Carvin, author of Distant Witness: Social Media, the Arab Spring and a Journalism Revolution, talks with Brian Lehrer about the role of Twitter in reporting and his experience using social media to follow developments during the Arab Spring.

Will new laws protect what you say on social media while you're at work - even if you're dissing your boss? Steven Greenhouse, author of The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker, says you might be able to share more than you think.

Employers have typically tried to restrict what their employees say online about work place issues, especially if their comments are negative. But according to some recent rulings by the National Labor Relations Board, many companies' social media policies are illegal. Steven Greenhouse has been reporting on all of this for our partner, The New York Times.

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The mobile photo service Instagram caused a furor yesterday when they announced expansive new terms of service. Sam Biddle, reporter for Gizmodo, explains the backlash, and what we know about social network privacy in general. Then, James Estrin, senior staff photographer and co-editor of the Lens blog for the New York Times, discusses the role of camera photography in photojournalism, and helps launch our year-end photo project.

People I know who work on Wall Street often have two phones (one for personal, one for professional use) and limited access on their work computers to any website that hasn’t been completely vetted.  Security and privacy are paramount in the financial industries for obvious reasons, including regulatory.

A bank in South Africa announced this summer that its mobile banking customers will now be able to conduct transactions and monitor their accounts through Facebook. This type of cross-pollination between banks and social media does not yet exist in the United States, but it could be coming.

What if Facebook likes and Twitter posts could give investors clues about market trends? The idea may not be as farfetched as it sounds.

Stephen Duncombe, associate professor at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, talks about his project to create a web-based, open source edition of Sir Thomas More's Utopia.

"Posing for a cover shoot is scary..." That's the beginning of a tweet by Katie Couric, and it's a perfect example of a new subsection of social media. It's called a "humble brag." You know, telling people why your life is so hard, while subtly reminding us why your life is so sweet.

Political free speech is protected by the U.S. Constitution — but what about liking someone, some cause, or some candidate on Facebook? Facebook and the American Civil Liberties Union are now fighting to make the "Like" button a form of protected speech.

Classical music fans, some with a little too much time on their hands, took to Twitter this week to participate in a challenge known as #classicalbands.

Washington has just become the first state to allow people to register to vote via Facebook, and the way things are going, it won’t be the last.

While the standards for sex offender registration and notification have always been high, a new law authored by Louisiana State Representative Jeff Thompson takes public disclosure one step further and marks itself as the first law of its kind in the nation. Should sex offenders be required to list their past crimes on Facebook?

Can you appreciate a performer's music if his or her personal beliefs are deeply repugnant to you? That question comes up with growing frequency in the age of Facebook, writes Fred Plotkin.

Politico reported last week that the Obama campaign employs over 150 social media experts who reach deep into data available through social media profiles and craft ads targeted at specific types of potential voters. Some experts claim advertising tailored to voters will determine the outcome of the campaigns. But there’s also the possibility that more specific advertising efforts will only increase the cynicism or apathy of some potential voters.

For the past six months, a website called Politwoops has been bringing politicians' deleted tweets back to life. Does that mean it's time for them to change their social media strategy?