Every now and then things come up at work that I’m tempted to talk about. Sometimes silly (people accidently hitting the panic button on the alarm system instead of the disarm button in the morning), sometimes serious (three people have left the job since I started), other times random musings (do we really want to take down all the trees in the back?)
This is all part of one of the Internet Great Debates that is never going to get solved. Some people say talk about everything and anything, speech is free! Others have been put in bad spots because of it. (dooce.com is an example of that; she lost her tech job by talking about it online way back)
I tend twards the ” don’t put it online ” camp. How about y’all?
Remember True Porn Clerk Stories? The entry I’m thinking about in this context is one towards the end, when the blog was suddenly Noticed, and she wrote something along the lines of ‘Management has found out about the blog and the NPR piece. I am not fired.’
I think the sort of stuff we do here is fine – it’s all either generic (some one accidentally hits the panic button; that could be anyone in any office) or it’s very personal (my workload is unmanagable now that 3 people have left). I guess it’s OK because it’s not really writing about work, it’s writing about the part of yourself that has a job. And I’ve never read anything here that would be truly devestating if were suddenly read on the national news.
Still, it’s permanent. I’ve said things online – I’ve said things here – that I wouldn’t want the subject to hear about. So I try to learn from movies and court cases, and keep in mind that everything I say can, theoretically and/or given enough time, either get back to the subject or get out to the whole wide world.
I think we’re all in quasi-accord over this .. by all, I mean the four of us that write here.
But as far as the world at large … the Internet may be slowly changing our collective notions of privacy and transparency. Read a sci fi book – actually, E.E. Doc Smith – which mentioned in passing the non-existent notions of privacy in a telepathic community. So if there’s a critical mass of these non-critical posters (by that I mean unedited, not unopinionated), then perhaps we, too, will collectively change our notions of what is proper to say.
But at present, I really don’t buy the Cartman ‘I can do what I want’ defense (South Park) Oh, sure, you can say whatever you’d like. I’ll fully support a guarantee of that right; I think free speech is important. But free speech doesn’t mean you are entitled to readers (or listeners), and it doesn’t protect you from all consequences. No, you shouldn’t be thrown in jail (as long as what you said wasn’t illegal). But if you lose your job, if your friends ostracize you, if people write you back and call you names – well, those are all consequences you should be ready to take. That’s how society functions, that’s how rules and mores and social norms – which are all of vital importance to maintain society – are made and protected.
So I guess in my mind, the final answer is Sure, you can. But sometimes you shouldn’t.
I tried to write an answer to this one the other day. I worked on it off an d on in odd moments (i had company) but the gist id what i was trying to say is: Ditto what she said.
I would add that anonymity gives one the freedom to write more about things that are common to the human experience, but when your name is right there on your blog you should be more circumspect.
You remember a while back when i vented about a family member who will never ever, not in a million years, chance across this blog…. but who could. When I vent i try not to exaggerate, but my irritation exaggerate how i feel so i express myself a bit more…. extremely. I learned from that… not that i do not vent, but i try not to vent so freely here. I have written a few posts and saved them for further consideration. When i do that i always end up deleting them.
I think writing about other people and writing about your work place are the same… you can do it, but there could be consequences and you have to be prepared to take them.