Monday, January 19, 2009

Watch your blogging

There are some things that I'm honestly surprised I have to keep repeating. I really do need to revamp the sidebar, as several have suggested, and just put in some of the really obvious stuff. This Really Obvious Point is with regards to blogging. As I understand there's been an incident where a local blogger might be in some trouble because some thoughtful soul decided to let that person's employer know s/he was blogging. I don't know if there's a place in hell for foolish tattle-tales, but one can always dream.

Look, this is the most basic rule there is when it comes to blogging - don't talk about work. Unless you're amazing secure in your job, your employer knows you do it, you've had the chat and s/he doesn't care, then Do Not Talk About Work.

I have in excess of 1,200 posts on this blog. Several people around town know who I am and what I do because there are pictures of me up here and we've chatted over email. I guarantee you not a single, solitary one of them figured it out from stuff I've written on the blog. I do not talk about work. I don't talk about what's happening in the office. I don't talk about the subject matter that I deal with at work. Do you think I can not speak with intelligence and some degree of authority about the things I deal with at work? Of course I could. Do I think people would find it fascinating? I know they would. But I do not. Because it is like waving a red flag at a bull. Sooner or later, you're going to get gored.

I love Nunavut's blogging community. I want to see it grow and expand and have new voices from across the territory. I love reading you all. I love that people from down south are reading us and that some of them are choosing to come up here and share our experience solely based on what we write. I think it's marvelous.

But please be careful. There is a precedent for northern bloggers getting in trouble with their employers. I know of at least one who was fired and two who were threatened with dismissal. And now this. So just don't talk about work unless you're dead certain your boss is all right with it.

Last Five
1. A common disaster- Cowboy Junkies*
2. Bangs - They Might Be Giants
3. Fall - Editors
4. Trip through your wires (live) - U2
5. Sloop John B - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies

9 comments:

Megan said...

My personal opinion is that blogging about the subject matter people deal with at work is dangerous. It turns a personal blog into something that's just a little too close to work, and that's not fair to the blogger or his/her boss. It opens doors none of us want to open.

I use a general rule of thumb that if something looks like the sort of writing I would do for work, it belongs at work, not on my personal blog.

It's tough, because many of us picked our jobs because we are passionate about the subject matter. I totally understand why people get in trouble with this.

Anonymous said...

A little off-topic here but I thought Blogger only allowed for something like 999 posts. What happens when you reach this threshold? Are you allowed some sort of extension? I likely won't reach 999 until late this year at the earliest but since you mentioned the number of posts you've done (an impressive number I might add), it just got me to thinking about it.

Megan said...

Not true. I had about 1600 when I switched over. I think there is some sort of size limit, though. Inuvik Phil had to get a new blog because he had so many photos on the first one.

Kennie said...

Yeah, we have a 1GB limit of storage space ... every time you post a picture Darcy, it will tell you "you are using x% of 1GB"

I'd like to move mine completely over to my .mac account, but it just takes sooooo long to upload anything to it from here! boooo! Bad Qiniq!

towniebastard said...

Interesting. I suppose I should consider moving the blog over to a proper website one of these days, but wonder if it's worth the hassle. I looked at moving it over to Wordpress, but it wouldn't transfer over the pictures, so that was that.

Megan said...

All of my photos came with me. The comments, too.

The one weird thing was that some posts came over two or three times. I don't know why this happened.

Jackie S. Quire said...

Wow, I obviously am a little late in the game on this post, and I have to wonder what the hell happened, but I'll try to keep my nosy-ness to myself.

I am definately one of those bloggers who walks a fine line between work life and blogging material. But luckily for me, my employer actually seems to be okay with what I do.

Right around this time last year, I officially told them that I had a blog, that it was a personal blog, and gave them the web address.

The only condition they had was that it not be a "behind-the-scenes" look at the cbc.

Which, in my opinion, it isn't.

But that's just me.

Saskboy said...

I have too many bosses to assume that they'd all be alright with me blogging. However, the President of the organization I work with (and here I go blogging about work I guess!) is keenly aware of my blogging and has publicly been supportive of it, especially since it helps to advertise the workplace events that take place (usually while I'm off duty).

Of course the best situation is that a blogger's boss does not know about a blog, although that could lead someone to get careless and say things they would not say to their boss's face, and since it's the Internet, the boss will eventually see/hear it, and the poop shall hitteth the fanneth.

Shelley said...

Thank you Judy. of course my intent is to make other people aware of the atmosphere and expectations when they move. That I am unhappy with the way I've been treated is not news to housing or the person(s) concerned.
Shelley