A warning about the intarwebs

As a public service message, a reminder that anything you write on the internet should be considered public. Completely public. Even though you might think nobody reads what you write, even though you might think nobody you know will recognize you because you anonymize things, assume that everyone you know can and will read what you write.

I always have, and my stock comment is that anything I say here (or the other places I write) isn't anything I wouldn't say in person. In fact, sometimes I'd say more in person.

Suzanne is getting bit by this right now. Apparently someone she works with has been reading her blog, and after a recent entry that complained about work, narc'd on her to the woman who heads her law firm. There Was Much Angst.

The short result is that Suzanne thinks she could get fired for complaining that she doesn't get enough work to do and commenting that the boss' treatment of another employee seemed rather capricious and petulant.

My overall take is, just as you should assume that anyone can read what you write on the net, anyone who takes internet words at complete face value and then acts on them in the offline world is a dildo who needs something better to occupy their time. As a long-time-ago proto-blogger once said, if you can't handle Joe from Sheboygan telling you you suck, you ought to think about getting off the net. If you can't handle the fact that your employees come to work and hide their dislikes and concerns, then it's probably time to look inside your own head rather than tasing them for having those thoughts.

That said, I think she'd be happier working someplace else. The place she's at now is a one-ring circus and the only person who seems to have their head screwed on straight is the office manager.