Why anonymity is encouraged on the site...

[lordlundar]

http://gamepolitics.com/2007/09/29/n...rker-comments/

This is similar as what gets posted here, and she was fired for it.

So please, if you have to rant, please be anonymous about it.

[Boozy]

I didn't look at her blog (although the excerpts did seem quite vulgar), and the article is very short. So we don't really know the whole story here, but here are my thoughts:

She did not use her real name nor did she identify the company she worked for. Its not clear how they found out about the blog to begin with.

The argument here seems to be that she insulted her co-workers. Which she could have done in a coffee shop talking to friends. Would she have been fired if someone from her office had overheard her say these things at a coffee shop? Its an interesting question.

Something that sort of stuck in my craw: the PR person from Nintendo said, "I’ve seen everything that she’s written and it’s really not work appropriate." Well, duh. That's probably why she didn't say anything of the sort at work. The blog (presumably) was written on her own time outside the office.

On the other hand, if her co-workers found out about what she was writing, they would have been rightfully offended. And the company has to be concerned about things that negatively affect the office environment and productivity.

Its an interesting issue.

[chops]

This is why I'm kinda glad I've only been active on this board when I haven't been in a customer-service position. While I've been known to bitch about my current job from time to time, I tend to keep it to my friends-locked LiveJournal, and I can still bitch about old times at jobs I can't get fired from anymore

[blas]

Which is why myspace and Facebook don't always make the best places to bitch about people and bosses........

Not saying she used either of the two, just saying that it's harder to be discovered if you make an alias of yourself on a forum and never give out your real name or location....etc etc etc...

[GolfCart34]

I've spent a lot of time complaining about former jobs, but not my current one. Truth is, my current customer service job is actually rather pleasant and my customers are wonderful, so what is there to complain about.

All of my previous jobs, while I don't reveal where I worked or the name of the company, are fair game when it comes to complaints. I don't work any of those places any more so it's not like they can fire me. Besides, the stuff I complain about is stuff that everybody complains about at those jobs.

[draggar]

My company has a very strict policy on blogging: DON'T or you'll get fired. They do not limit it to work related either and we get emails reminding us of it every now and then. Honestly, as long as you don't post any information covered under a non-disclosure agreement, that is company sensitive or insider information, slanderous (false), etc.. I don't see why companies need to infringe on our freedom of speech and the press. In other words, don't post things you shouldn't post.

I post here, but nothing that is specific to my company, it's employees or customers. I know what I can post and what I cannot but it's getting to the point where my computer had a 'snapshot' taken of I posted at work (on a break from my phone).

She did not use her real name nor did she identify the company she worked for. Its not clear how they found out about the blog to begin with.

She had her picture and probably bragged about her blog to some co-workers and so on and eventually it got to someone who was offended by what she said.

The argument here seems to be that she insulted her co-workers. Which she could have done in a coffee shop talking to friends. Would she have been fired if someone from her office had overheard her say these things at a coffee shop? Its an interesting question.

But, if you're in a coffee shop what is your audience? Ten people? Maybe a few dozen? You're comparing apples to oranges. I think what she wrote on her blog would be like writing it in a local newspaper or saying it on TV, you have a much larger audience online and potentially can reach billions of people. The world's highest rated TV shows (World Cup?) only reaches a billion.

Something that sort of stuck in my craw: the PR person from Nintendo said, "I’ve seen everything that she’s written and it’s really not work appropriate." Well, duh. That's probably why she didn't say anything of the sort at work. The blog (presumably) was written on her own time outside the office.

On the other hand, if her co-workers found out about what she was writing, they would have been rightfully offended. And the company has to be concerned about things that negatively affect the office environment and productivity.

You can't go around work calling people what she called people on her blog and if she's promoting it at work, then technically she is saying those things at work. It's a thin line.

[iradney]

I dunno.

If the only thing that can be used to identify you is a picture, then it's pretty much just conjecture, isn't it?
I mean, if you don't give the name of the company where you work, and use a pseudonym for all those that you speak about, for all anyone knows you're either making stuff up, speaking about past experiences or using other people's stories.

Like with me, for example. I have never mentioned what company I work for. I don't mention my coworkers by name - hell, I even change their sex sometimes. So if *Company* were to come on here, they wouldn't really find anything to cause much concern.

[CancelMyService]

Also, Nintendo is notoriously heavy handed when it comes to handling business online. Back when I was heavy into Mortal Kombat, I wrote what would have been the 1996 equivalent of a blog entry teasing Nintendo for using the Killer Instinct franchise to cash in, and I got all sorts of nastygrams from the big N's legal team. They basically tried to bully me into retracting what I wrote because it wasn't glowing praise on the company (and it wasn't even bashing them, I was just busting their balls).

[draggar]

If the only thing that can be used to identify you is a picture, then it's pretty much just conjecture, isn't it?
I mean, if you don't give the name of the company where you work, and use a pseudonym for all those that you speak about, for all anyone knows you're either making stuff up, speaking about past experiences or using other people's stories.

My company knows who I am here and it's been proven. Even corporate security knows who I am on here and other forums.

Technically many of the no-blogging corporate policies are unconstitutional and I would fight it if they tried anything against me (like I have in the past).

[iradney]

According to the contract I signed, as long as I don't give out confidential information, like how the company works, etc etc, I'm fine.
Libel is obviously a different kettle of fish altogether, obviously.

[MystyGlyttyr]

Another great thing about where I work. After something weird happens, I immediately announce "This is going in tonight's blog entry!" and everyone laughs. So long as I don't give away any sort of news or stories, they don't care. Hell, we usually can barely wait for the elevator to close before we all start mocking some of the people who come up here.

[auntiem]

My company has a very strict policy on blogging: DON'T or you'll get fired. They do not limit it to work related either and we get emails reminding us of it every now and then. Honestly, as long as you don't post any information covered under a non-disclosure agreement, that is company sensitive or insider information, slanderous (false), etc.. I don't see why companies need to infringe on our freedom of speech and the press. In other words, don't post things you shouldn't post.
*snip*

I don't see how that is possibly legal for them to not allow you to blog on your own time. So someone could get fired that has an innocent little knitting blog? Never mentions work, life, school what have you? That is really FUBAR.

[Rapscallion]

I think that's a clear case of where the first amendment is perfectly right. On their premises and using their machines, it's not covered. On your own machine, on your own time, and on your own connection, as long as you're not libelling them then you're safe.

The UCLA would have a field day about that.

Rapscallion

[PuckishOne]

The UCLA would have a field day about that.

Not to mention the ACLU.