privacy non-existent?

[thehippie777]

I had mentioned this before briefly in a response to someone else's threat awhile ago, but I figure I would present this topic for interpretation.

It's true, I have a myspace. Well, before I found customersuck, if I had a bad night I would rant in a blog. Well, I am not sure what happened but someone from somewhere intercepted a particular angry blog or two and forwarded them to our chains main Cooperate company. Yeah, the big wigs.

Either I was "trusting" someone I shouldn't have on my friend's list, some random person stopped by & read my blogs & was concerned, or someone from the Chain Cooperate office seriously invaded my privacy (I heard rumors of the latter that cooperations are keeping tabs on their employees).

Let's say I leaned why people keep their myspaces "private".

I get called into work...it's like 10am and I just got off of work at 6am. I go into our GM's office and she sits me down. She puts print-outs of my blogs from myspace infront of me. I pick them up confused...not knowing what it was at first. She says that someone copied and sent some of my blog to *head of chain* and it was forwarded to her. I was livid. What the HELL are my blogs being sent to Cooperate for & by who?!?!?!

Apparently my anger in the blog concerned the sender, who signed "Anonymous" to the message (which is strange for our Chain. People demand compensation easily & get it usually). In these particular blogs, I bitched about our frequent stayer program & how for some reason people who aren't high up tend to be EW's more often. I suposidly also threated to stab some A-hole in the kidney (metaphore!).

So this all meant I was being put on "observation". I was torn up. What happened to privacy? What happened to artistic expression? What? I can't let off steam anymore in a form that I find comforting???

The head of chain also sent their reccomendation, btw. Immediate dismissal. Luckily I wasn't dismissed. Although, they did say that since it was sent anonymously then they weren't taking it seriously. Uh okay...thanks for the recomendation of immediate dismissal!

So, kids, I am dangerous...fear me...

[smileyeagle1021]

oh, if corp knew about some of the txts I send while at work or the things I post here they'd probably want me removed too... so you aren't the only one hippie... hell... every employee on the planet has said something in private that should get them fired.

[crazylegs]

I live by a simple rule on the internet, it's as follows

I only post online what I'd want to have painted on the side of my house

Because that's as much privacy you have online. None, zip, zero. My FaceBook account is locked down so tight you wouldn't be able to find me, I don't have a MySpace and I certainly don't have a livejournal.

I do however sympathise, why should a company be looking at what you write in your own time, using your own resources unless the following applies,

a) you can be identified
b) the company can be identified

If either of those are breached then the company can (and in this case has) say you are not acting in the best interests of the company. It sucks I know but that's how it is these days.

[Pedersen]

So, you had a web page, open to the public, and then got upset when some member of the public read it and responded to it because you didn't like the response?

Welcome to the world wide web. If you publish it, someone else will read it. And that someone else can have a profound impact on your ability to get or keep a job. I find myself reading, fairly frequently, about how employers are looking up prospective applicants online, or are looking up their current employees online.

And people are amazed that they would do so. I have to ask why they wouldn't or shouldn't. Suppose you find a picture of your forklift driver smoking a bong. Or a story about how your cashier hates every single customer who comes through his line. Maybe you find an employee's blog who, it turns out, is planning on shafting your company in such a way that it will cost your company a lot of money. Alternately, you find out that an employee you value is showing suicidal tendencies, and you offer to get that person help.

You can find a world of things about a given person by what they themselves post online. Some of them good, some of them bad, most of them indifferent.

In the end, the rule is simple: You only want to post things online that you would not mind both your enemies and your friends seeing and knowing about you. If you post more than that, then the consequences are on your head, and your head alone.

[KiaKat]

That's one reason why I'm so careful about revealing where I work, especially here. It's a small company, and if I posted what city or neighbourhood we were in, I'd be found out, and probably talked to (possibly fired as well) for what I've written about the owner on here.

A couple of my co-workers know about this place, but I'm not sure they would connect me with my username.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Let's say I leaned why people keep their myspaces "private".

Additionally, you should learn not to identify yourself and/or the company you work for. Just in case a "friend I shouldn't have trusted" decides to stab you in the back and send your blogs to the big muckety-mucks.

I know I say some pretty nasty things about people at my job, but then I've never mentioned them by name or given the name of the place I work for (although it could be discovered by piecing together various bits of information, but it would take a lot of time and effort).

I also have to see I see corporate's point when they recommend you be fired. You posted on a publicly-viewable webpage that you don't like certain customers of yours, and threatened to stab one in the kidney. Even though you weren't serious about that last bit, corporate is now thinking you're potentially violent at worst and rude at best. I'm not saying this is right, it's just the way it goes nowadays.

It's like those PSAs they used to show on TV with the girl putting a picture of her in a seductive pose on the bulletin board at school, and before long everybody in the school has a copy because the picture doesn't go away when somebody takes a copy, and then the janitor grabs a copy with a creepy look in his eyes. You put information about yourself out there, and people are using it. Now you have to deal with consequences of doing it.

[Geek King]

And, just to confirm it, companies are looking for things written about them on the web. All they have to do is Google their name and links where they are mentioned will pop up. If it is particualarly vitriolic, they will try to identify the offender by statements made in their posts, and even look through other posts that user has made. And kids, many are smart enough to figure out cutesy misspellings of their names, or general descriptors like searching for posts with "store with the big red K on the front."

There's a reason why the site rules here suggest to be careful about giving too much information about your worksite. It ain't just out of worry for stalkers.

[MrBrightside]

Yeah I feel your pain on this one. I had a former employer actually pull down pictures of me..... FREAKING PICTURES off of a currently unnamed social site. When I got in an argument with my boss and I explained to her my displeasure with some working conditions things were all good and fine.

Later that week she called me in with a laundry list of complaints about me. All of these complaints were in writing (all from her mind you) and at the end of the packet were pictures of me....

I was told that what I was doing in said pictures was not appropriate for the position I held etc.

I was also told that I would not be considered for rehiring for the next year (where I worked does yearly contracts and only rehires who they want)

The moral of the story is be careful what you post online and how you post it.

[blas]

That's also why I keep my employer name and real coworker names hush hush. All names I use on this site are fake....and sometimes I get really vague about my job, but it's for protection.

If the wrong person even overheard some of the things me and my coworkers say on break, we'd be fired on the spot.

[lordlundar]

Or a story about how your cashier hates every single customer who comes through his line.

Odd, I never posted something like that with any traceable info (well, at least the info part.) How did you know?

[JLRodgers]

If I had employees (not big enough yet.... unfortunetely.... stupid town....), they'd be screwed if they wanted to mention my company name in a blog. It's so unusual, I'd probably find all posts about it in 10 seconds of less lol.

But other than that, I don't mention company names until after I've left (if then) -- and the only thing I mention online are the same things I'd tell to someone's face, sometimes I'm kinder online.

[Pedersen]

Odd, I never posted something like that with any traceable info (well, at least the info part.) How did you know?

"This is god, Kent. And stop playing with yourself." (cookies for the reference)

But other than that, I don't mention company names until after I've left (if then) -- and the only thing I mention online are the same things I'd tell to someone's face, sometimes I'm kinder online.

I want to mention the places I've worked at on here. Dyslexic Schizophrenics and the other place I've not named. I want to put their real names up, I really do. But it's best for all if I don't. Reduces potential for cross-matching me with my resume in future, and helps protect me a bit.

[Evil Queen]

I've posted were I've worked before; mostly the big chain places since there's so many, it's hard to narrow down which one it is and in what location.

The location on my blog (livejournal) just says "that road over there" or something similar. The destinations I post about are rarely, if ever, near me. Like Galveston (when I went seashell hunting), the other places are mentioned by state (When I lived in STATE). I think this place only says "Houston, TX" on it because I'm rather social here and would like to meet more locals. The other forums I'm on/have been to? "Behind your screen" "In your closet" and "Terisia City" are the most common.

Otherwise, it's <hotel> and Smith's. Am I ever going to work for Smith's again? Hell no. I was only there temporarily so it's not even on my resume.

[Kiwi]

I have a blog but my mum reads it, my god mothers read it, my big brother reads it

so its pretty.... diplomatic

I agree with crazylegs, if your going to post anything online expect that EVERYONE will see it

if you want to post very private stuff, do it under an assumed name

[ViolaPlayer]

I love Real Genius!

*eats a LOT of popcorn and waits for cookies*

And yes, sometimes I secretly hope someone from my company will see my posts and fire me..... but it just doesn't happen. LOL