by Paula Neal Mooney
It's been eons -- well, since 2004 exactly -- since I held a "real job" from a "real desk" in corporate America. That was before I began this blog, so these days I often wonder: Do people update their personal blogs on the job? And like Fantasy Football fanatics, how much is this "fleece-blogging" costing companies?
Of course, I'm not talking about corporate bloggers nor freelance bloggers for which blogging is part of the work day deal. I'm wonder how many "regular folk" like financial analysts, accountants, librarians, etc. are out there blogging using their office computers.
I was, after all, a master at monkeying around on the job. My sister reminds me of the day I was so happy when I figured out how to write my magnum opus novel in invisible type on Microsoft Word so no colleagues could see what I was doing.
(I shouldn't even mention the extended lunch hours I used to take, some days working out and hanging out in the steam room THEN stopping home to catch The View before return to my desk two or three hours later. )
I Know I've Been Changed...
Thankfully, I got saved and gained a bit more integrity. When I returned to corporate America a few years ago on a contractual basis, I was downright anal about doing real work for the real hours I was paid -- save for those times I couldn't stop chatting with my fellow contractors.
But even back then I couldn't get access -- and Lord knows I tried -- to the AOL- and Yahoo-type web mail that my safe and smart corporation disallowed regular employees from accessing. (No matter how much I tried to sweet talk those IT guys!)
So these days I wonder: Do companies nowadays block their employees from posting to Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, MySpace and other sites? If not, I'm sure they might consider it soon, seeing the hubbub that's beginning to form from folks not only getting fired for the content of their blogs, but from firms possibly taking notice of on-the-job blogging.
Do you blog at work? Is it your job or secret passion? Feel free to leave your comment anonymously, but be warned: techies can find out almost anything!
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It's been eons -- well, since 2004 exactly -- since I held a "real job" from a "real desk" in corporate America. That was before I began this blog, so these days I often wonder: Do people update their personal blogs on the job? And like Fantasy Football fanatics, how much is this "fleece-blogging" costing companies?
Of course, I'm not talking about corporate bloggers nor freelance bloggers for which blogging is part of the work day deal. I'm wonder how many "regular folk" like financial analysts, accountants, librarians, etc. are out there blogging using their office computers.
I was, after all, a master at monkeying around on the job. My sister reminds me of the day I was so happy when I figured out how to write my magnum opus novel in invisible type on Microsoft Word so no colleagues could see what I was doing.
(I shouldn't even mention the extended lunch hours I used to take, some days working out and hanging out in the steam room THEN stopping home to catch The View before return to my desk two or three hours later. )
I Know I've Been Changed...Thankfully, I got saved and gained a bit more integrity. When I returned to corporate America a few years ago on a contractual basis, I was downright anal about doing real work for the real hours I was paid -- save for those times I couldn't stop chatting with my fellow contractors.
But even back then I couldn't get access -- and Lord knows I tried -- to the AOL- and Yahoo-type web mail that my safe and smart corporation disallowed regular employees from accessing. (No matter how much I tried to sweet talk those IT guys!)
So these days I wonder: Do companies nowadays block their employees from posting to Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, MySpace and other sites? If not, I'm sure they might consider it soon, seeing the hubbub that's beginning to form from folks not only getting fired for the content of their blogs, but from firms possibly taking notice of on-the-job blogging.
Do you blog at work? Is it your job or secret passion? Feel free to leave your comment anonymously, but be warned: techies can find out almost anything!
Subscribe to Paula Mooney by Email
Bookmark http://www.paulamooney.blogspot.com/ or
Technorati fav me, please!Tags: blog ,at ,work ,on ,the ,job ,blogging ,fired ,office
Comments
In general, I think blogging from work is stilling from the company you work for unless it is your lunch hour or you have been given specific permission to do so.
Also, I wonder if some corporate firewalls would prevent the posting of anything online.
Just a thought.
I must admit that I have put up a post, and responded to a few comments. I don't know if I can feel any worse than I'm already feeling, these days. However, I should blog on my own time.
jldtudor
many kisses
You're right, too, Tisha! If a company is expecting you to work up to 15 hours a day -- my God! -- I hope they give their employees time to take care of their personal stuff.
That's basically it really, if the company allows it, I say go for it!
I'm glad to know that your Mom was spared physical victimization, and that you lived your time in the inner-city under the protection of God's grace. May you always continue to live that way.
Jose
Yea Ive been known to make a post or 2 at work. Mostly if I'm working nights and want to post something I'm scared Id forget when I get home. Haven't done it in a while because a few coworkers have ran across my blog and now some are paying a little more attn to me than usual (out of curiosity tho, not to rat me out, they are busy enough doing their own dirt). But I do check email and check on different things going on. But similar to Tisha, I work 12 1/2 hour rotating shifts, and live about an hour away from work so sometimes you just have to take care of things at work. I think my job doesn't mind too much unless you start taking advantage of the freedom. I was actually asked one time to manage the department's intranet homepage hehe. Funny thing, libsyn and feedburner is blocked