The week has ended and the weekend is officially under way. I’ve got many things bouncing around in my brain as I prepare for another week of learning and working as Monday waits in the wings.
I’ve got a few things I’m having a very hard time ignoring and they’ve always been there and I can’t walk away from them anymore.
I may have to close this blog.
Why you ask? Well, as many people would tell me I’m putting my name out there with this blog and I’m pretty up front about my opinions and where I stand. I also feel I do pretty good at discussing where disagreements may occur and coming to a point of either compromise or agreeing to disagree.
The point is that now I’m taking on a full on leadership role within a large company with up to twenty people reporting to me (or more who knows) and there are dangers with putting my name, face, opinion, etc out there in the world.
A friend of mine password protected his website and locked it down tight a few years ago and warned me of continuing to do what I do with my blog. I dismissed it for the most part as I wasn’t in the position I am now which is why are these thoughts are coming from the back of the mind to the front so quickly.
People talk about “Googling” people and I know it and use it well but many of the people in different companies I’ve worked for don’t even know how to do it so I’ve felt somewhat comfortable blogging as I have over the years. And now I stand on the cusp of breaking into something new and fresh as a leader which carries it’s own responsibilities and what not.
If I close down the blog I would still blog somewhere but probably obscure who I am and do what many have done in the blogging world. I’m still set to write for Denver Metroblogs as that’s a city thing and is more of a “professional” blogging thing compared to this pile of stones I call a journal.
So I wanted to throw this out there to whoever might be reading out there. What do you think? I’m leaning towards closing and moving simply to avoid the issues that would come about if someone from work found this thing and started reading too much into what I talk about here. I’m asking for your experiences and how you do it on your blog(s) etc.
I’ll put a deadline of decision time for Sunday Night @ 10:00pm Mountain Time.
I totally hear you and for one, I admire you for doing what you’ve done and what you’re doing every day this month – speaking your mind and having the courage to write about it. It’s been a great journey and I’d honestly be a bit sad if you decided to close up shop. There has been a lot of this discussion going on about this very subject in the blogosphere. Before making any decisions, make sure you check with your employer’s code of conduct and also your supervisor – maybe they have no problems with it whatsoever and you’re worrying over nothing. I’m just afraid where it might end… no more fiction? no more radio shows? There may be a line out there somewhere, but this is a good, productive hobby.
Aside from the moral standpoint, I hope this isn’t just an early excuse to exit NaBloWriMon? Keep it up, mate! Look forward to seeing what turns up on this space tomorrow.
DUDE! I’m so missing our ICQ convos! As for the NablowWrimo, no, I’m totally on board with it. Just been thinking about it a lot in the last week or so.
As always, your advice is pretty much awesome…:)
1. Take your name off your blog.
2. Google yourself and see how many hits come up. When I googled myself last year and a video of me singing the lumberjack song with a friend was the first thing on the list I knew I had to change. I did close the blog and started another without a single reference to my last name. Eventually I stopped using my first name. If people dig hard enough, they find it. I’m not trying to hide I’m just trying to avoid having my name come up professionally. It’s not good.
3. After you’ve had your name off your blog for a month, google yourself again. Chances are, you’ll be gone.