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The bitch is in.
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(Cathie) Black Magic
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I think you are an idiot.
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It's finally Friday. I'm free again.
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I have categorized this post with “Climbing the ladder” although as the title suggests, I’m not entirely sure I climbed anything just yet.
I know some of you *coughs* Nataly *coughs* have noticed my absence here on Work It, Mom! in recent weeks. Others of you *coughs* Kate *coughs* were warned to expect precisely nothing from me asked to forgive me for excusing myself from a special project we were working on. I purposely did not share the details of where I have been until things shook out in full at the office but now, after several weeks of announcements, changes in roles and responsibilities and other varied communications it is safe to share with you some career news.
…drumroll, please….
Every week I end up with a collection of links and I always think I’ll present them here with a lovely post on the subject. The truth is that I typically post here once per week and rarely have time for more than that. And some weeks? I don’t even have time for one decent post.
So in the spirit of sharing things that I found interesting on the world wide internets (but do not have time to actually write lengthy commentary on) I now present a listing of interesting things I found whilst browsing my inbox and Google Reader recently.
IT Salary Survey: Not all technical certifications are created equal.
Master these 10 processes to sharpen your project management skills.
Tips to Spring clean your career.
Tuesdays are employees most productive days.
Know how much the other guy earns?
Have you read anything interesting on the web recently that you would like to share?
Earlier this week a Stole My Stapler reader named Caitlin commented on my Jesus post. That comment sparked an email exchange between us on which resulted in her closing one of her replies with what I have borrowed for the title of this post.
“I like to sound like I’m wise beyond my years, but really I’m just a cranky bitch.”
So fitting for this post. So very, very fitting.
Anyone that reads this blog or my personal blog Kazoofus probably knows that my pet peeves change with dang near every breath I take. Just browse through the Who Stole My Stapler archives for proof of some of my workplace and career pet peeves.
I just read an article on Women’s Health Magazine that reminded me of something that I have a hard time comprehending:
Not that long ago (*coughs* a month ago *coughs*) a new Work It, Mom friend (wave hello, Kate!) pointed me towards an interesting article by Steve Pavlina.
I have been an off and on reader of Steve’s for just about a year now. I like much of what he has to say but unfortunately, Steve is VERBOSE. Really, really verbose. And me? I have the attention span of a gnat. You could write PURE! GENIUS! CONTENT! and while I would appreciate its first paragraph or so, I’d most likely find myself skimming through the bulk of the content.
I, my friends, am a fan of the bulleted list.
That said, this article that Kate pointed me towards, well, I confess that I read it in full.
*mostly*
The article is on the subject of self-employment. So many people feel like that is a path that they simply could not go down. Perhaps the discipline required would be too great or maybe it is the risk of not being financially rewarded for your work. Whatever the reason, a great many people feel like they could absolutely positively never pursue being self-employed.
Well guess what?
I thought that it might be a good idea to update everyone on my recovery from surgery.
Surgery was just two weeks ago and the actual surgery went just swell. I spent two nights in the hospital which as I understand it, is standard for a hysterectomy. Recovery has been MUCH slower than I expected it to be. I’ve ranted and raved repeatedly on my own personal blog on that subject if you are interested.
Some of you may not know this but I am the grandmother of blogging. Not to be confused with the FAIRY grandmother of blogging. That is someone else.
My personal weblog, Kazoofus, is approaching its 6th birthday. In blog years that translates to a billion years old.
One of the things I have never done with Kazoofus is try to make it a big secret from people I know in my day to day life. That said I’m not walking into the office in Kazoofus attire advertising my internet hobby either. There is something to be said for discretion.
*coughs*
Blogging very publicly (google my name and see where it lands you) has its challenges and I learned that very early on in my blogging career. I also came up with a few very basic rules for myself with my blog. I think following these rules has helped me with personal and professional relationships and since I’ve never been fired for blogging, I’m gonna guess that I might be onto something.
The rules:
- Be discreet. That doesn’t mean you should never mention your cervix issues in a public forum. What it means is do what you can to protect the privacy of those you blog about. Related to this be very careful about what you reveal about the company you work for. Company confidential means COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL.
- MYOB. Do not blog about things that are really none of your business in the first place. Also do not write about people in your day-to-day life as if they cannot read. I don’t care how clever you think you have been about hiding your online identity, the more you blog, the more likely you are to be discovered. Murphy’s Law states that all personal and professional contacts must read the one post you want them to read the least.
- Be courteous. Gentle ribbings are absolutely acceptable with the right good natured co-worker. Ripping the supply clerk a new one via a public forum because they gave you a blue stapler in error is not gentle ribbing. When in doubt save draft. If still in doubt, ask an unbiased friend or family member how they think the post will be received.
- SMILE! You are on THE INTERNET! It is a big WWW and you just never know who might be reading. What image do you want to project of yourself to the world? Caretake that image. Negative Nellies need not apply.
- Be yourself. If you are cheeky and fun in the office your online persona should match that. The internet is not the place that an employer should discover that you have a dark side.
- Avoid blogging during business hours. I’m not saying NEVER blog during business hours but avoid it as much as possible. Respect that they pay you to work not play.
- Respect company policies. There are companies that ask employees to not maintain personal blogs that discuss their work life. They clearly state such rules in their policies and procedures handbook. Know what your companies policies are and respect them in and out of the office. Talking smack about a co-worker after business hours on the internet may still be considered harrassment and may very well cost you your job.
This is not an all-inclusive list. I’m sure once I hit publish I’ll think of three more things to add to the list. But what I want to know is what are your rules for blogging? How has maintaining a personal blog helped or hurt your career?
Discuss…