Viewer Mail
Hi,
I'm a fan of your blog, and I have been reading it for quite some time. However, I work in a small legal office and there have been some allegations that I am the author of your blog. My co-workers are understandably upset and I feel like my reputation and my job may be at stake. As you should know, the legal community is a small one and I have worked too hard to ruin my name before I even start.
Due to the number of similarites between your blog and my job, I must respectfully ask if it would be possible for you to take down the material regarding your workplace? My work situation is strained and perhaps this would be a first step in rebuilding those relationships that I've come to cherish.
Thank you,
Xxx Xxxxxx
I'm a fan of your blog, and I have been reading it for quite some time. However, I work in a small legal office and there have been some allegations that I am the author of your blog. My co-workers are understandably upset and I feel like my reputation and my job may be at stake. As you should know, the legal community is a small one and I have worked too hard to ruin my name before I even start.
Due to the number of similarites between your blog and my job, I must respectfully ask if it would be possible for you to take down the material regarding your workplace? My work situation is strained and perhaps this would be a first step in rebuilding those relationships that I've come to cherish.
Thank you,
Xxx Xxxxxx
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Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx to me Jul 3 (2 days ago)
Hello. I guess I'm curious where you law office is. It sounds a lot like a public defenders' office that I work for. hmm...
Funny Associate?
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First things first,
This blog was supposed to be fun. I can see that it's causing people some undue hardships. My apologies go out to the authors of the two e-mails I have recieved. This was not my intent in the creation of this blog. Since this blog's inception, people have thought they have known who I am. People have listed me as a Washington, D.C. blog and as a blog out of Texas. The reason no one knows exactly where I am is because I choose not to tell. I did this as a way to give myself some anonymity, and I'm sorry if the stories I have chosen to tell have offended some and hurt some feelings. I'm especially sorry that it's caused problems within a workplace. As I said, this blog was not meant to be taken seriously: it was intended for entertainment and entertainment only.
While my first instincts regarding these e-mails were to delete them and disregard them, I do have a conscience and I do feel bad that people have been affected. Therefore, I have decided that even though I didn't write the blog posts about the people they have affected, I will remove all materials relating to my job. I don't want to cost anyone a job. My sincere apologies go out to those who have been affected.
posted by The BLS @ 7/05/2006 12:25:00 PM
12 Comments:
OK, that is just WEIRD. OY. Sorry you are going through this.
I am guessing however that employers are not appreciating their employees blogging in and about their work place.
What is it with this weird desire to unmask anonymous bloggers? It creeps me out. If you enjoy the entertainment provided from someone's blog that should be enough!
Oh and come by and say hi sometime Missy ;-)
people do seem obsessed with outing anonymous bloggers, which is unfortunate. but those bloggers also seem to end up with book deals.
BLS, don't bow to pressure from the man. Keep on keepin on.
I'm with M. If we all refrained from posting things that might create similarities to the lives of other people, there would be no blogs; and wtf - why can't the people at these other firms believe their employees when they say they're not authoring this blog??
That's a damned shame. I really enjoy this blog. I guess that a log of people are paranoid. I've run across other people who are similar enough to me that people might think that they're writing my blog. Or that I'm writing theirs. You did inspire a post on my blog, though.
Do what you want and write what you want.
If you'd really feel better removing work related stuff, fine. But don't bow to pressure.
If blogs such as this are real, they sure mimic real events. If a person feels the need to blog, it behooves them to leave situations specific to your employment of the internet, particularly if you are an attorney.
While it is a free country, not many fellow attorneys, and not many clients, will condone such behavior. As an attorney, particularly one in the public sector, you need to hold yourself to a great standard.
Consider this a lesson learned prior to taking the bar.
You know what, in regards to "anonymous", there are a NUMBER of successful blogs written by both public defenders and prosecutors that talk about work in a way that is sufficiently masked to make everyone comfortable. Seriously, NO ONE should appreciate the value of free speech more than a lawyer, and you should write what you want and let people work it out if they have issues on their end. Of course there are similarities - you're all lawyers!!! I have had a couple of people want to "out" me, and I've been fairly trusting in terms of who I've give my info too "behind the scenes", but don't let anyone else be the boss of your blog, and definitely don't let this "anonymous" person try to make you feel like you're already being unethical or something. There is a way to be a blogger and an attorney and keep everyone happy - lots of people do it!!!! Keep up the good work.
Wow.
As long as you do not breach any confidentiality agreement you may have signed with your workplace or professional ethics, you should have no problem writing what you choose in your blog.
The reason that there are so many anonymous law student or lawyer blogs is that we *do* deal with confidential information, and we *do*, for the most part, deal with a lot of the same situations. I can see where it would be very easy to look at one blogger's post and say "Hey, that looks like something that happened in MY office last week!". Human beings, as a rule, aren't terribly creative when it comes to making new situations in office politics.
The cast of characters is also going to be similar. In any mid-sized office there is going to be a bimbo, a brown-noser, a pointy-haired boss and a Milton. It's just the way things work. But there's no reason to get noses set out of joint.
Do what you need to do, but don't compromise YOUR own morals and ethics.
That was really cool of you.
You shouldn't have removed anything. If you are going to put it on your blog to begin with, then you should stick by it. You wrote some good stuff, I hope you keep it up and don't worry about how it will affect other people.
Oh, my God... Mike from Barely Legal visted my site! I can die now. :)
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