Friday, January 14, 2005

How long before a blog is subpeonad?

I’m out of Jury Duty. Phew. I contemplated not going into work but being raised with the Catholic guilt, I dragged my butt into work. Before I even got to take my soaking wet coat off my boss needed two reports.


I’ve decided that my officemates are animals. I have three candy jars on my desk, a remnant from my days in system. Each jar contains a different type of candy: Chocolate, Hard Candy, Gum. I left all three full to the brim on Tuesday. Today I return to my office to find three pieces of chocolate, 20 pieces of hard candy and ¾ of my gum in my gumball machine are the only items left. Now, I’m not being cheap. The jars are there for everyone in the department to take but holy cannoli, fill it up or at least have some self control you leeches. Two days and my candy supply has been picked through like an all you can eat buffet. I left my office open so my boss can get the reports needed and so I can print reports to my printer and have the admin asst grab them for my boss.

If you have a problem with people eating all the candy, don’t keep them out in the open. Firstly, it’s there for everyone to share. Everyone needs a tiny chocolate or a piece a gum during a stressful day. I have no problem with people eating it. I have a problem where within two days, it’s completely devoured. I have a problem with those who say they will contribute or bring a bag of candy and never do. (If I had a nickel for every time you say it…) Just don’t eat the candy all in one day! “Augustus, Save some room for later!” BTW, I’m surprised they have revived Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the New Victory.


Lrudlrick’s office is insane. They have “Fun Days”. The office closes and they go bowling. Bowling. I’m shortening my height lugging my laptop to Jury Duty to work and he’s off bowling. I told Lrudlrick his office will soon have a lactating room.


So I read an article about some blogger who was fired by his company for defamation due to his writings in his personal blog. Apparently there is a movement now to include policies on blogging and the workplace. Ok, as you may think, this has sparked some debates. Blogs are personal entries about everything and anything. You can vent. You can praise. You can be opinionated. Restricting what can be published would be like censoring your diary/journal. I’m waiting for the day a personal blog is used as evidence of intent to murder. Next on Law and Order… Chung Chung…

Honestly, during/prior to the Tech TV/G4 merger, rumblings were everywhere and avid fans like myself were able to get a personal account at what a Tech TV employer was seeing through their blogs. It was comforting and connective for a geek like me.

In a world where we can feel connected to the world yet disconnected to what’s in our own backyard, blogs connect people to everyday redundancies. We all have bad days at work. We all have ineptness and stupidity surrounding us. We all have antedotes and silly paranoia.

I started writing my blog as an extension to my journal writing because I read someone else’s blog and related to some of her points of view. Her daily rantings on simple things such as walk up buildings and multi-tasking made me feel like I wasn’t only one dealing with everyday annoyances/quirkies. For the most part, most blogs may have only an occasional work related entry. Work takes up 60% of our day. (I’m generalizing again, folks.) A work related entry once every few weeks does not seem like defamation. If every day I opened up my blog entry with “My boss sucks cherries”, then I’d say it’s still free speech. I’d also add “dude, find a new job.” But be smart people, no full names and no addresses or phone numbers ok. That’s just asking for trouble.