Being Fired for Posting on SJ

[wickedwritah]

There were some outing attempts at SEC Media Daze two summers ago. Now that **** conceivably could have gotten people fired. Far as I know, it did not.

And it resulted in some people no longer posting on here or nuking themselves. Which is sad.

 

[ChickDonovan]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

I swear this story is true.

A couple years ago, there was a thread about me on on here. Someone who is a regular poster and is often obnoxious, who has never met me in my life, ripped into me something fierce.

I was pissed enough that I went through his history of posts, looking for clues. It took about 15 minutes to figure out his identity, and I won't say what was the tipoff because again, I'm not going to out the person, but he gave himself away and it took about two google searches to confirm it.

Didn't say anything to the person, just tucked it away for future reference.

A year later, this person gets laid off from his job, right at a time I was looking for freelancers for a good, regular gig. Another writer comes to me and say "Writer X just got laid off ... any chance you can help him out?"

Had Captain Dumbass not ripped into me on the site for no apparent reason, I would have offered him work and not thought twice about it, just on the other person's recommendation. Instead, he unwittingly cost himself more than $5K at the time he needed it most.

So that's the lesson for tonight. Stuff like this really happens, so be careful. I'm going to go back to posting under my regular handle now.

 

[Crimson Tide]

I'm toning down my bitching about work, but no because of fears of termination. There are other jobs out there, other lines of work.

Rather, I've just become complacent about things.

 

[dooley_womack1]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

I swear this story is true.

A couple years ago, there was a thread about me on on here. Someone who is a regular poster and is often obnoxious, who has never met me in my life, ripped into me something fierce.

I was pissed enough that I went through his history of posts, looking for clues. It took about 15 minutes to figure out his identity, and I won't say what was the tipoff because again, I'm not going to out the person, but he gave himself away and it took about two google searches to confirm it.

Didn't say anything to the person, just tucked it away for future reference.

A year later, this person gets laid off from his job, right at a time I was looking for freelancers for a good, regular gig. Another writer comes to me and say "Writer X just got laid off ... any chance you can help him out?"

Had Captain Dumbass not ripped into me on the site for no apparent reason, I would have offered him work and not thought twice about it, just on the other person's recommendation. Instead, he unwittingly cost himself more than $5K at the time he needed it most.

So that's the lesson for tonight. Stuff like this really happens, so be careful. I'm going to go back to posting under my regular handle now.

There's this guy named rockbottom. You two should get along swimmingly.

 

[bydesign77]

Alright, not to dredge up painful memories for me, but yes, getting fired for posting on SportsJournalists.com happens.

Happened to me.

It wasn't so much that I was posting anything specific on here. Just posting. Fair gripe that I was doing it on company time. Nevermind that I had no prior knowledge that I would lose my job over it. And that all I was was an overpriced agate clerk hired for 30K a year when I should have been doing other things than answering the phone. And begged and begged and begged to get more stuff to do, but the SE couldn't keep his hands off of everything. I still was doing it at work, and per company policy, that was a no-no I guess (though it said nothing about termination without prior reprimand) and I was canned.

My advice to anyone/everyone on here. Be careful of what you say, where you post from and who you talk to on here. It certainly can be a great tool for networking (I have met some wonderful people on here, even some in person) helped hire stringers for events and made contact for job interviews. But there are a lot of people aware of this site. A lot post on here. More lurk. Some places are cool with the site. Heck, my last shop encouraged me to respond to threads on here and post job openings, etc. Some aren't. Mainly, you know how much of a **** your boss is. Don't push it. If he/she doesn't read the site, you can damn well guarantee that he/she knows someone who does and will tell him/her about it.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

I only wish SportsJournalists.com was around years ago so I could have bitched and moaned about a former employer. That said, I have nothing to ***** and moan about with my current employer. Honest to god, nothing. That said, I don't race to defence of the outfit when others throw darts. Sorta unseemly if I did.

YHS, etc

 

[wickedwritah]

The anonymity is very transparent. Had a former competitor PM me a few years back not long after I started posting me, and the PM began with, "Hey [Wicked], how ya doing?" Needless to say, I try to tread carefully, though sometimes idiocy gets the best of me.

 

[Taylee]

There's a few of us from my department on SportsJournalists.com. We all know each other's handles. In fact, I told my guys mine. We don't bash each other or the company (at least in public). If a thread is interesting, we'll talk about it at work and even follow it during slow times (the student streaker in Ohio being the most recent example). I don't hover over others, demanding non-stop attention to detail. Everyone needs breaks, and this site can provide entertaining downtime. That being said, our guys also understand what it means to make deadline and respect that, too, so I respect them and their judgements.
I send threads to the EE all the time, and he'll visit during hours sometimes, too.
Some threads can be helpful, and others can be amusing. Those are the ones I keep tabs on and appreciate. The ones that are cruel, I leave those for the bitter contingent.
For those of you who've been fired for posting during work hours, I hope you have bounced back. I also hope you've learned to find out the company's regulations on what you can and can't do.
For those of you who've been fired for what you've posted, you have learned a valuable lesson, one that others can learn from w/out paying the heavy price. The fire only burns you if you touch it.

 

[Ike Broflovski]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

I swear this story is true.

A couple years ago, there was a thread about me on on here. Someone who is a regular poster and is often obnoxious, who has never met me in my life, ripped into me something fierce.

I was pissed enough that I went through his history of posts, looking for clues. It took about 15 minutes to figure out his identity, and I won't say what was the tipoff because again, I'm not going to out the person, but he gave himself away and it took about two google searches to confirm it.

Didn't say anything to the person, just tucked it away for future reference.

A year later, this person gets laid off from his job, right at a time I was looking for freelancers for a good, regular gig. Another writer comes to me and say "Writer X just got laid off ... any chance you can help him out?"

Had Captain Dumbass not ripped into me on the site for no apparent reason, I would have offered him work and not thought twice about it, just on the other person's recommendation. Instead, he unwittingly cost himself more than $5K at the time he needed it most.

So that's the lesson for tonight. Stuff like this really happens, so be careful. I'm going to go back to posting under my regular handle now.

This is a good story that brings up another question I've always had about this place: Could it actually hamper someone from getting a job elsewhere?

There are some prominent posters here -- anonymous or not -- whom I'd never recommend for a job. I actually think it's hurt some people here in ways they don't even know. Maybe I shouldn't write that because it makes things less spontaneous, but this still is one big network, and posters here shouldn't think that some fairly important people in the business (and I'm not one of them) don't read it.

 

[cranberry]

But I think it would surprise a lot of people at how easily it is to get tagged with a label or a reputation in the business based on one thread here where the Chorus Of The Rightious condems you for being a **** up, when 99 percent of them have never met you and don't know the full story about you.

The same holds true for the sports figures we cover, doesn't it? Our profession too often revels in taking people down and that it extends to each other on a message board comes as absolutely no surprise. I feel a lot of pent up anger out there.

 

[21]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

ON THE OTHER HAND: One of the worst things I ever experienced--not just on SJ, I mean in my entire life--was getting a PM from a well-known female columnist who had just been informed that she was supposedly 21...and everyone 'knew' it. She was in trouble at work (the desk was complaining that her columns were late while 'she' was posting on SJ) and in trouble with friends who thought she had been ripping them. She had also been told that 21 was actually claiming to be her--ridiculously false. I still get sick thinking about it.

Of course it was later determined 21 was someone else entirely, on account of this woman having a cool handbag and great earrings at a major sporting event. We cleared that one up too, I hope.

Safe to say, there are many posters here who have maintained their anonymity (successfully) for reasons that are profoundly important to them. So if you're going to guess, a) ask yourself if it really matters to you, and b) be right before you mess up someone's career and life.

And if you really do care about your anonymity, be smart enough to not link yourself all over the internet, and then whine that someone identified you. A LOT of people read this board. Someone will recognize you if you let them.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

I swear this story is true.

A couple years ago, there was a thread about me on on here. Someone who is a regular poster and is often obnoxious, who has never met me in my life, ripped into me something fierce.

I was pissed enough that I went through his history of posts, looking for clues. It took about 15 minutes to figure out his identity, and I won't say what was the tipoff because again, I'm not going to out the person, but he gave himself away and it took about two google searches to confirm it.

Didn't say anything to the person, just tucked it away for future reference.

A year later, this person gets laid off from his job, right at a time I was looking for freelancers for a good, regular gig. Another writer comes to me and say "Writer X just got laid off ... any chance you can help him out?"

Had Captain Dumbass not ripped into me on the site for no apparent reason, I would have offered him work and not thought twice about it, just on the other person's recommendation. Instead, he unwittingly cost himself more than $5K at the time he needed it most.

So that's the lesson for tonight. Stuff like this really happens, so be careful. I'm going to go back to posting under my regular handle now.

This is a good story that brings up another question I've always had about this place: Could it actually hamper someone from getting a job elsewhere?

There are some prominent posters here -- anonymous or not -- whom I'd never recommend for a job. I actually think it's hurt some people here in ways they don't even know. Maybe I shouldn't write that because it makes things less spontaneous, but this still is one big network, and posters here shouldn't think that some fairly important people in the business (and I'm not one of them) don't read it.

Excellent point.
On the first SportsJournalists.com outing in DC, a fellow poster and I were discussing how some folks on this board act like total a$$holes, and that poster said something to the effect of: "If that a$$ ever applies at my gig, I'm certainly not going to forget how that person holds himself/herself on SportsJournalists.com. It is a factor of character in my mind - don't care what kind of thread he or she posted on, either."

 

[wickedwritah]

On the first SportsJournalists.com outing in DC, a fellow poster and I were discussing how some folks on this board act like total a$$holes, and that poster said something to the effect of: "If that a$$ ever applies at my gig, I'm certainly not going to forget how that person holds himself/herself on SportsJournalists.com. It is a factor of character in my mind - don't care what kind of thread he or she posted on, either."

Now I know never to send YOU my resume ...

 

[Cosmo]

I think Double Down's post earlier in this thread nailed it perfectly.

Look, I used to be a complete idiot on here, mostly because I posted too much waiting for late baseball and NBA boxes to come in while working desk. It was something to do. I probably even called somebody I didn't know a douche or something for no real reason other than I was way too wrapped up in this board. (If I did, I apologize profusely.) I even thought about deleting my account a couple of times and starting completely fresh and anonymous, but eh, there was no need to do that. I've met a ton of really good people in this business through this site, including one who proved greatly helpful in me landing my current job.

There's nothing wrong with posting here. There are plenty of good people to be found. But don't launch into personal attacks on people you don't know. That will bite you in the ass at some point when you least expect it. And don't bash your employer. Not smart at all.

 

[Riddick]

Unless it's Gannett = )

 

[blondebomber]

Brian

A buddy of mine was confronted about postings about his shop. They thought it was him. One of his bosses even started yelling at him about it until my buddy pointed out how pissed he was because the anonymous poster was also making fun of him.
Management can be so stupid when the're threatened.

The perfect cover-up -- carve yourself up on this site so you can say, "hey, this asshole is talking about me, too!! Why would ever you think that poster is me?!"

Bruce might be the most incompetent co-worker of them all ... Oh, wait! ****! How do you modify? Ummmm, I meant Sean. That's it. He's the guy I hate most of all. ... And Steve!

 

[Pringle]

The thing I find most shocking is that while a lot of people may know others through networking, I might know the names, but not usernames, of three people who post on here -- and supposedly, that's supposed to be enough to be so dangerous. Seriously, how many people in the US (and Canada, too, now that I think of it) have this job? And how many people post on here that don't? There are supposedly 6,846 members as of right now, and I'd say very conservatively that 3,000 of those usernames are individual people, in which case maybe 2,700 are in sports journalism. Sure, it's a public forum, but unless I'm naive (which may be the case, I guess), I find it hard to be able to out someone without actually knowing their name.

It's not as tough as you think.

A lot of the time people give it away by talking about something on here that they also talk about in real life.

If you start a thread on something - about a book you read or a story you checked out on the road - then tell people about it on the beat or at the office, bells start going off. And since a lot of people make it their life's work to find out who is who on here, the next time you see somebody, they'll greet you with, "Hey, Pringle."

 

[boots]

It's really ****ed up IF you are fired for posting while NOT on company time.

 

[JackS]

I'm throwing this one out here to demonstrate just how easy it can be to figure out someone's identity, even if they think they're anonymous here (No mods, I'm not going to out anyone).

ON THE OTHER HAND: One of the worst things I ever experienced--not just on SJ, I mean in my entire life--was getting a PM from a well-known female columnist who had just been informed that she was supposedly 21...and everyone 'knew' it. She was in trouble at work (the desk was complaining that her columns were late while 'she' was posting on SJ) and in trouble with friends who thought she had been ripping them. She had also been told that 21 was actually claiming to be her--ridiculously false. I still get sick thinking about it.

Of course it was later determined 21 was someone else entirely, on account of this woman having a cool handbag and great earrings at a major sporting event. We cleared that one up too, I hope.

Safe to say, there are many posters here who have maintained their anonymity (successfully) for reasons that are profoundly important to them. So if you're going to guess, a) ask yourself if it really matters to you, and b) be right before you mess up someone's career and life.

And if you really do care about your anonymity, be smart enough to not link yourself all over the internet, and then whine that someone identified you. A LOT of people read this board. Someone will recognize you if you let them.

Your case is definitely a downside to anonymity. People suspect the wrong person. I wouldn't be surprised if Blondebomber's story has also resulted in some people being wrongly suspected. And that's not fair.

As for recognizing people if you let them, that's certainly true. To me, there are people on here who make it blatantly obvious who they are. If you make enough posts, you often give yourself away.

 

[Boom_70]

I think Double Down's post earlier in this thread nailed it perfectly.

Look, I used to be a complete idiot on here, mostly because I posted too much waiting for late baseball and NBA boxes to come in while working desk. It was something to do. I probably even called somebody I didn't know a douche or something for no real reason other than I was way too wrapped up in this board. (If I did, I apologize profusely.) I even thought about deleting my account a couple of times and starting completely fresh and anonymous, but eh, there was no need to do that. I've met a ton of really good people in this business through this site, including one who proved greatly helpful in me landing my current job.

There's nothing wrong with posting here. There are plenty of good people to be found. But don't launch into personal attacks on people you don't know. That will bite you in the ass at some point when you least expect it. And don't bash your employer. Not smart at all.

I accept your apology Cosmo - my good friend and fellow NIAFL team owner.

I do remember those days of your youth when you were more a shoot first poster. One of my favs was a thread you started on your company xmas party at one of your previous stops.

The approach you suggest to posting now if you are in biz seems to be a prudent one. Me - I keep shooting and misspelling since I don't have to worry about my career.