Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Editorial Control Over Comments
I recently commented on a blog that's fed through OraNA. Actually, I left one, received a comment back by the author, and then commented again. The author has editorial review before posting comments publicly.
I have no problem with that, I practice it. Fortunately, I haven't had the tough choice of whether to publish or not. It can't be easy.
That said, my second comment, in response to his response to my initial comment (still with me? ;) was never published. This may have been a simple oversight (it was yesterday), but I have no idea (yet anyway).
I blog because I crave the challenge. I want people to tell me I'm completely full of sh*t. Seriously. As long as it doesn't get personal, I'm all for discussion.
I have no problem with that, I practice it. Fortunately, I haven't had the tough choice of whether to publish or not. It can't be easy.
That said, my second comment, in response to his response to my initial comment (still with me? ;) was never published. This may have been a simple oversight (it was yesterday), but I have no idea (yet anyway).
I blog because I crave the challenge. I want people to tell me I'm completely full of sh*t. Seriously. As long as it doesn't get personal, I'm all for discussion.
Labels: blogging
¶ 7/02/2008 08:54:00 PM 2 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Blogging Safely Part II
Man, I just have too much time on my hands.
I've debated whether I should write about the specifics of my termination. Yes. No. Yes. No. Alright, no.
After counsel from a few fellow bloggers (how cool is that? A built in support group!), I've decided against it. If I were independently wealthy (read: not dependent on a salary), I might.
I am also trying to take the high-road, trying to have some class I guess.
The more I sit around the worse I feel about it too. It is/was a humbling experience.
Yes, I was ready (and looking) to leave. But to be walked out of the building is not fun (though many thought I was just playing another prank). I wish it had not happened that way.
I do have my own opinions and I will voice them, but when a decision is made, I usually just shut my mouth and either live with it or look for a new job (if I totally disagree). Many people view this as arrogance I believe. That I am not open to new ideas. That is most definitely not the case.
(can you say rambling?)
So, if you blog and haven't read my previous post on Blogging Safely, do it now. Something good must come out of this.
Discuss blogging with your employer. See if they have guidelines on blogging. If not, err on the side of caution.
Thanks to everyone for your support. It reminds me of the support I received last year at this time when my daughter fell ill. Now I have a virtual family!
I've debated whether I should write about the specifics of my termination. Yes. No. Yes. No. Alright, no.
After counsel from a few fellow bloggers (how cool is that? A built in support group!), I've decided against it. If I were independently wealthy (read: not dependent on a salary), I might.
I am also trying to take the high-road, trying to have some class I guess.
The more I sit around the worse I feel about it too. It is/was a humbling experience.
Yes, I was ready (and looking) to leave. But to be walked out of the building is not fun (though many thought I was just playing another prank). I wish it had not happened that way.
I do have my own opinions and I will voice them, but when a decision is made, I usually just shut my mouth and either live with it or look for a new job (if I totally disagree). Many people view this as arrogance I believe. That I am not open to new ideas. That is most definitely not the case.
(can you say rambling?)
So, if you blog and haven't read my previous post on Blogging Safely, do it now. Something good must come out of this.
Discuss blogging with your employer. See if they have guidelines on blogging. If not, err on the side of caution.
Thanks to everyone for your support. It reminds me of the support I received last year at this time when my daughter fell ill. Now I have a virtual family!
Labels: blogging, humility, work
¶ 5/29/2008 11:37:00 PM 3 Comments Links to this post
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Blogging Safely
Jake from AppsLab left a link in the comments to my previous post, Lessons Learned. The link was to an article about Mark Jen, who was fired from Google after 11 days for blogging.
It got me curious as to what was out there, so below is a list of links that point to either "safe blogging" articles or those that were fired for blogging about their company.
Lessons Learned From Google Blogger Who Got Fired - 5 lessons here. #5 is, "Don't make the same mistake twice."
Of Blogging and Unemployment - a former Microsoft employee gets the sack.
Delta employee fired over blog sues company
Fired simply for having a blog
Beware if your blog is related to work
Have a blog, lose your job?
Avoid getting fired for blogging
Warning: Your clever little blog could get you fired
How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)
Or you can just google it.
Back to lessons learned, I'll speak with management or HR at my next company to see if they have guidelines. If not, I'll err on the cautious side and not mention anything.
It got me curious as to what was out there, so below is a list of links that point to either "safe blogging" articles or those that were fired for blogging about their company.
Lessons Learned From Google Blogger Who Got Fired - 5 lessons here. #5 is, "Don't make the same mistake twice."
Of Blogging and Unemployment - a former Microsoft employee gets the sack.
Delta employee fired over blog sues company
Fired simply for having a blog
Beware if your blog is related to work
Have a blog, lose your job?
Avoid getting fired for blogging
Warning: Your clever little blog could get you fired
How to Blog Safely (About Work or Anything Else)
Or you can just google it.
Back to lessons learned, I'll speak with management or HR at my next company to see if they have guidelines. If not, I'll err on the cautious side and not mention anything.
Labels: blogging, humility, work
¶ 5/28/2008 10:03:00 PM 5 Comments Links to this post
Lessons Learned
I was let go yesterday. Many thought that it was another one of my pranks...which was funny. Following are my lessons learned from my time there:
1. Get express written permission about what you can (if anything) and cannot blog about.
2. Not everyone is your friend.
3. Not everyone will like you...just because.
4. Some people will not hesitate to throw you under the bus.
5. Big companies might not be the place for me.
6. Big companies are full of many motivated and talented people.
I learned a great deal in the year and a half. My family and I moved from Gainesville to Tampa and it was the best decision we've made so far.
I was exposed to data warehousing which was a challenge to say the least. To spend a week trying to figure out the best way to move data was an interesting exercise.
I was exposed to big company politics which was fun.
Overall my experience there was positive. I learned a great deal both personally and professionally. I met and hope to retain many good friends and I will miss all of them dearly.
1. Get express written permission about what you can (if anything) and cannot blog about.
2. Not everyone is your friend.
3. Not everyone will like you...just because.
4. Some people will not hesitate to throw you under the bus.
5. Big companies might not be the place for me.
6. Big companies are full of many motivated and talented people.
I learned a great deal in the year and a half. My family and I moved from Gainesville to Tampa and it was the best decision we've made so far.
I was exposed to data warehousing which was a challenge to say the least. To spend a week trying to figure out the best way to move data was an interesting exercise.
I was exposed to big company politics which was fun.
Overall my experience there was positive. I learned a great deal both personally and professionally. I met and hope to retain many good friends and I will miss all of them dearly.
Labels: blogging, discipline, humility, work
¶ 5/28/2008 01:28:00 PM 9 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Why I Blog
I never really had a true mentor, well, a physical one anyway. I could ask questions to my first boss, but it was apparent rather quickly that they better be good ones.
So I took to reading AskTom everyday. Mostly the new posts at first but as time went on, there were fewer and fewer of those. Tom was mostly answering old questions. But they were fun to read and you could really get insight to his thinking. That's what I needed the most. The Why of doing things. I think this post illustrates more the the Why, I still read that one from time to time.
Then a couple of years ago he began blogging. That really gave me a view into his mindset. I learned about instrumentation there, how to ask questions, how to answer them and the rule of thumb, to name but a few.
I think that was the first blog I read consistently.
I found his advice and his technical expertise inspiring. More than anything though, I liked have a view into his world. I believe that alone helped me get over the technical hurdle, to begin to really understand what was going on and why I should do things a particular way.
I hope I can do the same. I want to share my experiences, challenges and mistakes so that others may learn from them. I also want to provide more technical content, even though much of it is answered in one place or another, just because I have a different take. Someone might relate to my style and find me inspiring (that would be way cool).
I now consume about 40 or 50 different blogs daily. Most of them are Oracle related, but I also read many business blogs, opinion blogs, security blogs and data warehousing blogs (though I haven't found one yet that really inspires).
I believe it is a good thing to be well rounded and I try to be.
So that's why I blog. I want to share. Hopefully you'll find something you can relate to here. ¶ 8/23/2007 08:25:00 PM 1 Comments Links to this post
I never really had a true mentor, well, a physical one anyway. I could ask questions to my first boss, but it was apparent rather quickly that they better be good ones.
So I took to reading AskTom everyday. Mostly the new posts at first but as time went on, there were fewer and fewer of those. Tom was mostly answering old questions. But they were fun to read and you could really get insight to his thinking. That's what I needed the most. The Why of doing things. I think this post illustrates more the the Why, I still read that one from time to time.
Then a couple of years ago he began blogging. That really gave me a view into his mindset. I learned about instrumentation there, how to ask questions, how to answer them and the rule of thumb, to name but a few.
I think that was the first blog I read consistently.
I found his advice and his technical expertise inspiring. More than anything though, I liked have a view into his world. I believe that alone helped me get over the technical hurdle, to begin to really understand what was going on and why I should do things a particular way.
I hope I can do the same. I want to share my experiences, challenges and mistakes so that others may learn from them. I also want to provide more technical content, even though much of it is answered in one place or another, just because I have a different take. Someone might relate to my style and find me inspiring (that would be way cool).
I now consume about 40 or 50 different blogs daily. Most of them are Oracle related, but I also read many business blogs, opinion blogs, security blogs and data warehousing blogs (though I haven't found one yet that really inspires).
I believe it is a good thing to be well rounded and I try to be.
So that's why I blog. I want to share. Hopefully you'll find something you can relate to here. ¶ 8/23/2007 08:25:00 PM 1 Comments Links to this post
