Blogger Beware!

The topic for the week is workplace firings related to the discovery of personal blogs. It's true that people get fired from jobs all the time because their personal (but public) blog is discovered and their superior doesn't like what it contains. Personally, I think this is mostly a valid source for information leading to firing someone. Blogs are just as public as billboards; the goal of most blogs is to be read by someone. Now, where I would diverge from the Find-and-Fire theology is that I don't think someone should be fired if care is taken not to divulge any identifiers of the person or the company. Everyone has the right to complain. If no identifiers are used but the blog refers to illegal activity (theft, false accounting, etc.) then the blog should be available as evidence. But I'm not real big on the idea that someone can't complain a little, with no mal-intent. To take this down a level from the workplace, I've been hearing alot recently about students getting suspended from school because of blogs or facebook or myspace profiles. That's some major BS. If a student isn't on school grounds, isn't on school time, isn't using school property, what does it have to do with school? how is a school gonna punish a student for not making their bed? Or for staying out past curfew? They wouldn't. So how are you gonna punish them for having alcohol at an off-campus saturday night party? I'm not saying it should go unaddressed, but call their parents or call the law. Usually the students who are being suspended are the students who most need to be in class.