Professionalism in a snarky social media filled world

I would dearly love to be incredibly snarky right now. I mean I really would love it. I have all sorts of scathingly unpleasant and catty comments to let loose on the world (with photographic support for said comments). Alas I must keep my snark contained to myself and my close personal associates.

Why you may ask am I not sharing with you my snark? I will tell you dear readers, I am holding my tongue because I have a sense of professionalism, and a good healthy dose of reality when it comes to how the world works. You see my snark of the day is one that is very dear and close to me, but at the same time ties in very closely with aspects of my professional life.

While I would love to share with you certain things that I am certain would amuse you to some extent, and at least make me fell better for having said them, I have to recall that you are the vast internet, and with you nothing is truly sacred. Everything I say here is one Google search away from potential disaster.

In our world now everyone is online, and potential employers and customers are not beyond Googling you to find out who you really are. It is funny that social media and blogs are supposed to be a place where you can be you online. The thing is most of us really don't want our bosses to know who we really are, and honestly they don't want to know it either. They want to know the us that comes to work and does a good job. They do not want to know the us who goes to anime cons, titty bars, ornithological retreats, or swingers clubs*. Really it shouldn't matter what we do in our off time, but the internet has made it so easy for people to see what we do, that it becomes almost impossible to keep those lives separate.

We have to be smart and go to great lengths to secure our everything so that someone doesn't accidentally stumble across our controversial hobbies, politics, or religious beliefs. I once worked at a company where I was terrified that if they found out I was not Christian I would be shopping for a new job. I have been places where while they loved the work I was doing, if they knew my political view points, I would suddenly be less of a golden child. Texas is a right to work state. They don't have to say they are firing me because I don't live up to their personal moral standards, but they can damn well do it.

This blog though is in no way locked down. If someone were to stumble across it, anything I have written could be used against me. While I always stand behind anything I say, most of what I say is not going to get me in trouble as it is not terribly controversial or inflammatory (or at least I don't think it is). My snark however is a direct dig at something, and though I feel it is well founded, it is deeply unprofessional.

So, in the age of Googling, in the interest of being a professional, I will not be snarky. I will simply say this; Standards, you should have some.



* I am not saying I go to any of those things, because I don't. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those places, they are simply not my cup of tea.