Some brief thoughts about friendlock

[tithonium]

I dislike friendlocking posts. If I'm going to say something on the internet, I rather assume anybody can see if, 'cause anybody /can/. I use friendlock when I feel a specific need to, for a specific reason. In the specific case of my previous posts about popcap, I hadn't told my boss and - despite the fact that he has explicitly said he doesn't know where my journal is and doesn't WANT to know - felt it was most appropriate to friendlock them, if only to discourage its spread beyond the direct readership. I had fully intended, and have since done so, to unlock them once I'd informed my boss of the opportunity. I've friendlocked a few other things, mainly when I want to communicate with a specific set of people and can't be bothered to use email (say, 6d toplinks?) or want to allow for group discussion without spamming inboxes. But that sort of need arises fairly rarely.

My life is, as much as it reasonably can be, public.
I mean, really. How can the entire world come to know and love me, if I'm hiding things from them?

Comments

[pathdancer.livejournal.com]

Run across THIS article yet?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003054004_recruit11.html

This is (in part) why I got in the habit of friendlocking my posts.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

Anybody who has concerns about hiring me after reading my livejournal isn't someone I'm interested in working for anyway.

You hire me because I'm damned good at what I do. If you're worried about me bitching about you in my journal, don't do the sorta things I bitch about people doing.

[planxi-mihi.livejournal.com]

You might consider at least not releasing the specific details of your actual/potential compensation @ Popcap. As someone who regularly negotiates compensation packages, I wouldn't look fondly upon having specific numbers published for anyone to read about. While you might be worth what they've offered (in terms of dollars+possible bonus), it's possible that current employees with similar experience/expertise might not be making that much, even after some time with the company. Also, releasing this information puts the company in a difficult position for future negotiation with candidates. Just my two cents.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

Neither the popcap employee handbook nor anyone I've spoken to requested that compensation information be kept private. If they asked me to, I'd probably do so, or at least discuss the matter with them further.

The bit about similar employees, I do have some issue with. It's not ok to tell people not to reveal how much they're paid just so you can get away with paying someone else less.

God, sometimes I sound like I should be in a union. Shoot me.

[planxi-mihi.livejournal.com]

Of course it's okay to keep compensation private, a matter to be discussed on an individual basis. Life isn't fair, sweets--and neither are compensation packages.

If they haven't specifically asked you to keep it private, then they probably don't care--but generally speaking, it's not something looked upon in a fond way by those making and negotiating offers. Best of luck, whatever your choice is.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Of course it's okay to keep compensation private, a matter to be discussed on an individual basis. Life isn't fair, sweets--and neither are compensation packages.

Banning discussion of compensation is one of the things that keeps compensation packages (and their little part of life) unfair. It's kept men paid more than women, hotshot flashes in the pan more than loyal productive employees, etc. Whether that's "okay" is a judgment call.

I don't necessarily think it's always good idea to keep things "fair," but that's for reasons having to do with tact and morale than with leverage over employees or with cost-cutting for its own sake.

[tylik.livejournal.com]

Eh. Maybe I'm just a cynical geezer, but while I generally think violating an agreement about not mentioning your compensation is generally a good thing, I wouldn't do it in writing or in a medium that is easily traced. Sharing infomation is important. Making yourself a target is dumb.

(Hey, this could even be a family thing. Grandpa was a labour union organizer, and he used to get stitched up on the dining room table because it wasn't safe for him to go to the hospital. Ah, the good old days...)

Now, if they don't care, they don't care. Though again, especially if it's a relatively small company, there's always that chance they might decide to care later.

[cow.livejournal.com]

Eh. If a job wouldn't take me because of my e-persona, they're probably not going to like having me as an employee. (And I can't imagine I'll enjoy working for them.)

[boizane.livejournal.com]

**shudder**

Remind me to change my name again before finishing grad school...