I ran into the following question on the Internet:
Any of you here blog, but also walk the fine line of still being employed and have to be careful of what you write?
I get a lot of questions on career advice, so I’ve written some articles that are based on my experience with immediate-past and current employer. The articles are innovative, but could put me in a strange situation.
I’m wondering if I should use a pen name.
I choose to stay good, stay positive. As a career geek (technology career) I well know that nothing digital can be counted on as “gone”. Doubt me? Please go to http://www.archive.org and see how you can find old information on the internet.
For those reasons, I decided I was going to remain positive in all that I blog and post on my website. I won’t tick anyone off and I won’t appear badly to any existing or future employers while remaining true to myself. If you are working for yourself, the same rules apply because everyone becomes a potential customer.
That being said, you cannot please everyone. There will always be someone who objects to your point of view. Regrettably, some of the most popular blogs are so because they incite debate/argument.
Ultimately, you must be satisfied with your own behavior. Remember, your thoughts are your own. How you pass them on is your behavior. I choose to be my best self online and portray them in a positive manner.
Staying positive is also an exercise for me. Look what Kirsten Harell has to say about being positive. I believe I need to be more positive and self-affirming so my website is another place to put it into action.
What do you think? Do you use controversy to create an attraction or do you aim for positive messages? Let me know.
