Internet posts

Personally speaking, I wouldn't say anything online associated with my name that might affect people's opinion of me period. Just my own opinion, but I think if you're someone who is looking to have a potentially public job, it's best to just avoid religion or politics or other controversies that could get you in trouble. Mostly because once something is on the internet it's there forever. I'd hate to think I made a comment on Facebook that comes back to haunt me three years later and has people boycotting my book.

This isn't special for authors or prospective authors. All employers routinely Google prospective employees now. If your blog is full of mad ranting about the coming New World Order, or your Facebook status page is full of boasting about how totally wasted you get every weekend, you might want to consider taking that down before you start looking for a job or subbing your manuscript. (Which isn't foolproof, but most employers won't go so far as to check caches for stuff that's been removed.)

But fuck it if I'll take any job (including as a writer) where I'm expected not to say anything about politics or anything else that someone somewhere might disagree with, and I think advice that basically boils down to "Be as timid and nondescript and inoffensive online as possible" does a disservice to writers. We're as human and opinionated as anyone else.

Controversy sells. It's why people do it. If you're going to do it, ya better do it well

If you don't, that's when they boycott your books

You know, here's the way I tend to think of it, actually. Anything you wouldn't say in front of your mother or boss shouldn't be said online. It's the equivalent of trash talking someone in a bathroom without checking the stalls first.

Amadan said:

This isn't special for authors or prospective authors. All employers routinely Google prospective employees now. If your blog is full of mad ranting about the coming New World Order, or your Facebook status page is full of boasting about how totally wasted you get every weekend, you might want to consider taking that down before you start looking for a job or subbing your manuscript. (Which isn't foolproof, but most employers won't go so far as to check caches for stuff that's been removed.)

But fuck it if I'll take any job (including as a writer) where I'm expected not to say anything about politics or anything else that someone somewhere might disagree with, and I think advice that basically boils down to "Be as timid and nondescript and inoffensive online as possible" does a disservice to writers. We're as human and opinionated as anyone else.

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I can see blogs as public information. But, the only way anyone can see your facebook page is if you choose a privacy setting that allows anyone to see your postings. Most people don't do that.

I agree with Katie.

kaitie said:

You know, here's the way I tend to think of it, actually. Anything you wouldn't say in front of your mother or boss shouldn't be said online. It's the equivalent of trash talking someone in a bathroom without checking the stalls first.

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The idea of living my life as if my mother and my boss are looking over my shoulder to make sure they approve of everything I say sounds like a horrifying and spineless way to live to me.

There's a huge difference between trash-talking someone ("My boss is an incompetent shithead!") and talking about things that aren't my boss's concern (like my political views). If you have a job where mentioning any political views on your FB page that your boss disagrees with could get you fired, I'm very sorry and I hope you are able to find a better job.

Amadan said:

If you have a job where mentioning any political views on your FB page that your boss disagrees with could get you fired, I'm very sorry and I hope you are able to find a better job.

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Or hire a really good lawyer...

Amadan said:

The idea of living my life as if my mother and my boss are looking over my shoulder to make sure they approve of everything I say sounds like a horrifying and spineless way to live to me.

There's a huge difference between trash-talking someone ("My boss is an incompetent shithead!") and talking about things that aren't my boss's concern (like my political views). If you have a job where mentioning any political views on your FB page that your boss disagrees with could get you fired, I'm very sorry and I hope you are able to find a better job.

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Of course, it depends on whether or not you're seen as a 'spokesperson' for your employer, too. Look at how many times just on this board some company is criticized for the views expressed by one/some of the execs. And companies can (sometimes) fire employees if their behavior reflects badly on the company. But that's a whole 'nother discussion

But personally, I'm careful about *how* I say things, but not necessarily what I say. I think it's possible to have "controversial" opinions without coming across as a total jerk...

shadowwalker said:

But personally, I'm careful about *how* I say things, but not necessarily what I say. I think it's possible to have "controversial" opinions without coming across as a total jerk...

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Most well-known authors who blog talk about their politics and personal beliefs. Some are more political than others, and some are more forceful in expressing themselves than others, but hardly anyone seems to be living in fear that mentioning they voted Democrat will lead to no Republicans ever buying their books again or all Republican agents and editors promptly rejecting anything they submit.

Wayne K said:

Controversy sells. It's why people do it. If you're going to do it, ya better do it well

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FUCK YEAH!!!

(obviously I need to post more on that Stinkin Thinkin site)

If you don't, that's when they boycott your books

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Not sure that's a boycott, that's more ignoring, forgetting, "not recognizing my brilliance," that sort of thing.

I understand a REAL boycott is FREE ADVERTISING!

Susan Littlefield said:

I can see blogs as public information. But, the only way anyone can see your facebook page is if you choose a privacy setting that allows anyone to see your postings. Most people don't do that.

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I don't have a Facebook page, but the news stories regarding it in the past year or two tell me that many or most Facebook users don't know what's private or what's public on their Facebook pages. I've linked to this before:
http://www.haltabuse.org/jayne/speak.shtml#Students
I understand Facebook has changed some of its defaults due to those news stories, but I still wouldn't trust the average user to know what's what.

Amadan said:

But fuck it if I'll take any job (including as a writer) where I'm expected not to say anything about politics or anything else that someone somewhere might disagree with, and I think advice that basically boils down to "Be as timid and nondescript and inoffensive online as possible" does a disservice to writers. We're as human and opinionated as anyone else.

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One of my colleagues was transferred to another workplace because of complaints. I found out that all he did was defend Islam against a girl who complained about the Islam being misogynistic. I understood his reasons for wanting to defend his religion, but instead of doing what he did, I'd ask the girl if she ever read a Koran or if her knowledge of Islam was secondhand.

Uninformed opinions are not worthy of discussion in the workplace -- if people are truly biased, what can you say that will change their bias?

I had the opposite effect the other day. I post on one or two forums, under a different ID, and in one I happpened to mention that I was a published writer (I couldn't resist! It was a thread started by someone who asked what other stay at home moms do with their time all day; people were saying things like blowing eggs or whatever.) My post was short and sweet; but one of the forum members looked me up and found my author identity, and sent me a PM to say she liked my post. And then apologized, saying she hoped I didn't think she was stalking! I was a bit shocked tbh as I try to keep that part of me secret. My fault for showing off, though!

The other way around -- publishers or agents tracking my forum posts down -- is a little more difficult, if they don't know my forum ID. I think I could be found on AW, though.

Eddyz Aquila:
How much do agents and editors check out the posts made by future authors, do they do a real check or do they ?

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They're not going to do that. First and foremost, they're interested in the manuscript and whether it will sell. If they think they've got a winner, then they'll have a conversation with the author/their agent and hammer out terms. They might have a conversation about things like on-line presence and following during that conversation but they'll be thinking in terms of blogs and Twitter following rather than what you do in internet forums.

The only thing you might have to worry about is if the publisher wants to put a morality clause into your contract. In that situation, activity on racist, sexist, paedophilia etc sites will probably get you in trouble.

Like most other people here, I adopt a policy of not saying anything on here or anywhere else that I wouldn't say to someone's face. No matter how clever your screen name and how much you think you've covered your tracks, someone with enough time will always track you down if they want to.

The only issue I've had here is when someone followed a link to my RL blog back from the YA Forum and decided to engage in a trolling campaign. In fact, this is the only internet site where I don't post under my own name - not so much because I'm trying to hide (like I said, I post links here to my RL blog) but because I didn't really think about it at the time.

MM

Elwood P. Dowd: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

AmsterdamAssassin said:

One of my colleagues was transferred to another workplace because of complaints. I found out that all he did was defend Islam against a girl who complained about the Islam being misogynistic. I understood his reasons for wanting to defend his religion, but instead of doing what he did, I'd ask the girl if she ever read a Koran or if her knowledge of Islam was secondhand.

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Cool story, bro.

kaitie said:

Personally speaking, I wouldn't say anything online associated with my name that might affect people's opinion of me period.

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Good luck with that impossible task.

If you interact with anyone, they're forming an opinion of you.

Amadan said:

But fuck it if I'll take any job (including as a writer) where I'm expected not to say anything about politics or anything else that someone somewhere might disagree with, and I think advice that basically boils down to "Be as timid and nondescript and inoffensive online as possible" does a disservice to writers. We're as human and opinionated as anyone else.

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Fuck yeah.

I regularly rant on Twitter about this, that and the next thing. One thing that really boils my piss is when writers are told not to diss books they don't like. Not to talk about tropes and cliches they dislike. Be bland, be uncontroversial, be anodyne, don't risk causing offence. Just shut up and take all the bollocks reviewers, readers, other writers dish out.

Fuck. That. Noise.

Every time I've spewed my guts on Twitter or on my blog, I've had people contacting me privately to say, "Yeah! Go you!" and I think, what the fuck are they so scared of? Are they just a bunch of wusses who wouldn't dare say "I don't like this book," or "Doing X, Y or Z makes you a twunt," in public for fear of causing offence?

Jesus. Don't writers have the right to be offended and to voice their opinions as well?

Sorry but-- Actually, no. I'm not sorry. If an agent or editor doesn't want to work with me specifically because I dare to have an opinion that doesn't sound like a bleated "Yes ma'am, no ma'am, three fucking bags full, ma'am," then I don't want to work with them, either. Plenty other people out there will offer me a publication contract. (And yes I've turned down work because I just don't have the time to write for everyone who wants a piece of me so clearly I'm not offending enough people to buttfuck my career into oblivion.)

kaitie said:

You know, here's the way I tend to think of it, actually. Anything you wouldn't say in front of your mother or boss shouldn't be said online. It's the equivalent of trash talking someone in a bathroom without checking the stalls first.

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Anything I say about someone, I either would say to their face, or already have. My mother is not a good standard to hold up and ask, "Would you say this to her?" I've told her flat out I hope she rots in hell, so yeah...anything I've said on AW, my blog or Twitter? I'd say to her and quite a few other people too.

I think you just have to own what you say under any given persona/handle. if you want to write as a different persona/handle then you choose a new one.

scarletpeaches said:

I regularly rant on Twitter about this, that and the next thing. One thing that really boils my piss is when writers are told not to diss books they don't like. Not to talk about tropes and cliches they dislike. Be bland, be uncontroversial, be anodyne, don't risk causing offence. Just shut up and take all the bollocks reviewers, readers, other writers dish out.

Fuck. That. Noise.

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Hell, yeah!

*Snerk* I've already screwed the pooch on this one. I'm obnoxious. I'm opinionated. I discuss politics, stoopid people, books, movies, whatever. And while I've softened my approach (slightly) as I've gotten older, I'm not going to try and scrub the Internet of my various posts.

Some employers do check the Internet; a lot of them don't. So long as you're not coming off sounding like the f*cking Unibomber, or advocating something illegal, teh Internet won't kill your career. Yeah, I know it's happened to a few people. Anecdotes don't equal a trend.

(FWIW I was hired by a church, by an Internet saavy pastor, despite my views on religion. If we want to work with anecdotes.)

As for the "Would you say that around your mother?" blather...Ya'll haven't met my mother, have ya? She's an outspoken, liberal, feminist. And proud of me.

I am what I am.

What I don't get is, from day one, we're told to brace ourselves for criticism. We'll be rejected and our works will be torn apart.

Oh, but by the way? You're never allowed to answer back or express opinions of your own. All your life, you're supposed to churn out books without ever expressing any kind of individuality online.

Bollocks. If I want to answer someone back I will (with reviews, I say no more than 'thank you' and leave it there) but if I get into it with someone, damn right I'll answer back. If I have an opinion and it's solicited, I'll express it. If something pisses me off, believe you me, I will call you out.

You don't get to bleach my personality out when you hand me a publication contract, dude. Don't even think it.

Anyone who Googles me will quickly come to the conclusion that I'm quite mad. They would be correct.


Wibble.

You only need to wear one pair of underpants on your head, Adam.