Blogging coworker
From here
I was reading an informative post on one of my favorite blogs* today and decided to read the comments to see what other people were adding to the conversation. I was surprised to see a commenter with the exact same name of a coworker of mine. That doesn’t seem odd, but this coworker has a very unique name, let’s say… Alexiou** (for story purposes).
I didn’t have time to go in to full detective mode, as I was about to turn my computer off and get off the train. However, I did have a chance to click on the Alexiou’s blog and see that the header was of the Chicago skyline, as well as email the (original) blogger to ask if they knew anything more about Alexiou.
The blogger responded that she didn’t, but I had a chance to look at Alexiou’s blog again after my run… it’s totally him – there’s a picture!
What are the odds that I would run across a coworker’s blog, while reading an internet friend’s blog (who is from New Jersey)?
So now the question is, do I invade Alexiou’s privacy and read his blog? Should I tell him that I found it when I don’t want people at work to know about my blog?
What would you do – would you read the blog and tell the coworker you found it? Read it in stealth mode? Not read it at all?
Steven actually asked me what I was going to do. He asked if I would care if a coworker searched me out on the internet. I told him that I put this blog out in the public, so if they want to, they can. That’s their right. If I wanted to make it private, I would.
So, I will probably check out Alexiou’s blog and see if I find it interesting. But I still don’t want to introduce my blog to my coworkers!
*I would link, but I do not want to lead to a search for unique names on that blog!
**This is not the actual name. In fact, this is my family name. Ilax is a derivative of the Greek last name Alexiou. My great grandpa Nicholas came here from Greece. When Christina was in NYC, she found his name at Ellis Island.
Themocracy
I say blog stalk for awhile and then maybe comment on it, then see if he comments back on your blog. That’s just a thought on maybe avoiding awkward blog talk at work. He may not want coworkers knowing. You never know. So I must ask, is it a healthy living blog. I so want to read…I’m nosey like that. lol
I think it’s a fitness/running/triathlon blog 🙂
I would definitely check out his blog, see what he writes about, and then, if you want to keep reading it, mention to him that you saw his name as a commenter on another blog and ask if that’s him (without telling him you read it). Then, if he says yes, you’ll be in the clear to keep reading. But if you find out that what he writes about is boring and you don’t want to read it anyway, you won’t have brought it up for nothing. And if he says no, it’s not him, then you’ll know he doesn’t want anyone at work to read it.
I had someone in my “real life” who found my blog and she read it for about a week before she sent me an email that said, “So, I happened to find your blog…” It was kind of weird, but then I just shrugged it off. It actually seemed to make us closer. If you start reading and feel weird about it, just tell him you stumbled upon it. I would have a hard time NOT reading it 😉
I’m in total agreement that I put my blog in a public space, so therefore, it should be no surprise when/if someone I work with comes across it. Here’s the thing, though, I find it INCREDIBLY CREEPY if someone from work came across my blog, started reading it on a regular basis and never told me. I just think that crosses into stalker-like behavior and it’s slightly unnerving. I like to think I’d give the same benefit if I found out someone I know (through work or otherwise) has a blog … meaning, I’d eventually let them know I read their blog.
I think it’s okay for you to read it, after all blogs are public, but I agree that it’s probably best to mention to him you found it or leave a friendly comment. Good luck!
I would read it, the whole point in filling in the “website” field is to hopefully connect with new readers (note to anyone checking out my site, it’s been a very busy summer and I haven’t really been blogging).
NOW, would I tell him . . . that all depends on what you read and how you feel about it, how closely you work with him, etc.
As for your desire not to share your blog with him; if you both read and comment on a common blogger, what makes you think that he hasn’t “read” you already?
If I looked at his blog then continued to read it, I would tell the person. I appreciate it when people have done that for me! The internet makes the world a very, very small place indeed.
Small world! 😀 To me this sentence says it all: “Should I tell him that I found it when I don’t want people at work to know about my blog?”
You said you don’t want people at work to know about your blog, so maybe the coworker is the same? If that’s the case then I wouldn’t read it. If you do read it, like Sizz mentioned, I would tell them. It’s only fair and then I would tell them I blog too and explain how you found their blog.
I would TOTALLY read it. Almost without hesitation. In fact, as long as the content of the blog isn’t anything particularly inflammatory, I’d probably tell him that I found it too. It wasn’t like you were hunting him down, you just found him via the intertubes!
I would totally read it. I am a snoop like that. I would probably tell him, but not until after I read to my heart’s content….
I would read it but I wouldn’t make a big deal about it, even if the content is public-friendly.
I might say something, but fellow grad students are different from co-workers. I think it’s noble that you didn’t read it right away. I guess I’m nosy…
Oh my gosh….that would freak me out a little bit! (Because I like to keep it private, too). I would be SO tempted to read it, though! 🙂
I would probably read for curiosity sake, but only continue if it was a blog I genuinely liked reading. When I get a new reader I really do try to read their blogs…but you can only read so many you know. Same thing here…you are either going to like it, or you aren’t. And in a matter of time he/she may find you. I don’t think my co-workers are all that interested in my blog. Perhaps it would be different with him/her because he/she “gets it” with blogging, you know?
How do you know this guy doesn’t already know about your blog? You found him, right?
Yeah I think I agree with you, read it but not make a big deal of it or anything. I think if you put something out there to the public, you have to expect that people you know will find it. I don’t go around really telling people about my blog, but I assume that maybe there are people out there that I didn’t tell about my blog but read it anyways. It shouldn’t be an issue if you’re mindful of what you write on your blog
I’m nosey as hell so I would totally be all over that blog. However, I probably wouldn’t say anything about it – I am fairly private about my blog – and if anyone I knew from work knew about it, I would probably have to make it “private” again – my blog is so much of my personal life that it would make me uncomfortable for people I supervise to see that. So read it on the DL.
i agree with most of the comments previously. it’s a public forum…you should expect that sometime, people are going to come across it that you didn’t realize. however, yes, if i found out that someone had been reading my blog for a long time and never told me…i don’t know. i might be skeeved
I would read it…you know when you put stuff on the internet that people may find it, although I was a little skeeved out when people in the real world first found my blog. I really don’t like it when people who I know (and talk to regularly!) don’t mention that they read my blog. I know it’s a public forum, but I’d appreciate it if people mentioned it to me.