Oh Crap.

$%&#@ #$&^@%$ ##@&@&@!!!! Oh man...my big mouth on DU might have just got me in a whole lot of trouble!

For those of you who follow my posts you know I am a teacher...and you know I am a pretty outspoken advocate for my students in these tough times. I have made quite a few DU posts about education--the super salty school lunches (and how I got in trouble for complaining), the budget cuts at our legislative level (special ed is getting the sh$t kicked out of it) and the district cuts.

Today I am sitting in a meeting and the discussion turned to recent cuts and a discussion of articles in the paper. Then a BIGWIG says "Did you read that article on Democratic...uhm...uhm...Democratic Underground?" I nearly sh#t (pardon my French...I'm pretty freaked out) my pants (les pantaloons?).

I knew it was a risk sharing information on DU and in such a public way but I never expected to be sitting in a meeting with people I work with discussing googling my DU post about budget cuts and staff cuts...and how awful the effects them are. OMG.

I'm shaking again thinking of it. My initial reaction was I needed to race home, write a DU farewell post and then pull the plug on good old Snoutport. That still might be the option I choose...but that still won't wipe away my footprint. My Snoutport posts are out there forever. I learned that when I was googling the phone hacking/Rupert Murdoch stories--and one of my DU posts--with a link back to DU--was posted verbatim. Those posts will never go away.

And my education stories...if you were to pull them all up off of google it wouldn't take them five minutes to figure out it was me writing them. Killing Snoutport doesn't get rid of Snoutport's writings.

I guess I should start by sanitizing my journal while I decide. If you want to check out my educational posts they will all be gone later tonight. If I decide to pull the plug on Snoutport I'll send out a shout out and then kill it. I'll come back, of course, with a new name but I must admit, I'm really sad that the little bitty legacy I have made typing in here is something I am really proud of. I am still pleased when I think about one of my posts hitting 500 recs and DUers were sending me messages to tell me what a big deal that was. Just today one of my posts just hit 20,000 readers!!!! I'm a teacher for goodness sake! Every time someone reads one of my more personal posts (My hubby is about to walk in the door!) or school posts I really feel an importance in that. I'm teaching in a big way when 20,000 people read something I suggest.

I guess what has happened is I've really grown fond of Snoutport (and the star a certain dear DUer gave me after reading one of my posts she really liked). I liked that Snoutport was standing up for people. I liked that people would see a post of mine and read it because the liked Snoutport's stuff. I don't want to have to start over as....Aardvarkguy or Monkeyhead!

Has anyone else had to deal with DU posts intruding into their professional lives? Any other teachers have advice? We are facing budget cuts and troublemakers are not going to be kindly looked at...and, believe me, I'm already seen as a trouble maker (but I'm also their golden boy).

Any advice would be awesome.:(

I've given some pretty good descriptions of my job...and there are not many jobs like mine. And I talked about complaints I have made and I'm probably the only one who has made those complaints. eeeeek!

Deny everything. They can't prove it is you unless you have given away identifying location information.

Don't scrub your posts because you do know they are never really gone.

Do what I do--tell your story. Change a few of the details to give you plausible deniability and enjoy DU. In fact, sometimes I wait several weeks to post items that I care to discuss so that I can't be that easily tracked down.

Because that would be a concern.

I feel badly that any educator should have to feel the fear you express, I hope nothing comes of it, and I think everyone at DU supports you, Snoutport.

:thumbsup:

but I guess nobody I worked with would bring it up!!! I guess it just means that I have to give up the anonymous side of things...and then basically I am blogging.

I guess I just mourn the loss of really being free to cuss or talk about my GAY husband. Lol...it is all out there now. But if I stay as Snoutport I will no longer be able to share with as much candor. Common sense won't allow that...even if it is my right. I love my job (as my posts all show) and want to keep it.

Step one, don't panic.

Step two, unless someone has access to tie you to your posts, and uses it to hurt you, don't panic. I doubt you are that careless. If they try, you have the option of a damn good lawsuit with triple damages.

Step 3: what good does it do to try to suppress the truth?

I've been careful...but I have been candid. And I am a very candid person BUT, in person or at work, I make sure that when I am candid I do it at the right time.

I am actively working to change how things work in my city and education. I just am freaked out that so much personal stuff is now accessible to coworkers...and, I guess, if you are going to take a stand on something it would be nice to be able to do it on your own terms. It feels like coming out of the closet.

And I still want to cuss and to share stories. And...lol...now when they google "snoutport" even this message will come up. Sigh...

Hi boss!

see if you can e-mail google and ask to have those particular posts deleted. I don't know if that would work or if there is even an e-mail to contact the google managers but I guess that's what I'd try.

looking for what the employees were saying or was the Bigwig possibly a member of DU?

Nothing huge...just a post that they had laid off 105 staff, mostly assistants in special ed rooms. She probably was just expecting the local paper but my DU post popped up in her google search. (I write a danged fine headline, if I do say so myself so she had no choice but to read my post first!)

You are reasoned, you do not seem to be attacking personalities. I think you may be over-reacting.

If you have State information on DU I would change it, and don't give too much information out.

I never post anywhere at school, even on my personal ipad. I could be in trouble for posting political stuff on the schools time. I do read DU for my news, but I figure if our homepage is set to MSN by the administrators I'm within my rights to get my news elsewhere.

My guess is that the BIGWIG said it as a warning and to rattle you. He probably did guess it was you, (so what) or someone ratted on you, which we both know happens in schools. If he really had anything he would use it. Keep it truthful and real and do it from home. That is my advice.

I am a very good boy. Never have posted from work, But I have been very candid. I've actually spoke highly of my job and supervisors...but have talked about things I'm trying to change or changes I have made.

The bigwig was just searching google for the local papers article about the lay offs and got my DU post in the results. The post was about layoffs and pretty much just the same information that was in the newspaper that day (though I might have scooped them).

I got rid of the few things in my journal that were a little too political, or risque... i also have a dirty mouth on my off hours.

Since it is all out there--the reason I am a little more nervous than i should be is because I've won a couple of awards and have had some attention recently in the media. I have gone from plain old teacher to golden boy/representative... very vocal representative so it is scary to think some flippant remark I've made about my dislike of fascist republican politics could, eeeeek, come back and scare me!

My posts are usually pretty tame....the OPs...but I'm shuddering when I think of some of the comments I've made on other people's posts!
I've made Santorum comments that.... oh dear. I swear I'm trying to see the humor in all this...

I don't think it will be difficult to figure out who you are under a new name.

Perhaps what you should focus on is providing less personal information. I know I gave you a hard time in the corn nuts thread because it did not sound believable to me. I am sorry if you felt compelled to provide information that should have been more confidential. That was not my intention. I was hoping we, as a group, could help you with a solution.

I wouldn't post anything I'd be worried about my neighbor reading or in your case, a co-worker. I have friends who read here and I'm not saying much they don't already know! But please understand your neighbor or your co-workers *could* in fact be posting here while YOU don't know it. :)

I really tried to be sketchy in my post but the comments just kept digging me in deeper and deeper! One lady pulled up the menu for the district and I just about fainted! LOL!!!! Now you know why I hate those $&%#$'d cornuts!!! (they were in the lunches on monday...but I was armed with carrots (which we steamed in the microwave).

not really sure I had ever seen them anywhere. And then I was in a Dollar Tree store and they had some clipped to one of the shelves. Who knew? :shrug:

But seriously I think your fellow co-workers should be mortified at that lunch, too, and willing to DO something about it.

to my supervisor they gave me permission to go buy whatever I needed...that was part of the story and how impressed i was that the decision was made immediately that I was allowed to supplement if needed...while we worked out how to solve the problem.

phew.

but still...

You just gave your self away. That bigwig has now confirmed any suspicions they may have had.
I would edit this post and go to your mirror and work on your "WAT?" face.
Practice the lines "What kind of idiot would do THAT? Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
Don't post stuff that is readily identifying unless you have nothing to lose by being identified.

If they google my name on here and read a couple of my education posts they will know it is me...would take a monkey with half a brain. And a monkey with half a brain like me to post the danged stuff in the first place.

What is done is done. I just want to keep posting in the future and keep my job. might mean a new name so I can continue to speak candidly in the future.

Not only do I look for your posts, I love your name! It always makes me chuckle.; )

took the time to denigerate Democratic Underground, and throw it in your face.

I've found this tactic used on several other forums where the reichwing needs to say something but has nothing of merit, or

really only a pile of crap to respond with. When confronted with their duplicity, I've been told that they don't even have to

give a rebuttal, just screaming the word, "liberal" or "did you find that on DU" or "is that a DU talking point", serves as their

answer.

I'm sorry I don't have any advice to lend you.. I will however give you two thumbs up and a pat on the back for doing what you do.

I hope to see you on the other side. Peace

It wasn't bad...they were looking for information and my posting came up on google. She actually sounded like it was informative and it had a link to the newspaper article posted later on so... who knows, maybe a few people went home to look up DU. That part of it was good. And if that is the only posting by me she saw, still totally cool because it divulged nothing about me...just a link and a blurb.

So, that might have been it. I'm just thinking that was kind of a warning from the fates though that maybe i need to start over and be more hazy in my references. "this school in the northwest" vs. "my school in xxxxx"

read in public, you might as well write it on your forehead.

Hell, my attorney always asks if I'm on a cordless or cellphone before we speak.

I try to never say anything for just that reason. I teach in Texas. I teach in higher education. I teach large stadium classes. I think saying more than that is dangerous.

someone I was about to enter into business with found my identity on DU by googling key words, and brought the printed pages of my posts to our meeting.