Getting "dooced": Fearing the Pink Slip

The word "dooced" is the term used for someone who has lost his/her job because of something he/she wrote on a website or blog. While the self-employed have no fear of getting "dooced" for any reason, those of us who haven't abandoned the workforce yet may have a reason to be concerned, and news stories surfacing during the past few years about companies firing bloggers for the content of their blogs and others viewing blogs before hiring potential employees are definitely wake up calls, but should not serve as deterrents for blogging. How serious is your possibility of getting fired for your blog? In most cases, the chances are slim. Most companies respect an employee's private life after hours, but there are a few common sense precautions to take that will protect you from the dreaded pink slip.

First of all, your employer's company secrets such as proprietary product information or private research information that has not been published yet is not necessarily yours to share in a personal blog. That information is reserved for the company's website or blog, if and when they are ready to publish it.

Open criticism of the company or other employees may not be such a good idea. I'm all for free speech and personally have no problem with criticizing a company or person if it is deserved (and I mean good honest criticism not bashing someone because you don't like him/her). However, slander can land you a lawsuit. I find it best not to mention the name of the company or specific names of employees in a blog at all, no matter what the nature of the blog. If your boss is a tight-fisted weasel, go ahead and say so if you feel you must, but you might not want to use his real name when doing so.

Some employers look for blogs of potential employees. Employees with controversial or "unusual" content (this is often the employer's discretion) may not get fired, but they may have some trouble finding a new job. This also includes photographs. You might want to avoid posting provacative pictures of yourself. You don't know who's looking.

These things may seem like common sense, but people have been fired for these reasons. You can be cautious and still maintain your free speech.