WARNING
Hey guys. I know I haven't been on in awhile. Things have been nutso, and not in that happy warm tingly way, either. Although I'm hoping to find the time to present a detailed update very soon, I figured I would do my friendly duty and present a warning to all of you, my friends, and anyone who may come across this journal in the future:
Keep your journals friends only or private. While I've had my livejournal here for probably close to three years or more, now, it is only recently I've started to have problems. I was warned many times by family and friends to keep my entries inaccessible to the public. While I, and they, wanted only to warn me of friends who might get upset should they find anything referring to them. This is true, but what really happened, I never expected.
Somehow, my former employer gained access to my entries. At an appeal hearing for my unemployment benefits today, they were granted permission to enter into evidence copies of these entries stating things like "I hate my job" "I wish they would just fire me" "I'd rather get unemployment than quit." While most of the sane world realizes that these things were all said after a stressful day as a way of emotional release, not actually as an indicator of any plan to slack off or TRY to get fired, that was not how the referee apparently saw it. Worse than that, my insistence that this journal had no bearing on why I was let go was met with stern looks and, unfortunately, I was told I could not enter into evidence dated letters and memos showing my attempts to improve my job and do my work better.
So just be aware. While I understood the possibility of my private thoughts and rants being drawn upon in a personal argument (as I'm sure they have been at one time or another for all of us), I certainly never expected that a system designed to protect me, certainly on such a civic level as the department of labor, to use my private moments against me. Don't let the same thing happen to you.
From here on out, this journal will be locked as friends only. If you're not sure if you are on my friends list, or come across this journal and would like to be added, feel free to respond in a comment, and I will discuss the option with you off the board. No previous entries will be locked to prevent access, as the damage has already been done.
Love you all, and hope to talk to you soon!
Keep your journals friends only or private. While I've had my livejournal here for probably close to three years or more, now, it is only recently I've started to have problems. I was warned many times by family and friends to keep my entries inaccessible to the public. While I, and they, wanted only to warn me of friends who might get upset should they find anything referring to them. This is true, but what really happened, I never expected.
Somehow, my former employer gained access to my entries. At an appeal hearing for my unemployment benefits today, they were granted permission to enter into evidence copies of these entries stating things like "I hate my job" "I wish they would just fire me" "I'd rather get unemployment than quit." While most of the sane world realizes that these things were all said after a stressful day as a way of emotional release, not actually as an indicator of any plan to slack off or TRY to get fired, that was not how the referee apparently saw it. Worse than that, my insistence that this journal had no bearing on why I was let go was met with stern looks and, unfortunately, I was told I could not enter into evidence dated letters and memos showing my attempts to improve my job and do my work better.
So just be aware. While I understood the possibility of my private thoughts and rants being drawn upon in a personal argument (as I'm sure they have been at one time or another for all of us), I certainly never expected that a system designed to protect me, certainly on such a civic level as the department of labor, to use my private moments against me. Don't let the same thing happen to you.
From here on out, this journal will be locked as friends only. If you're not sure if you are on my friends list, or come across this journal and would like to be added, feel free to respond in a comment, and I will discuss the option with you off the board. No previous entries will be locked to prevent access, as the damage has already been done.
Love you all, and hope to talk to you soon!