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Blogger’s Dilemma
August 16, 2005
I actually hoped this time would come. I may have to begin to restrain my commentary on this site. Why? Starting on Friday, August 26, I will be an employee of the City of Oklahoma City (assuming I past the drug test, health screen and background search… I know I will pass them, but one never knows). As such, I do not think with would be prudent to talk in depth about issues that may involve the City and my work. However, since I started this blog to discuss West Michigan and urban planning, I can still stick to such issues.
I’m just happy to finally have a job. Once I know exactly which division I’ll be working on I’ll write a post telling more. For now, thanks for any prayers you have offered.
Posted by paul at August 16, 2005 12:02 PM
Comments
Murph said on August 16, 2005 02:24 PMIt may or may not be a problem, and level of restriction may vary. I'd advise that you explain what you blog about, provide a few sample posts, and ask if there are any topics that you should avoid.
For me, it's worked out that my current employer, the DDA, seems quite happy with my blogging, and it's probably why I got the internship and not somebody else. There are a few precautions I've self-imposed: I am always very careful to state the whole "I'm just speaking as a citizen and planning student, and not as a spokesperson for the DDA" thing, and I'm careful to only blog things that are said at open/public Board or Committee meetings, and not conversations with individual DDA Board members or employees. The Chair of the DDA Board (who my boss calls boss) has been a blog reader/commenter for some months before I got the internship, and she's noted that it's very interesting to go home from Board meetings and check the blog to see what the goings-on look like from a relative outside point of view.
I'll note that you'll probably have to stay away from blogging about, say, the condition or roads, intersections, or sidewalks if you're in a transportation-related division, lest somebody dig up your post and point to it as evidence that "the city _knew_ this was dangerous and didn't fix it!" That was my biggest issue working for a County Transportation Planning Department - the County Traffic Safety Engineering Department had total redacting power over what we wrote in reports. We could not state, for example, that "x intersection needs pedestrian improvements," but had to say things like, "pedestrian improvements are needed at some locations in the study area".
Paul said on August 16, 2005 11:13 PMSagely advice. Thanks!
Dale said on November 16, 2005 10:19 PMHey, Paul -- congratulations, 3 months late on the job and 2.5 months late on the engagement.