I hate to even have to say this, again, but please DO NOT reach out to me via work channels, or, like one misguided fool, reach out to one of my coworkers, thinking it’s me, after reading this blog.
This has been at my About section for more than a year now:
“(Something to note, however: If you’ve learned about where I work, and are inclined to contact me, STOP. Do not. I can’t put you in contact with anyone, pass along any information to anyone or help you with employment in any way. This site has nothing to do with my job, or my employer, and while I realize you mean no harm, I just can’t help. Simply put: Please don’t bother me about my job. I hate to sound harsh, seriously, but the requests and emails from strangers have gotten a little out of control.)”
I cannot begin to tell you how annoying this can be, especially since I supply my personal email at the bottom of my About section. And I allow comments here. To contact me at work, you have to do a slight amount of digging, and when it happens, it’s clear you’re pushy, don’t read directions well and are self-serving in a way that blows my mind. Which makes me even more irritated. When you bother my coworkers, that’s even moreso. They all know about my blog, and I know some of them read the blog, but no one else at my job likes incessant pitches, either.
If you need some more context regarding just how irritating this is, I once had my doctor call me on my cell phone, late at night, to pitch something to me in regards to my job. My doctor did this.
Please: if you want me to look at something, read your book, review your product, feel free to reach out to me via the personal channels I’ve put up here. If you want me to do these things under the guise of my professional life, you are outta luck.
I sound like an awful harpie, I know, but COME ON PEOPLE.
Wow. That’s…really creepy. And presumptuous.
Yeah. It’s really stalkerish.
You’re right, it’s not hard to figure out AND it’s a bit creepy. I’m just wondering though – did you get to go on the anniversary trip to Hawaii?
Leslie, do you see the irony in your comment by any chance?
It was meant to be a joke!
Everything gets lost in translation online.
I know…I should have done the little winking guy (smacks forehead)! I figured it out a looonnnggg time ago and love you all the more for not being one of those “I’m cool because I do xxxx and I work for xxx” I hate that about the blogosphere. You were cool to me two jobs ago!
Oh goodness. Well now I’m sheepish. I know it’s not hard to figure out where I work, but it’s not really germane to my blog. Plus, yeah, some people act like pushy assholes and I HATE that I even have to say any of this because I don’t like drawing attention to it here, but someone bothering my coworker today was the final straw for me.
“But the requests and emails from strangers have gotten a little out of control.” And then someone contacted your co-worker? This is insanity.
Not to excuse it or justify it in ANY way, but I would bet big money that this economy creates an environment where certain people who are probably fairly pushy anyway can justify to themselves why it’s okay. Sort of like, “she’ll understand, given the economy,” or “they’ll think I’m just a go-getter.” In a normal economy most of those people wouldn’t have been able to fool themselves with these rationalizations, but now, it’s probably easier for them to do. Again, it doesn’t make it right, but it probably explains why at least some of it is happening. I’m a lawyer working at a corporation instead of a law firm, which is considered a fairly decent job even in good times, and I can’t tell you how many fairly desperate calls I’ve fielded in the past year. Nothing stalkerish like you’re describing, but enough that it makes me wonder about when the hell we’re going to get out of this!
You know, I did think about that. Absolutely. And I get it, I do, but there are ways to go about it and ways not to go about it. I think it’s just because I get so many unsolicited pitches/products/requests, I just don’t have the patience for it anymore.
Heh. It is. And what’s so funny about that is that my Web site is EJSHEA.COM. If you had the brain capacity of a gnat you’d be able to figure out what my last name was, even if you didn’t, I don’t know, LOOK AT THE PAGE. So to send an email to a totally different Erin at my office just smacks of stupid and lazy.
Dude. I thought I was stalkery for emailing you at all…
Just wanted to stop by and wish you holidays both merry and bright. Relaxing and cozy ones, too. Thanks for…you know. Blogging. In spite of it all.
I have known for YEARS that you work for Vivid Adult Entertainment and not ONCE have I pestered you about my soon-to-be famous video featuring both donkeys and ping-pong balls. GOD.
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time. I felt ‘stalkerish’ telling you your picture was in the NYT in an article about weight loss bloggers.
It would never occur to me to contact you at your workplace no matter what was going on. You are who you are online and you have this whole life outside of your online persona. It’s weird to me that people seem to have trouble with this.
Please know your writing has inspired me to keep trying to do different types of exercise and working on my diet. At times you’ve also made me laugh and I’ve also cried about things I’ve read here. I hope you keep writing online despite people being inappropriate and disrespectful. I would totally understand if you had to stop because of it because sometimes the Internet can be a cruel and odd place.
Merry Holidays and I hope you feel better in the New Year.
Linda, I love you. It’s worth pointing out to you, however, that Scott IS the director of content at Playboy.com. If you’re really looking to get that off of your hands…
You guys are all really sweet. And while this sort of thing is annoying, it’s not going to get me to stop writing here or anything. I’ll just continue to sporadically post these ranty entries about them.
I know people (myself included) get weirded out by how to contact and interact with bloggers, especially when you’ve been reading them for a long time and feel like you do have an idea of who they are, but still acknowledging that you don’t have intimate knowledge of the nuisances to them that paint a fuller picture. I know the majority, core people who read me are really awesome and nice and helpful and respectful. It’s usually people who are new to concept/dynamic of blogging who act like assmonkeys. Those people are also a bit socially clueless, too.
Hey Erin — Please set me up on a date with Your Boss Lady, ‘cuz I’m awesome and can use a sugar mama. Kthnxby!
I honestly think when it comes to your particular job, people go a little insane and cross lines they never would normally. For example, I had a very involved dream about your boss just last night in which your boss’s friends and family planned a surprise wedding for your boss (trying to avoid using gender pronouns like an idiot here just in case your workplace is still unknown by some!) and your boss was NONE too happy about it. Also, in the dream, your boss’s significant other looked nothing like that person looks in real life and I could not figure out why your boss was marrying someone else. Also in the dream, your boss suddenly morphed into my sister, who is already married, so there was even more confusion. And then somehow we were all in a spy scene that was a hybrid between the characters on Chuck and Alias. So I’m just saying. Some companies/people make people go crazy and (have crazy dreams). Which is unfortunate for you, it turns out!
E, that is the best ever.