Would You Share Information About a Client on a Billboard?
It’s not a trick question. Many freelance writers would say something along the lines of “not unless I pretty much wanted to ruin my career.” Being known as someone who discusses their clients in public isn’t a good reputation to have. If I were looking to hire someone to work with me, I would hesitate to hire someone who I discovered was engaging in this type of behavior. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to be next on the list.
If you wouldn’t put information about a client on a billboard, then you shouldn’t be posting it online. The Internet is like one giant billboard where anyone can see whatever you write. Potential clients do search for information about writers online before making hiring decisions. Not only do you need to be careful about what you post on a blog, but you also need to know that your tweets and comments on discussion forums may show up on Google and other search engines.
Why am I talking about this issue today? I saw a thread on another discussion forum where a member had posted an e-mail she received from a client who was not pleased. In fact, this client fired the writer in question. While the client was not professional and the writer is probably better off not working with that person anymore, posting the correspondence online wasn’t appropriate either, even though the person’s name was not published.
I’ve been fired before – in the brick and mortar world and since I’ve started freelancing. While it can be upsetting, I’ve never discussed what happened in a public forum. I’ve taken time to think about the events that led up to that decision to learn from them so that I can do better next time, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to share them with anyone else. I won’t even share the contents of an e-mail I got from a client once where the subject line told me to grab a helmet and a flak jacket before opening it – trust me, it was interesting reading!
So what does this have to do with job hunting? Everything! You need to guard your online reputation carefully. Potential clients can and will check you out before hiring you. They get an idea of who you are and the kind of work you produce based on how you present yourself. Unless you would feel comfortable posting something on a billboard on a busy downtown street in your city or town, maybe you should rethink the matter.
Hi, Jodee, I beg to disagree on this one. For instance, I have used http://www.jobvent.com and other sites, on occasion to vent my frustration about various employers and clients.
I think prospective employees and freelancers have a right to be forewarned about clients from the dark side. The key to protecting one’s career when letting off steam online is to use a pseudonym.
@ Robin: I appreciate your taking the time to comment. I’m all for venting on occasion – don’t get me wrong. I just think it should be done in a way that isn’t living in cyberspace forever. Call a friend you trust, put it in writing (but don’t send it), go to to the gym, or whatever works. Just don’t do it in public.
Would we like it if clients were venting about us online? Not that we would ever give them a reason to….
On a more serious note, maybe I worked for lawyers for too long, but I am very cautious about anything that I put in writing. I can have a personal opinion about something but some things are better left unsaid.
I was brought up on the ‘net with the idea that I shouldn’t put anything online that I wasn’t willing to see on the front page of the New York Times. That’s doesn’t preclude venting but may make me temper my words or at least to think long and hard before I spew.
Good topic.
Thanks, Anne. If you’re going to put something out there online, you need to be prepared to own it.
Jodee, thank you a very thought-provoking post.
In my opinion, using a pseudonym is one of the main problems in the online discourse. If Robin or anyone else voices either a positive or negative opinion about a client, colleague, or boss, why should I believe it unless I can verify who she is and her own reputation?
It is similar to clients/employers doing background checks merely via Google or social media sites. Instead of asking for veritable references or testimonials. While Jodee’s and Anne’s points are well-taken with regards to your online persona, what happens if you have a common name, and the other party bases their decision about you when in fact it was someone else?
Many on either side of the equation don’t want to expend the effort to do proper due diligence, and then make informed, unbiased decisions. Your bad client could be my good one. Because I don’t know how much you contributed to the situation, or have a personal agenda.
The point is well-taken about avoiding the wrong clients; however, as Jodee noted, in many cases, less is more on this topic.
“Google doesn’t replace shoe leather.” Andrew Jennings, investigative journalist.
@ Steve: Thank you for the kind words. You bring up some great points.
I might have a negative experience with a client or a colleague, but that doesn’t mean that yours would be similar. There are times when despite the freelancer giving the project their best effort, things just don’t work out. That doesn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t have a good working relationship with that client, and the classy thing to do is learn from the experience and move on….without giving in to the temptation to take a swipe at them publicly.
I can’t control what other people decide to do but I can make choices about my own behavior that I know are right. I prefer to make my own decisions about people I am dealing with based on my experience, not what other people are saying about them online.
I only post positive feedback about the content sites (Suite, eHow etc) I write for, never anything about a private client (company or individual who hired me to write for them). If I have negative feedback, I never say it online. It can live on long after you think it’s dead.
@ Jeanne: “It can live on long after you think it’s dead.”
You got that right.