“Hey Bob, I didn’t know you have a blog.”
Great. A coworker has found my blog. Now I get to be the second person in the organization to experience the whole blog persecution thing.
“Yeah.”
“Where is it? I want to read it.”
Okay, so maybe I’m safe. I have a couple options here. I could lie and tell him my blog is someone else’s (in fact, maybe I should set up a decoy blog… just thought of that). I could tell him to find it on his own. Or I could tell him where it is.
“I write it on my own time, from home, and it’s on my own server elsewhere in the world. I try pretty hard to make sure it’s separate from work, even though I use stories and stuff from work and my consulting clients. I think others can learn from those stories, it’s therapeutic for me to write about them, and I’m still a little shy about it. Maybe you could look for it on your own; it shouldn’t be hard to find.”
“You write about me? That’s why you don’t want me to see it.”
“Actually, I don’t write about you. [until now – ha!] I just think that there is a difference between me advertising my blog and you finding it on your own. Subtle, yes, but important. It isn’t a secret — it’s like a hobby. You don’t bring your hobby to work, either.”
“Gotcha. Where should I look?”
“Geez, dude. Get in touch with your inner blogger and do a little research.”
“On what?”
“Maybe pretend you want to have a blog, too.”
“Oh, duh, got it. I’ll IM you tomorrow when I find it.”
…and the clock is ticking, like a time bomb. What is it with people absolutely needing to out anonymous bloggers?