Tell Your Story

Here’s my story: In the jobs I’ve had, my professional use of social media has always seemed to overshadow my actual work with whatever organization I was with at the time. The blog posts I published on my own time (i.e. not at work) and the following I built on Twitter seemed to matter more to my bosses than my work for them (even though my internal reviews were always of the highest caliber)…and as soon as they realized that others were paying attention to me, that’s when hell began. I’m well-respected nationally for my contributions to my industry, but the egos of my employers have always gotten in the way. I’ve either quit or have been forced out of three jobs because of this issue. I’ve been discouraged from speaking at conferences (because I’ll “lose credibility from speaking at so many” or because “only the presidents of companies speak at conferences”), from blogging/tweeting (because too many people are reading it), and have even been told by a boss that she wishes I wasn’t so passionate about my industry.

I want to know your story. How has your use of social media impacted your professional life in a negative way? Part of why I’m pursuing this type of research is to help people who’ve experienced the same problems I have. Please be honest, and give details. I will keep all information in the strictest of confidence unless you otherwise give me permission to discuss it publicly.