By Jeff Westover, myjobsearch.com

Bob Nelson could not have been more stunned. There, for the whole world to see, was his name in big letters as a "feature" on mybosssucks.com. One of his employees had written that Bob was a "power hungry maniac" that "doesn't know how to make decisions or take responsibility for his own screwups". Bob- and no, that is not his real name- was both incensed and embarrassed.

"I think I know who wrote this." Bob said when I called him. It was easy to find him. The web site had listed his real name and place of employment. "The circumstances he describes about me have some factual components but it is definitely not the whole story. It's unfair."

Bob, who was unaware of the six-week old posting until I called him, quickly told his boss.

"There's not a lot we can do about it." Bob's boss said. "Because we are associated with a university and there are chances here that a university computer was used we might have a case for removing those privileges. But our confidentiality policy does not cover a case like this."

Growing Dissatisfaction Gains A Voice

The Internet is bringing out the poet in all of us. No matter what the passion, there seems to be a place to express it online. When it comes to some people, no passion burns greater than getting back at the boss. From tame tirades to profanity-laced essays, web sites using real names of real bosses are drawing traffic and advertisers.

According to Career Education Corporation, only 3% of working adults are satisfied with their current job. If that statistic is true, no wonder the growing number of Internet venues for venting online are gaining in popularity.

One site is designed to serve the fed up employee is iquit.org. They specialize in providing your boss a resignation letter by email. For a mere dollar, a registered user can use pre-formatted letters that begin with intelligent-sounding phrases like " Dear Sir/Madam: You are an idiot, and I can prove it."

There are web sites dedicated to certain employers. Unhappy burger flippers can "have it their way" at the Disgruntled Burger King Employee Page. The not-so-happy former and current employees of Intel can find a home at www.faceintel.com. Even postal workers that find themselves on the edge can track the morbid statistics of postal worker shootings at a site called The Disgruntled Postal Worker Zone.

Since 1995, disgruntled.com has served unhappy employees wanting a venue to air their gripes. The monthly online magazine publishes everything from reader experiences to links to places like "The Campaign Against Workplace Bullying" ( www.bullybusters.org).

Web sites are not the only place to publicly lambaste the boss or company. Internet newsgroups and discussion boards have long been home for flame wars between posters. It is a natural home to post complaints about the boss. Many companies have web sites allowing for interactive posting. Some of these sites, believe it or not, actually show complaints about the company or individuals that work there. Also, many major Internet portals, such as Yahoo, provide open forums for discussions on just about any topic.

Here Come The Lawyers

Beware: what you say can be held against you in a court of law. Not even the "anonymous" postings made online will keep you immune from being sued. Corporate lawyers are armed and hunting those who would seek to vent too vociferously online.

Yahoo recently found itself at the center of a lawsuit concerning information posted in one of their forums. Fruit of the Loom subpoenaed Yahoo looking to find the true identities of two individuals that posted critical comments about the company online. Yahoo caved quickly to the request, drawing the ire of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and positioning itself unfavorably in a high profile First Amendment argument in the courts. While Fruit of the Loom and Yahoo have the corporate resources and money to take on such a case, the two original posters in question likely do not.

In another case, Raytheon sued 21 different individuals that also posted on Yahoo. In the end, 4 different people lost their jobs.

Not every company is fighting back with flames of their own. Dunkin Donuts recently purchased a web site that was critical of their operating procedures. The site had grown to be a place where customers and employees would go to complain about any variety of things, whether they were true or not. Dunkin Donuts has kept the site operational and has said it would maintain the site for hearing input from their customers.

A Kinder, Gentler Approach

The Internet is a wide-open arena. Anybody can say just about anything about anyone. Netizens from all points would be advised to exercise caution. While sites like Yahoo promote the anonymous nature of their services they have been proven otherwise. The safe assumption is that nothing written is ever truly anonymous.

Like all relationships, the ones forged online need to be cultivated. If the online persona is out of line with the offline reputation, there could be problems. Personal web sites, public links to email or active participation in critical newsgroup discussions where true identity could be ascertained can devastate a career or destroy trust.

Employers would be wise to watch what they say too. If it is desired to know what former employers or listed references are saying about you, a company known as www.myreferences.com will check it out. Their web site claims that 50% of their clients had references that spoke poorly of the people referring them.

There are other online means of addressing frustrations and concerns with employers. At www.inudge.com, for a fee, a registered user can send an anonymous and professionally written letter that is delivered by regular mail. The topics of these letters can range from bad breath to poor management techniques by a boss or co-worker.

For Bob Nelson and any other person "flamed" online, the results are anything but positive. A letter or a mature discussion from the disgruntled employee that put his name in lights on mybosssucks.com would have been much preferred.

As it stands, the person suspected of posting the unflattering remarks still works there. The suspected poster is about to have his world rocked by Bob. Bob will continue to wear the cyber-Scarlet Letter of mybosssucks.com.

The only question that remains is deciding what any of this has accomplished.

-- Jeff Westover is an Internet Content Developer based in Salt Lake City. He has 15 years of executive level experience in personnel and project management. Jeff writes for myjobsearch.com, publishers of the largest independent directory of online career resources.

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