Want to keep personal website private from work

[xmrth]

I want to make a website for my design work so I can eventually work for myself-- that is the idea but it won't happen so simply.

 

The reason for wanting to keep my website private isn't necessarily because my boss will fire me or anything.. And what I plan to do is seek his advice last where I would hopefully be able to leave while I just pay attention and ask simple non-telling questions now.

 

But I really want to keep my site private because of my coworkers. They are an incredibly immature couple of guys. If they found my site they would talk about it every day and try and find things wrong with it and laugh at it! And just be jerks and cause misery... I feel I can handle them, I mean, they're guys that want to impress eachother and always "be in on the joke" with eachother even if they don't even know what the joke is, but I know I wouldn't have any way to defend myself in a professional manner concerning this. And -they- would without a doubt make my boss really feel like I'm not going to be there long because they would never shut up about it. I think the worst would be maybe no raise and not give me extra work.

 

They constantly ask me if I have a site up, so its not like they are never thinking of it, and they try to find it because they're convinced one exists. they even go as far as to say I already told them! Just so I'll talk about it.

 

It's just really annoying because one of my coworkers has found my things on websites, and they both search and try and find me on things but thankfully I am not really on any sites other than forums and twitter, I know people can google me so I don't do it! They google my name all the time though and one of them found me on this guy's blog that I went to college with, it was so weird... I didn't even know I was on there, just other students too though, nothing bad. But did it just to prove he could find me. Not in a stalkerish way but just to be like see I found you.

 

The thing that is tough is my site needs my name in it for the web address! Once it is up and running and linked it will really come up in searches.

 

So basically, I just really need to vent and rant about the worries I have about having this site be active! It will need some time, maybe a year before I even benefit from it because working for yourself is a lot of work and doesn't always work out.

And how should I handle it if they find it and do the above things?

I just want to know how to handle it, I don't want to feel like this...

[lavenderdove]

Just give your website a company name rather than your personal name... choose a name you like and name it. Don't have your personal name anywhere on the site.

 

Lots of people operate sites anonymously as companies, never using their names for personal privacy reasons like yours.

[shes2smart]

Well, I don't know that there's any way around it really. If you're putting up a business website, I don't know that you can control who visits it. Also, if you're intending for the site to be your "storefront" then keeping it private will essentially be shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to generating business. I will leave that up to the more computer/internet-savvy here to address blocking specific people/computers from visiting your website.

 

Even if your co-workers never bothered with it, I can pretty much guarantee you that there will be someone else who'll stumble on it and not like something about the site or your work and they might be so crass as to let you know about it.

 

But you can't let that bother you.

 

I do freelance voiceover (VO) work. I have a website plus profiles on several voiceover sites. All of them have samples of work I've done. This business is HIGHLY subjective. If the person listening to my demos thinks I sound like crap....then I sound like crap to them. It doesn't necessarily mean I really sound like crap (I don't.) and it doesn't mean that no one will hire me. Because individuals & companies have hired me (sometimes multiple times) because they like the way I sound and the work I do. I've had a talent agent listen to my demo and tell me that I was "nothing special" when it came to voiceover work. Yet, I keep managing to find work and continue to build a client base without the help of a talent agent. I keep moving forward because I'm good at this, I know I'm good at this, and I'm not going to let anyone's opinion sway me from that knowledge.

 

I would imagine design work is similar -- potential clients are either going to like what you do....or they're not....and (if you want to make a go of it as a business) you cannot let that bother you. After almost a year of actively pursuing VO work as a business, I've come to the conclusion that if you're going to do any sort of work that is creative in nature you really have to have a strong belief that you are good at what you do -- good enough that people will pay you. Do you have that kind of faith/confidence in your talent? Because you will need it. There are people (like your co-workers) who will try to tear you down and shake that faith. Maybe they do it because you're better than they are, maybe they do it just because they're mean, who knows? Ultimately it doesn't matter -- as long as you have that core of confidence and belief in your own talent.

 

All that being said, I wouldn't bother saying a word about what you're doing on your own at work. If they stumble accross your site and ask/harass you about it, don't react and change the topic. If you react like it's no big deal, there's not going to be much of a payoff for them to continue harassing you about it....if you let on that it bothers you, well that just opens the floodgates for more teasing.

 

I don't talk much about my freelance VO stuff at my office gig. Sometimes my supervisor asks, and I give him positive but vague and non-specific answers.

 

One last story about having information on a business website and the weird places it can go: I have my cell # on my VO website. I use it as my business phone. One time I got a call from a guy claiming to be from an ad agency casting for a commerical for an allergy product. He wanted to know how I sneezed. I offered to record an audition and send it, he said I could just sneeze on the phone. I thought this was odd, but went ahead and played along. 2 sneezes later, I figured out this guy was, in fact, a sneeze fetishist. I said I had to go and hung up. I must give him creativity points for the approach.

 

The sad part is if he'd been honest with me from the get-go, we could've negotiated a price and I woulda just recorded some sneezing like any other VO job.

 

Anyway, if you're going to use a website as part of your own business, you have to be prepared for people who don't like you/your work and for weird stuff to happen from time to time. It's part of being out there and visible so that your legitimate clients can find you to hire you.

[xmrth]

I know people could not like my work, but it is different in this case as they would harass me over it. Like if a page doesn't load fast enough they will make a joke out of me, even if it is all about our internet connection that day and they know it-- basically they pick any little thing and turn it into their own joke. I kind of wonder if it is really harassment!

It would be a daily thing, going to the page and looking at eachother saying "let's see what's new!" "oh this doesn't look right!" even if it does, it doesn't matter, they just do it to make the joke. It's so weird... I've never had this problem with people before in my life! They do it to everyone but I am the only one in the room with them and they'd just do it non stop... I mean, just to find my domain name that I made they went nuts for a whole day. But that's when it all started and it was literally over a year ago, that's how much they obsess over it and still bring it up almost every other week (not kidding) and it's making ME obsess over it!

 

I've thought of using a domain that doesn't have my name but everyone uses their name. A lot of people don't though but could be because it wasn't available. I would have my name inside my site and my number and my e-mail... I should probably just do it and maybe deal with it when it comes. I'm sure other people I have known will find it and that is fine by me, just not these people because I'm stuck with them all day and I know how they are. I should just do it... not sure...

[shes2smart]

I know people could not like my work, but it is different in this case as they would harass me over it. Like if a page doesn't load fast enough they will make a joke out of me, even if it is all about our internet connection that day and they know it-- basically they pick any little thing and turn it into their own joke.

 

So, then it's not about YOU, per se....it's just something annoying and juvenile that they do. Can't control them, but you can decide that you're not going to take it personally.

 

I kind of wonder if it is really harassment!

It would be a daily thing, going to the page and looking at eachother saying "let's see what's new!" "oh this doesn't look right!" even if it does, it doesn't matter, they just do it to make the joke. It's so weird... I've never had this problem with people before in my life! They do it to everyone but I am the only one in the room with them and they'd just do it non stop... I mean, just to find my domain name that I made they went nuts for a whole day. But that's when it all started and it was literally over a year ago, that's how much they obsess over it and still bring it up almost every other week (not kidding) and it's making ME obsess over it!

 

....and when, exactly, are they getting their work done? Y'know, the stuff that someone's paying them to be there and do?

 

It just seems odd to me that an employer would put up with that much random surfing and non-productivity during work time.

 

But, really, I'd hazard a guess that part of the reason they continue is that they know it bothers you. There has to be a payoff for them, otherwise they would find something else to poke fun at.

 

I've thought of using a domain that doesn't have my name but everyone uses their name. A lot of people don't though but could be because it wasn't available. I would have my name inside my site and my number and my e-mail... I should probably just do it and maybe deal with it when it comes. I'm sure other people I have known will find it and that is fine by me, just not these people because I'm stuck with them all day and I know how they are. I should just do it... not sure...

 

Most VO people use their name as their site name. I didn't. I happened to think of a Really Good site name for a VO person and was stunned to find out it was available. Point being - just because "everyone else" uses their name for their domain name doesn't mean you have to. You come up with something catchy, descriptive and easy to remember and see if it's available and you use that.

 

Instead of getting stuck on your co-workers being idiots, my suggestion would be to look at it another way.

 

Like this, perhaps:

 

You fearing them is preventing you from working toward a dream or goal of your own. You are letting two idiots dictate your future. Is that what you really want to do? (and feel free to argue all you like, but what it comes down to is fear.)

 

I mean, if this idea of having your own business isn't all that important to you, then I suppose it's ok if you let a couple of mental morons take it away from you before you can even start. If this is all it takes to dissuade you from making a go of this, that tells me one of two things:

 

1. You aren't really that interested in it in the first place. (which isn't a big deal, but you should be honest with yourself about it)

 

2. You aren't really cut out to be in business for yourself at this point. (not everyone is, so there's no crime in that either....but, again, being honest with yourself about it is the best way to go)

 

I wasn't ready to do freelance VO for a long time (even though I had people around me telling me I should). But once I decided that was what I wanted/needed to do, there wasn't a damn thing in this world that was going to stop me from giving it a go. If you are not at that point yet, that's fine...maybe it will happen later. I think, though, the odds of succeeding are greater if you go into it with that "no one's going to stop me from reaching my goal" kind of attitude.