<![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @あなたが大好き: I'd have to second your comments Witzbold. I don't think a lot of people here know what it is like to work for a big corporation. Reputation is EVERYTHING and the internet is everything BUT private.

Jenstar

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Now she can get a job at rock STAR*!

Runna

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @crazyscreenwriter:
The First Amendment only deals with government censorship, it doesn't say jack about what non-governmental agencies can do. So even avoiding the question of why we're really fighting in Iraq... no, it isn't really ironic at all and I find your statement to be silly at best.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Seems like a freeking stupid thing to do - I wouldn't be outraged if I was her - just embarrassed and busted.

What a fkn fool.

syl1985

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Oh, thanks for the info LOSTTOYS.

I didn´t see that. Even using a fake name, a picture can´t really lie about who she is.

lucasreis

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She has a little response on her blog. Here it is.

"I've received a lot of hateful messages lately. With that being said, I would like to address a few rumors. First of all, I have never smoked weed in my entire life, I just joke about smoking it. Secondly, I really don't drink too often - I was just being obnoxious. I have never hit on a married man - that is also a joke. I am not '23'; I don't know who got that idea. I'm a lot more than meets the eye: I have a college education, I have served in the Army and have served overseas, I am an excellent parent, and would give someone the shirt off my back if I had to (figuratively speaking). Yes, I should have been a little more discreet about my thoughts or should have just kept them to myself, but we all make mistakes. I don't think that I should be "crucified and burned at the stake" for it. I hoped that cleared the air."

She sounded cooler before. :)

personaehiro

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Well deserved.
It's pretty simple: When a person goes to public to personally offend and humiliate a superior, it's pretty clear that she won't work in the best interest of the company under that person.
Since the complaint came only from her, using a cowardly and half-assed way, she's the one that has to quit.

This goes the same way if she was bashing people who worked bellow her.
Criticizing coworkers in front of costumers is already bad. Doing it openly on the Internet, is justified reason to show the way out.

You can either take that as "revenge for the offence" or being fired for just not fitting the work environment.

It's better for the company and better for herself if she felt so miserable at her job.

Also, may this be a lesson to idiots who creates blogs to keep vomiting whatever they have in their mind on a daily basis.

Remember kids, freedom of speech doesn't mean you can write shit and not be held responsible for it later.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I'm not surprised of someone getting the boot because someone in HR or in her department saw her blog. Here's something simple: Don't blog or lock your profile. That's why now I keep a blog to myself and only have a few people view it, as well having my Myspace page being private.

I hope one day, government can protect the rights of bloggers...but then again once that happens, I expect a shitload of lawsuits of wrongful termination.

vlv723

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I've heard of worse practices than this from the big N.

I used to work with a co-worker who was female worked for them back in the day in Japan. They pretty much told her to her face that she was getting too old and will most likely will let her go. She left for America after that and got a good gig.

At least in the U.S. they are laws against that. Now with the blogger I agree that as a contractor with a conservative company like Nintendo you pretty much are walking a minefield.

She shouldn't have done it..but I imagine she'll find another gig with a game company down the road and learned her lesson.

JohnnyLA

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> And anyone else find it ironic that this chick's husband is in Iraq right now supposedly fighting to give Iraqis things like freedom of speech when his wife gets fired for exercising her freedom of speech right here in the U.S. of A.

crazyscreenwriter

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Witzbold: Even though you are basically creating a false dichotomy... Actually, yes.

I mean, all those extreme cases are illegal and at least when it comes to murder you stand a decent of getting arrested and therefore losing your job when you go to jail, but it really is no business of a company what you do in your spare time as long as you show up to work every day.

Besides this isn't about murder, its about blogging and pot smoking.

crazyscreenwriter

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> From the Stranger article:

"She rambles about lunches with friends, smoking, old movies, and boob jobs. Zenner's former job as a technical recruiter at Nintendo-although she's technically a contract employee through Parker Services-was not directly referenced on her site."

Not actually a Nintendo employee. There's more to this than Nintendo forcing someone out, there's Parker's policies, the stipulations of the contract between Nintendo and Parker...I guess what I'm trying to say is that this isn't simply Nintendo showing someone the door because of a blog.

mexicantvdinner

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> At least she doesn't have to worry about her boss anymore!!

goddessakasha

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @あなたが大好き: Excellent post mate, well written and to the point.

Witzbold

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I'd have to know more details, but on the surface this seems like a pretty lame reason to get canned.

pwnedbynoobs

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I wish I had more to say other than I find it interesting. I guess I feel I'm not sure that this should have got her fired, it doesn't seem like she was making comments about the company, just her boss.

Occono

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She should have wrote that down in a diary or something, not for her 3 friends to see and the rest of the net.....

ZeonicFreak

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I do believe that Nintendo is not out of line in all of this.

CONSOLCWBY is in the right track. Her co-workers thought that this immature and unprofessional 'little' girl was nothing more than trash that does not represent the company at all.

But just because you leave the company at 5pm does not mean that you can start dealing drugs, publicly lash out at other people, tell everyone that your manager is an ugly woman AND NOT EXPECT OTHER PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

You work at a company and it is expected that you are what they hired as: an extension of the company and a fine representative of the company.

As with Nintendo and other companies, no one cares what you do outside of company hours. BUT that does not mean that you, being an extension of that company, are immediately unbound to the name of the company that you work for.

Pseudonyms work when it is just a name and when it offers no links to the real person behind it. It does not work if the pseudonym can be linked to an email, which could be linked to other pieces of information that could eventually lead to the identity of the real guy/gal behind the pseudonym.

In her case, SHE POSTED A PICTURE OF HERSELF. This undermined the way pseudonyms function. With her picture posted, she gave up anonymity that pseudonyms offered.

Her rash and scathing comments about others are now LINKED TO HER. It isn't linked to a pseudonym, it is linked to the person who made those comments.

With that in mind, IT IS AKIN TO HER POSTING 'JOHN IS A **CKSUC**R' on a _public space or on a public forum_.

Her anonymity is gone. There's a face to the comments. Someone found out that the unprofessional and immature 'little' girl is just as her co-workers saw her.

Nintendo (or any upstanding company with a public image to keep) probably did not see her as pothead/drunkard when she was hired. She was just another worker to be contracted. Hiring her is branding her as part of the company, part of the team. Being associated with a pothead/drunkard IN THE PUBLIC SPACE WE CALLED 'Intarw3b' as a company with a family-oriented image tarnishes that image as information is easily spread (RROD for M$).

Back to the fact that her posting on public space is obviously not the same as keeping private conversations between mutual persons over a glass of beer in a bar, blog postings are there online forever. Verbal conversations and spats are fleeting. Postings are forever.

Nintendo is in the right to fire her for posting in a public space for the crude and cruel comments that she inflicts on her superiors. If she spat out in private, she'd have been ok. It was private after all.

The internet, however, is not so private.

あなたが大好き

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Blog smart....

She could be sued for libel as well. Interesting thing about that is your homeowners insurance covers legal fees should that happen... I doubt she is a homeowner though.

Jabbertrack

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> My girlfriend's ex-husband tried to use my myspace page against her in a custody battle. His lawyer said the material in it was extremely offensive and it should be removed. The site had nothing to do with her children. Everything is fine now, but since then I've made my page private and its even more offensive.

savagesaladin

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson: 'Eh, it's not all that bad. I'm pretty sure most current and former United Kingdom lands use this system, don't they?'

Absolutely not. (According to other posts here, not even all of the US uses this system...)

In the UK you cannot be fired from a job without a reason. If you think you're fired unfairly, you can take the case to a type of court, which has the power to award significant damages. However if there is a valid reason, you can be fired. (I suspect this case would probably constitute as a 'reason' if posted during work time. If not... not sure, I'm not a lawyer, but I would think probably not.)

The difference with other countries such as France is that it may be easier to fire people here when there is a reason, or to make people redundant (not same as firing them) if you need to reduce staff in general. The UK is also not signed up to various EU rules such as limits on working time, but that certainly doesn't mean we have no employment protection at all (thank the gods).

I'm writing this post from work, which I probably can't be fired for given the nature of my contract; however if I said something offensive (which has been known) I probably could as then it would violate a code of conduct...

quen

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Trackback

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @omnibot2000XL: I don't know where people get this idea that the right to free speech is also some how a right to protection from the CONSEQUENCES of free speech, but it's pretty sad.

Bolded for emphasis, because it needs to be seen again by some of the people here trying to defend this pothead. She's obviously doing enough drugs for her to have lost any common sense regarding privacy on the Internet (as in, you don't have any if you post it on a public site with your real name and/or pictures of you).

ビッグ ボス

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Well, now she can focus full days for her heavy drinking and insulting people.

ara

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Meh, she got what she deserves. People have run rampant with the idea that everything that happens on the web is anonymous....guess what....it's a small world. The same people outside are the one's your conversing with here.

Why people are compelled to broadcast these things to the whole world is beyond me. Gripe to a friend, write it in a journal....

It's not like before the web, everybody just kept their journal at the library and updated it every few days so that the whole populous could keep up with them.

r0Be

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson: in all fairness i'm sure england is the same, i've had trouble looking into it (i.e google won't tell me ): ). even if it wasn't the same for the uk, we're killing ourselves through overtime so we don't have it much better.

xbulletholes

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Let's put aside the discussions for the law a moment. Let's even put aside the question over whether there was the reason was alleged drug use or otherwise that was *in* the blog (but never proven in the meatspace world) that could have gotten her fired.

The question for me is: is it still right for Nintendo or any company to fire you for what you say ?

The problem I have with this notion of "well, if you want to say something bad about your company, use a pseudonym, or never say anything bad at all. She deserved to be fired for writing anything and getting caught at it" frankly scares the piss out of me. It's the same attitude that says that whistleblowers who uncover bad stuff at their company deserve to have their financial well being destroyed for pointing out when a company does wrong.

It puts far too much power in the hands of the employer, with the attitude of "Well, if you don't like what we do to you, you'd better quit". The things she wrote about were prett damned petty. Heck, I write about things in my blog - only I put my real name out there, make it clear that what I'm writing is my own opinion and no one else's.

There is that fine line between "bad public image" and "persona having opinions". This lies under the heading of "if I overheard this lady at a bar saying this" kind of stuff - a bit ribald, but certainly nothing that she could have been fired over.

This is nothing more than Nintendo having a pissy fit because she didn't like what she said. Instead of telling her "Hey, we don't like that", they decided to punish her. Well, they showed her - by having this news even *more* broadcast.

Good show, Nintendo. (Golf clap.)

johnhummel

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> The bottom line is you don't insult your boss. Or, if you do, you don't do it in a manner that will get found out. Like writing it down and publishing it on the internet for all to see.

Back when I was actually posting with regularity, I had a firm rule that I'd impose on myself. If I had a bad day, I'd say that the job was hell or that things were fucked up but I'd never insult anyone at the company. I assumed that my boss knew about the blog and acted accordingly.

Here's the one rule anyone needs to know about blogging and the workplace:

Would you say it to your boss' face?

Don't talk about doing drugs (or hint that you do drugs), violent behavior, or anything else that an HR person would frown on. It's the internet. Once it's on there, it's on there for good. And tech companies are tech savvy enough to find it.

And if you're going to go through the hassle of having a pseudonym, don't post your picture. It defeats the purpose of the pseudonym.

OMG! Ponies!

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson:
No, I just said I don't get Washington Laws and see no point discussing them. It was all subtext.

What is to discuss? they are absolute and arbitrary, the whole point is not discussing them. So that is what I'm going to do.


Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I'd pork her

EdPOGI

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig:
Um, okay... You can't make a reasonable argument against valid points so rather than admit that's the case you try to paint the whole state as a land of sexual deviants and restate your point despite it having been previously disproven. Right. Moving on.

@xbulletholes:
Eh, it's not all that bad. I'm pretty sure most current and former United Kingdom lands use this system, don't they? I know France is having significant problems moving from a guaranteed work system to a more Anglo-Saxon at-will system, what with the riots and all that at even the suggestion of a two year trial period before permanent employment. I'd assumed that most of Europe was already like that and France was the exception. Though I do envy Europe's average vacation day count.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> "any hiring is presumed to be "at will"; that is, the employer is free to discharge individuals "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all," and the employee is equally free to quit, strike, or otherwise cease work",

america is bloody weird.

xbulletholes

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson:
Washington is also where you can have sex with animals.

@Consolcwby:
Thx for the resume XD wasn't interessted in reading her stuff. Considering it, I agree she should be fired. But using her blog as some kind of reason (if they even did that.) was not very smart, considering it brought the previously unknown names of nintendo/her boss etc into the light.

And I still think someone with a good lawyer could sue back if someone is fired for blogging anonymously, even in the Lamb-Hump-Land.



Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @FormerZeroCool: I could deduce from the REST of her blogs that she worked for an important tech company that was a leader in an entertainment industry, which happens to be a video game tech industry... But even though Nintendo was never mentioned, she has bitched time and again about management's complaints about her being:
1) unprofessional
2) immature
3) coming to work late
4) breaking dress code
5) hitting on married men during work (lunch and actual working time was both mentioned)

Because of these complaints, she attacked her boss' sexuality and basically stated that her co-workers felt her to be a liability because of these things. What she wrote on the internet, while unspecific, was NOT generalized enough. I could tell she worked for one of the big three - AND I could also tell she was considered to be the office slut and took exception to that assertion even when confronted by management. So this was, imho, the last straw for the company. Besides, as a contractor you should know that any work-to-hire job is tenuous at best and can be terminated anytime before you can actually be hired at that position. So, she was already walking on eggshells to begin with and she simply saw her point of view the only valid one. Knowing all this, is it any wonder she was let go? Maybe not in your world, but the world I come from (tech) they were giving her TOO many chances. From a legal standpoint: She is fucked. Yes, I believe that IS the legal term for her predicament! (I know TOO MANY lawyers! =D )






Consolcwby

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Witzbold: They just don't make propaganda like they used to...

But seriously, the minute she posted pictures of herself on a public blog it was the eqivelant of insulting her boss in the face and then saying "But it was really my evil twin sister, Jessica. I swear!"

Wiseblade

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> sounds like my kinda gal.

Cell9song

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @crazyscreenwriter: "What you do after 5pm is no corporation's business as long as you show up every day and do your job."

So killing someone, dealing drugs, doing drugs, smuggling weapons. Is all fine and the company shouldnt care just becuase you are clocked out then right?

You see what Im getting at here with the more extreeme cases?

While you may be clocked out, you still represent the company you work for just by being a part of it.

Witzbold

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Talking about an unfortunately unattractive boss is cruel, and unfortunate.. but in writing about in a blog is not reason to can her.

Writing about the use of illegal substances such as weed... although fun, is more likely reason to get fired.

However, from that statement by Nintendo, I got the impression that she was typing all these things [b]at work[/b] ... I would say that's grounds for dismissal.. 1. writing inappropriate things about your boss 2. and using illegal substances 3. whilst at work..?

And posting her picture after using a fake name...?
I ...think she's a moron.. and probably deserved it.


drivebyinsult

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig:
"How legal is to fire her? "

In the state of Washington it is perfectly legal to fire her for that reason so long as her contract doesn't expressly state they cannot do so. That's what At-Will employment is and every contract is assumed to be At-Will in the state of Washington.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> 1. She was a contractor. They can be let go for no reason at any time.
2. She presumed on her own that the blog was the problem. They probably didn't give her a reason for her dismissal. They don't have to. She was a contractor. She most likely presumed all of this.
3. She fancies herself a writer - she mentions it on the blog. She's trying to use her dismissal to get attention for her blog.

Her 15 minutes are up.

octoberist

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson:
Lets take away the digital side.

If someone goes to a bathroom in a unrelated bus station and write "My boss is a pig!" .. and by coicidence someone from her work gets in the bathroom in that moment .. sees her and tell the boss. How legal is to fire her? LOL Is that a more acurrate analogy? point out if not.


Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Wait, there are times when World War II propaganda doesn't fit a situation?

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She's hot, her boss is not. That's about all you need to know. She would've been fired eventually for "Something".

The blogging was just the most convient thing to latch onto. Welcome to office politics and female psycho-sexual power trips.

Sure company's have a right to do pretty much anything to you, especially if you are an I.C., but there really should be a line between the workplace and everything else. Just because you work for a huge company should not give any company the right to own you body and soul when you aren't at work.

What you do after 5pm is no corporation's business as long as you show up every day and do your job.

crazyscreenwriter

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS!

FREEDOM OF SPEECH DOESN`T MEAN CARELESS TALK!

HE`S WATCHING YOU!

I love how WWII propaganda fits so well into this situation.

Witzbold

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She actually talks about that she does drugs (or at least her friends think so) and she bad-talks her boss. How could she not be fired!

Spiderbait

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig:
"We could say it's private, yes. Like you use the walls of your house to shield what you say in private .. she tried to use the nicknames but failed by putting photos .. as one could fail by letting a window open."

I'd like to focus on this comment now, since the legal issue's been resolved by my above post I trust.

I find the idea that a blog is like a house to be hilarious. Anyone can access a blog, changing your name doesn't somehow let you shirk responsibility. Keeping with your metaphor the equivalent of her being in her own house would be if she ran the server her blog was on and made it so only certain IP ranges could enter or made people enter a username and password. The window being open would be her accidentally allowing her work's IP range. Changing her name, however, is like going to a bar and badmouthing her coworkers and bosses while wearing a mask. The mask doesn't means he has some right to privacy or that her comments aren't in a public space, it just means she's trying to hide who she is. And if someone recognizes her despite the mask she'd be in just as much trouble. The argument of "I put a mask on!" doesn't hold water.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig:
"The posts in her blog alone in NO WAY constitute a reason to dismissal"

I'm sorry to say they do. A quick Google search reveals this nice site: [research.lawyers.com]

"In Washington, employees are presumed to be “at will.” At-will employees may be terminated for any reason, so long as it is not illegal. Generally, employees that work under an employment contract can only be terminated for reasons specified in the contract. In Washington, in order to overcome the at-will presumption, an employee must show that the employer made clear and unequivocal statements of job security to the employee."

So yes, the blog does give reason for dismissal. The following aren't allowed for not hiring someone, so I assume one cannot fire them for these reasons either:

* Age
* Race
* Sex
* Religion
* National origin
* Disability

Likewise I'm sure it's illegal to fire someone due to outing an employer for engaging in illegal activities (whistle blowing) but none of these are the case as far as we can tell. Her blog was not whistle blowing and none of the above reasons were met. And as the article stated there are no laws in Washington state protecting blogging employees.

So, legally, in the state of Washington where she lived and worked unless her contract specifically said she would continue to be employed by Nintendo for X amount of time... she's up a creek without a paddle when it comes to any suit against Nintendo and her boss is perfectly within her legal rights. You might not like it but it is the law. Full stop.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She could have broken NDAs, defamed the world, and brag about breaking the law under a pseudonym, but once she posted photos of herself, she was no longer anonymous. If there's anything you post that can be traced back to you, then you're fair game for whatever the consequences.

boopadoo

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bnpederson:
I agree that it's possible to socialy create a work problem, but this is not the case. (from what we know of.) her blog is anonymous.. not supposed to be intentionally "displayed" in the workplace.

We could say it's private, yes. Like you use the walls of your house to shield what you say in private .. she tried to use the nicknames but failed by putting photos .. as one could fail by letting a window open. The subject in this case is her intentions, and those where not creating disturbance in the workplace.

Again, for the smelled bad thing, we don't have this information.

The posts in her blog alone in NO WAY constitute a reason to dismissal, if there are more things is another issue we can't really go into.


Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @z0mbi: Maybe she is a fellow zombie and forgot to wipe her lips :(

MetaKz

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bloodzombie77:
I'm confused, why do you assume she did her blogging on personal unpaid time but assume that the person or persons who discovered her blog did it on company time? Isn't it just as likely they stumbled upon it on their own time and recognized her from the pictures?

@Ludwig:
Well that really depends on the contract, now doesn't it? And even then, as was stated above Washington is an At-Will employment state. She could be fired because she smelled bad.

And the sad fact of the world is that work does not have some mystical separation from your life outside of work. If you badmouth a superior in public, be that a bar or a blog, you might get in trouble for it just as complaining about your wife at work might get you in trouble at home. Factors outside of direct work output can also affect work; things like your relationship with your coworkers, superiors, and those you might manage let's say. If you pump out insane amounts of code for a company but make everyone else so uncomfortable they have trouble retaining help or getting maximum output from those employees they have then you're hurting the company, no matter how awesome your work is. Don't like it? Go start your own company and good luck to you.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She looks horrible with all that makeup on. God.

z0mbi

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @whalleywhat:

So let's take that argument a step further. What if the employee was a racist, and started slamming the target race of choice in their blog. Could Nintendo (or anyone) fire them then? Would you want a spokesperson for the KKK working at your company (whether the blog connected them with your company or not)?.

I love "at will" employment. It means that the company or employee can terminate the employment for any (legal) reason. Which means short of discrimination or whistle-blowing, morons like this can be fired right away.

Good luck on that next interview, Zenner.

FlapjacksAreTasty

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @bloodzombie77: Big corporations like NoA have a specific department dedicated to investigate what's being said about them on the internet--it's called the legal department. Matter of fact, I am pretty sure they are reading this article as we speak. This is not news.

Jenstar

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I'm not surprised to hear this story about a 23 year old self-absorbed girl (obviously not woman) and theirishninja summed it up well.

Jenstar

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @carlogz:
The boss reputation is not nintendo's reputation, therefore it's between her and the boss, not nintendo. Her job has nothing to do with it. And even in a personal basis, there is no proof of anything because she didn't use names.

Policies are not laws .. no contract is above the law, they need to proof drugs and alchool affected her performance, even if she agreed on the policy.

As far as the story being a lie, yes, it's possible .. but it's not up to us to judge since we don't have information. My opinion can only be based on the information I have.


Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> smart....

silentbob343

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @whalleywhat:
"Blogs are personal things that allow you to communicate with like-minded people, express yourself and provide an entertaining read"

Blogs that anyone can see (no password protection, not friend locks, etc) aren't private areas that allow you to communicate with like-minded people. They might very well be personal but they're also public. When you write a blog or even comment in a blog like we're doing you are putting it out there for everyone to see, from those who agree with you to those who think your every breath is poisoning the world a little bit more. And even worse than real life they're public and archived so what you've said is going to be around for a lot longer than if you were just complaining to a friend in meatspace, not to mention a whole lot harder to deny. My god in heaven do I wish more people would understand this concept.

...Though this will make politics a lot more interesting in a few decades.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> The girl said that she 'thinks' she got fired because she bashed her coworkers, but that was it..'she thinks' that means there is more to the story. I dont think its much more of a bashing problem, its more of a druggy problem. And yes, Weed is a gateway drug so it is a drug problem.

carlogz

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> On a personal level, I find this hilarious, truthful, and somewhat of an injustice that she got fired....I mean, seriously, do companies pay people now to look online for their employee to see if the have myspace's and blog's, and read every detail to find some dirt on them?

What i wonder is, which dipshit wasting company time looked this up to get her fired? At least when she wrote it, i can only assume it was on HER PERSONAL UNPAID TIME, while some contentious suit is in his/her office wasting company money trying to be a wanna-be background-checker.

And on a professional level, I still find this hilarious, but on the grounds of stupidity she had it coming. There's been so many stories of people losing extremely high-paying corporate jobs because of an opinion. Most buttfucks in monkey suits don't stop to think that by firing said person, they are more than likely ruining their lives, and their families lives, and the rest of their children's lives, all because they didn't like something you said.

I think the lesson here is....if you HAVE to have a personal blog, either keep it offline in MS Word, or post it not mentioning anything even resembling personal or professional information...THIS MEANS PICTURES!!!!

bloodzombie77

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig: See, she made her own comment on how she said that she said bad things about people she works with, and thats how she probably got fired. Atleast thats what she said. So what's Nintendo's Story?? She got fired from what she is saying from her Blog in which nnot only she said bad things about her Co Workers, but she also admitted to taking Alcohol and Weed (as drugs). Like I said, Major Companies like Nintendo have Drug Policies like this (mainly due to legality and can cause effect in perofrmance). There wasnt anything in her contract about blogs, but I bet there was one with Drug and Alcohol Abuse. And you know what, Nintendo has a RIGHT to fire her then specially if there Drug and Alcohol Abuse is strict.

carlogz

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> ** include.

Just to resume my point.

As Nintendo's employee her boss must represent nintendo .. the girl didn't affected nintendo in ANY way ..

The boss could "sue" her PERSONALY for defamation ..firing her was overusing her professional power for personal reasons and SHE should be fired.

Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I have no pity for her. It's just common courtesy to not publicly bash the people that put food on your table. Whether it's unknowingly striking up a conversation with your boss' daughter in a bar and telling her how much you hate her dad, or posting it on the internet for the world to see, it's just very unprofessional.

slacker164

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> If this was her talking to her friends privately, or if this was her private diary which she shared with no one else or even if this was in an email between her and another person then it'd be out of line. But if you have one of these open web logs then you're putting the content out there for everyone to see. It's equivalent to posting a note saying "John Doe is a douchebag!" on a public notice board. It doesn't matter if you write down another name after it, if someone knows it was you then you'll just have to deal with it. Internet does not equal private people! It's a public place and if you don't act like you would in any other public place you're going to face the same consequences.

bnpederson

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @carlogz:
"may" is not a proof of .. if her work was up to date and so do her working hours .. they have NOTHING to do with what she does on her life. If not, they could fire her on that long before.

This was a personal reason, not professional.


Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> OWNED

is all I can say.

After just reading a few lines if that, its no suprise she got the boot.

Witzbold

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @Ludwig: It's not that at all, after posting that she was a pothead and an alcohol drinker, Nintendo thought it would affect her performance for one, and I am pretty sure they have Drug Awareness there...just like any other company. Plus the fact that she posted pictures of herself (wow that woman couldve been hot if it wasnt for all that make up imo) is stupid enough. She deserved to get fired.

carlogz

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @lucasreis: That wasnt the case at all, she used a different name and still got caught because she posted a picture of herself.

I think she brought it on her own. This is Karma, you bad mouth your fellow employees...you get fired...

carlogz

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> No one should be fire by any reason other then the actual perfomance in the job asked .. no one is FORCED by law to "like" anyone .. social relationships are not company policy. If the boss can't live with the fact not everyone is going to love her, that is her problem.

:3

Ludwig

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> "Microsoft fired a temp worker for his blog in 2003 after he posted a picture of several Macs arriving at Microsoft's offices."

Ahahahahaa!

NPC

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @dan: gotta admit, shes kinda hot in like 2 of those pictures when her head is at an angle.

ManjiKengo

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Personally, I'd have fired her for wearing so much (bad) makeup.

dan

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @jayntampa:
You're right, it isn't different from that case. And she shoulda been fired in that case too. If I was working for a big corporation, and insulted my boss, and someone else at work overheard, I'd definitely expect to be fired.


Dreamwriter

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @omnibot2000XL: It's not about face vs the internet, it's about employers having control over your outside life. When I'm at home or with friends I don't want to have to worry about the company I work for breathing down my neck. I knew this one person who was fired because he made some rude remark to a person when he wasn't even working, and the lady recognized him and complained to his manager and the manager fired him.

kojirodensetsu

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> This person is probably unhappy with her job and her boss knows it. Do you think that her boss just came upon this blog accidentally? That person is probably exhibiting dissatisfaction at work and her boss probably wanted to fire her anyway. To fire someone, they must have a reason, and to have a reason, they must snoop around, and when they snoop around, you better not have anything incriminating. She did, she gets the axe.

The lesson here is not to do anything stupid, especially about your work since it is your life you are messing with.

***I just want to say that my work place is great, and my boss is also great...*** :)

nxp3

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> People keep saying that she has the right to "vent" all she wants, but, to me, this seems more like a mean-spirited rant against a co-worker. What if this person was aware of what was being said about her?

- Oh, and I think the difference between a blog posting and being "overheard" in a restaurant, is that there is no expectation of privacy when you post something on the (very public) internet.

accuno

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> So that we're all clear on this:

She did write under a pseudonym. However, she posted pictures of herself.

It's a shame.

Ivan M.

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Link to her blog: [inexcusablebehavior.spaces.live.com]

I find it ironic that she feels compelled to tell her life story on a blog but then has issues with a women who is behaving in a similar way at her work. What do we call this... bigotry.

Gam3r

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Sad to say, but I was fired from my last job because of my LJ (which is why I now have it Friend-Locked).

Strange thing is, I don't use my real name anywhere (I'm BPM here, there, and everywhere. Except over there where I go by the handle of Captain Cheesy Pants). Yet, somehow they linked it to me. Bleh. Oh, well. I like my current job better anyways (even if the pay is less).

BPMο

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Nintendo may have the right to fire her, but how is this different if she was sitting at a restaurant blowing off steam to her friends and was "overheard" by someone from work.

If she didn't mention the company name or any particular person's name, she should be allowed to vent -- it's healthy. They were obviously stalking her online to find out about it (or someone was).

Nintendo has the right to let her go, but I don't see it as moral or ethical. The proper course would have been for a genial meeting that said, "Hey, we kind of have a problem with this. It's become a workplace issue since people have realized what you're talking about. It's your choice whether to remove it or not, but if you don't, we have to let you go to maintain civility here."

As a manager, that's how I would have handled it.

jayntampa

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Dude, at 23, she was working at Nintendo. She should have known better than to do ANYTHING that could possibly mess that up. Ninty had every right to fire her- and maybe next they'll get someone who appreciates their position (call me Nintendo!).

EmTeeZ

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @FormerZeroCool: Exactly. If she never mentioned Nintendo, then this has nothing to do with their "public image" and she essentially got fired for having a bad attitude, which sounds a lot like a thought crime to me, and would've gotten me canned many times over.
I understand that this is Nintendo's right, but it still pisses me off. Blogs are personal things that allow you to communicate with like-minded people, express yourself and provide an entertaining read, and I'd prefer if they didn't become yet another place to act "proper and decent."


whalleywhat

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> As a contractor in Washington state, the contracting company has the legal right to drop you if they feel that you've done anything wrong, whether it be not working up to snuff, insulting your boss, or anything else. If you think that this is a Nintendo-only thing, think again, because this could easily happen to a contractor working at Microsoft or any other video game company in the state.

Lezard

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @adholmes:According to the layers.com website (everyone, get out your salt shakers), Washington is an at-will state and to overcome the at-will presumption, the fired employee "must show that the employer made clear and unequivocal statements of job security..."

So, not telling Zenner about the policy (if that is even true) is most likely not strong enough for a legal case.

And on a more editorial note, don't be dumb and this kind of stuff doesn't happen.

code.monkey

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> she should go work retail, they give you way more reasons to bitch and subsequently produce more interesting blogs, id wager.

TheIrishNinja

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Blogger: Right to write whatever she wants.
Nintendo: Right to fire her for what she writes.

I don't know where people get this idea that the right to free speech is also some how a right to protection from the CONSEQUENCES of free speech, but it's pretty sad. If you called your boss a cunt to her face, you'd get fired. Why should there be protection if you call her a cunt on your blog?


omnibot2000XL

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaahahahaaahahaaaa...

Raynre

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @consolcwby

(I've spent most of my life as a contractor and have stated to coworkers and employees how I felt.) At what point in her blog did she say she worked for Nintendo? If you saw her on the street, could you tell she worked for Nintendo? Didn't think so...

How many people do you think read her blog and could point her out on the street?

FormerZeroCool

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Quoted: **One plus about working with hormonal, facial-hair-growing, frumpy women is that I have found a new excuse to drink heavily. Yeah, that's right, I'm buying Grey Goose in bulk now, and I do not feel the slightest amount of shame. I am awestruck by a particular woman at work; as a matter of fact, she's inspired me to add a new character to my latest novel. She has the perfect attributes for "Beatrice" (my new character). She has atrocious frown lines that look even worse when mixed with a pompous, pretentious smirk. This person has provided me with the perfect brainwave for my new character; I get so excited when I run across an archetypal sour puss. And it gets even better…I get to see her everyday! My gut tells me that this woman hasn't been fucked in years, and is just upset about it. If you are upset about not getting laid, do something about it or fucking get over it. She frowns upon the slightest hint of sex appeal or the smallest insinuation of lust in the "workplace". My life would be even more monotonous and dreary if I wasn't sexually harassed at least once a week.

I am just so grateful to be surrounded by some of the most brilliant, pioneering minds in America.

I thinks that's it for today. **

Notice the LAST BIT? =/ That can actually get you fired, since she is using obvious sarcasm. If you were a higher up at Nintendo, is THIS person the kind of person you'd want representing YOUR company?... It's kind of unfair to the whole organization. The female boss aside, this is what the company can state as "crossing the line"... Sad to know that this chick wasn't smart enough to figure that one out! AND she was a fucking contractor to boot! Anyone with contracting experience can tell you: This was a stupid stupid thing to say - IF you get caught. And she did. =/

Consolcwby

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> QSCESZWSXASD:

Hey! My idea would've worked a bit longer if this blogger lady used it! :P

remanance

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I don't know what I am or am not protected from while writing on the internet under this pseudonym, but at least I know where to draw the line to keep myself from getting fired. If she can't put forth the effort, this is as bad as going infront of her office with a paper bag over her head while holding a sign expressing the same concerns as her blog. If someone recognizes your voice or decides to try pulling the bag off of your head, you're exposed, and fired for obvious reasons.

Hurf durf she had it comin.

DaveKap

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> i am lucky that i discussed my blog with my boss before i started my current job. he was totally cool with it and its a bit of a relief to know that i at least have one guy subscribed to my rss feed...a guy who not only pays my bills, but actually cares about me as a person. it's pretty cool :) too bad not all organizations are as flexible or forward thinking.

then again, when i have work-related stuff to bitch about, i don't think a blog is the appropriate forum...i try to keep it in the zone of "talking with some friends over a few beers in the pub", not "permanently publicly published with clear authorship."

whitesanjuro

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> If she blogged this from home, this is an outrage. If she blogged this from work, well, not the best of ideas.
She does sound like someone I wanna get to know, though.


whalleywhat

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> And here I was thinking we were going to get some insight on secret hush, hush, projects going down in Nintendo, instead I get angst. :(

jive238

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Well, so much for a smarter way of doing that.

AndrewG009

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @remanance:

Why the hell would anyone try to trace some random blog complaining about an unnamed company?

qsceszwsxasd

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Way to half-ass the anonymous blogging bit.

Elly

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Hm... I know many tech companies that include an online rule, which usually states that you can bitch and moan about anything - except work. ANYTHING work related is company business they say, so it's fair game (like posting on a 'real' bulletin board at work, or putting things in the 'suggestion box' - the internet is considered another means, even if it is on a site that has no relation to your workplace, like your own website). So, this is hardly surprising that she got found out. Unfortunately for her, she lost a "good" job. =/ Sucks to be her, I guess...

Consolcwby

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Some states have an "at-will" employment policy, which means they can fire your ass for no reason at all. I'm not sure what state she was employed in, (or the employment laws there) but it's possible they don't need to prove that she broke any rules whatsoever.

adholmes

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> @lucasreis:

She was:
"even if you're writing under a pseudonym (Zenner posted pictures of herself, despite writing under the name "Jessica Carr""

LostToys

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Tch. It's stupid to say anything inflammatory like that without screening for friends only and knowing who's who. Seriously, it's not like you're the only person in the world capable of using the interwebs.

Maldron

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> I've browsed through her website and I really don't see anything that bad... My current and previous jobs meetings talked about worse things regarding the company than what's on her page... Hopefully the EFF is taking her case.

FormerZeroCool

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She's never heard of using someone else's internet through Wi-fi?

Makes it A BIT harder to track her back.

remanance

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> That last comment of hers is awesome. She sounds like a pretty cool chick.

cronotrigger913

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> could be she was blogging about inappropriate material on company time

kickass solo

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> There isn't room in Nintendo known to be the land of smiles and happiness for sad and angry people.

Just wish they would give mario an axe to deal with them.

ittekimasu

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Why should you have to protect a blogger?

The blogger should be allowed to say whatever they want.
The comany should also be allowed to fire the blogger if they see fit.


Poffy

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Bloggers... don´t use your real names! Use damn nicknames... you´ll never get caught this way and you will be able to make fun of whoever you want.

lucasreis

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> i guess that's all it takes. someone high up to chance upon your whining about your job and you have no reason to whine about your boss anymore.

allabouttrust

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> She isn't really the smartest blogger.

SmAuRt_GuY

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> Ouch...

Just ouch...

Nintendo?

remanance

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> What a dumbass, Beavis.

AnEternalEnigma

]]> <![CDATA[Nintendo Contractor Fired For Blogging]]> As a blogger myself, I'm waiting for the day when I make fun of a customer that comes to my work and they read about themselves, and I get the axe.

Bummer deal for her.

edb87

]]>