Thursday, May 7, 2009

The magical disappearing DGT

As some of you may have noticed, friend of the blog, DGT, has had to remove her blog from ye olde interwebs. Apparently someone at Massive Pharma reads blogs, connects dots and thought it was a good idea to complain to HR. DGT's candor and humor were not appreciated by her boss-folk and, well, you can figure out how the rest went. I have been asked to at least let people know about the disappearing act and the reasons behind it, as I think DGT will be laying low for a while. However, she can still be reached at damngoodtechnician[at]g mail[dot]com.

17 comments:

  1. Bitches!

    It's not like she ever names the company (and it;s not like there aren't several of them). Wow. Hopefully they only asked her to take down the blog and didn't take ant further unfounded action?

    ReplyDelete
  2. My understanding is that HR = not a big problem
    PIs reading it before it came down = more of an issue

    Would almost any of our blogs be looked upon happily if they were laid out to everyone around us? Honesty can be met with hostility, which is the reason all of use use pseuds. The whole reason I started this blog was so that others starting out as a new prof might gain some insight about the things they will face in the begning. Without laying things out as I see them, I can't accomplish that goal. At the same time, my opinions might ruffle feathers.

    Feathers are ruffled at Massive Pharma.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG that really sucks. Someone in my building as connected the dots to me as well. Luckily they are not the complaining type, but it has made me more careful about what I write about - which is unfortunate.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That really sucks that her colleague would out her like that, and that her HR would inform her bosses.

    That's why I pretty much don't talk about anything that I wouldn't want my superiors to know I was talking about. Pseudonymity isn't very safe, unfortunately, so even if in principle you feel like free speech should allow you to say what you want on the internet, practicality and reality speak otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The whole reason I started this blog was so that others starting out as a new prof might gain some insight about the things they will face in the begning. Without laying things out as I see them, I can't accomplish that goal.

    Me too plus the chance to get feedback from others who were already in the know. Censoring some of the bullshit that goes on makes getting honest feedback difficult.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Exactly. I never thought about the feedback until I started getting it and realized that I could benefit from the community as well. But yes, removing some of the difficult issues that come up fro the discussion reduces the value of the blog to me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Luckily we can still get more private advice from the people we meet through the more innocuous issues through email. I have had extremely helpful responses over email from the senior faculty who have been informally mentoring me through this medium.

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh, I wondered about that. Thanks for letting me/us know. I really hope she's not in trouble.

    If someone found out at my work I think I would be ok.... at least from the whole "not possible to link where exactly I work" which is what 'they' are afraid of. THe rest of the stuff might make people mad but not ... hmm... might be worth looking into.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm sorry to DGT. It was a hilarious blog...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Indeed. Thanks, y'all. I am still out there on the interwebs, just not on the writing side of the blog. It remains to be seen if I'll start a new blog, clearly with more discretion this time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. blog in peace, DGT...

    It's a real shame to lose such an articulate blog from the perspective of a technician, too. So many of us are doing the standard academic career track, far fewer of us are working in industry or as a tech... and BigPharma shutting her down is one example of why there aren't many out there.

    Argh.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's a real shame to lose such a distinctive voice.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's wretched. DGT, I'm very sorry and your voice is still welcome. I agree that losing a tech blog is especially unfortunate since there are so few.

    ReplyDelete
  14. DGT, I am so sorry to hear about this. I enjoyed your blog and will really miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, that is such a pity. DGT, you will be missed.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am not an academic but will venture an opinion here anyway.

    I am a force from the dark side, upper middle management, whatever the hell that means. I rarely post my discontents with with my employer - for fear of DGT's blogging fate.

    The upper management folk know that the work place is not a democracy. Freedon of speech has no meaning when we tresspass on what they condisider the business's public territory. If they pay your pay check it is a business - no matter whether academic pursuit, non-profit or making widgets. They're definition of loyality is ridged and controlling. Censorship in the hands of management can be a mindless mean fight dog. Any histoirians out there? Didn't the middle class love the facist Mussolini until that lethal control turned on them. People who do the bidding of the "company" are that middle class, are they not?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well, the problem may have solved itself - at least from a blogging perspective. Go check our DGT's thoughts in her own words.

    ReplyDelete