Wine Blogging and Co-Workers — When Our Worlds Collide
googleability (uncountable noun) – Likelihood of being found by an internet search engine, especially Google’s.
In this age of always on hyper-connected living, our chronic over sharing online — Foursquare check-ins, Facebook updates to let the world know what we had for breakfast (because surely someone else cares) or passive aggressive wall posts intended to deliver messages we’re too afraid to say directly (to a Facebook ‘friend’ no doubt) — has made it nearly impossible to avoid Google’s infinite search tentacles. Google’s reach coupled with easy online access to personal information via data aggregator sites like Zillow and Spokeo can be problematic for those wishing to keep their worlds separate.
Though some feel uncomfortable admitting as much, we all do have multiple lives.
I have two lives — my personal life (family, friends, wine, hobbies, community) and my work life (work) — and I prefer to keep them as separate as possible. The reasons are obvious, but I defer to George Costanza for a better explanation of the challenges of worlds colliding..
With all the digital breadcrumbs I leave about the interwebs, keeping my worlds apart may be impossible — especially my wine and work worlds!
I first visited the subject of my wine and work worlds colliding about 950 days ago — with this post on February 24, 2010 ‘Do You Share Your Wine Blog With Work Peeps?‘ — after a co-worker took interest in my blog and shared it with our management. My manager at the time was aware of my online and print wine writing (I derive no income from either, and have no intention of doing so) and I was, and always will be, careful not to engage in wine stuff during work hours.
Given a recent resurgence of curiosity of my wine activities by a co-worker(s), and a similar experience shared by a blogging friend at WBC, I am revisiting this subject to see what others in the wine blogosphere think of mixing wine and work.
For the most part, my colleagues that read Drink What You Like do so because they share my passion for wine and are always on the look out for new wine recommendations. A couple others of course have more devious intentions and read this blog and follow my tweets because they are simply nosey, lack a quality personal life, and are likely amazed by my wine writing, but have no malicious intent (that I’m aware). My friend’s experience with co-workers however, seems of less innocent motives.
This blogger friend, who focuses almost exclusively on writing wine reviews (which means tasting a lot of wine), happened to read my post on this subject two years ago and shared his experience with me when I saw him in Portland last month. This person is apparently blessed to work with a fantastic group of nosey and curious colleagues who assumed that anyone who wrote about so many wines must be an alcoholic. Ah, there’s always one in every office — the know-it-all righteous office therapist practicing without a license, never leaving room in all their opinions for being wrong.
My friend had to educate their co-worker on the difference between ‘tasting’ wine and ‘drinking’ wine, but not before the co-worker had the chance of poisoning the office water cooler with talk of my friend’s (alleged) alcoholism.
We should all be so lucky to spend the majority of our daytime hours with such people. (Ed. note — I suggested that my friend post a similar piece on his blog, but he didn’t want to provoke those he works with an follow his online wine activities. Your correspondent is less concerned with provoking nosey co-workers.)
So… A question for my fellow digital wine scribes — do you openly share your wine blog with co-workers (for those that work outside the wine industry)?
I am very interested in others’ opinions on this topic. So, for all of the ‘9-5’ employed bloggers out there — how many of you openly share your wine blogging adventures with your work peeps? Reason for/against? Have you encountered a problem at work by sharing your blog with co-workers?
I would especially like to hear from those that use pseudonyms on their Twitter and blog profiles.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Oh, and for the work peeps, c’mon ouTTa the closet — feel free to leave a comment. 
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Luckily my co-workers are all in the wine business. But I do have trouble keeping babysitters when the sitter goes home and says there was a tasting at my house where there was 15 people and 40 bottles of wine…I totally agree that It’s hard to explain the difference between tasting and drinking
Ah, the benefits of working in the wine industry.
Frank, I loved reading this and it’s so close to home. I’ve always disclosed the wine blog and have found that co-workers have been intrigued and supportive. Thankfully I have never experienced anything like what your friend has at work. Great write up and thanks for sharing your perspective.
Thanks for stopping by to comment, Melanie. You are like many I know that openly share their blog with co-workers. That level of trust and their support says alot about the professionalism of the team(s) you work with. Cheers!
Agreed! I work in tech, and we are, collectively, the biggest bunch of lushes out there. I disclose freely, because my life tends to revolve around wine and I also always know where happy hour is.
Fortunately, my coworkers are very interested in what I have to say, and what I like to drink; partially due to being in the Bay Area, but also because free wine advice is always welcome, as are the leftovers!
Frank, I’ve been writing about wine for more than two decades, mostly in newspapers, and I’ve never encountered the sort of bad manners you mention here. Of course, that meant my co-workers were journalists, and they were too busy drinking whisky and beer to notice how much wine I tasted.
Hi Jim – thanks for the laugh (need it today) “… too busy drinking whisky and beer to notice…” LOL
Hope to get together soon to catch up… maybe get together for Cru Beaujolais tasting?
I am a wine blogger, events gal, and a career HR/Recruiting person. I have “wine” on my linkedin profile (as a primary job) and I work contract recruiting gigs in addition to my wine events business. Its no secret in my world that I lead a “double life”, and in all honesty, I wouldn’t work a contract for a company that gave me grief about my wine. The HR crowd may be stuffed shirts in the office, but the atmosphere is different off the clock – so most colleagues are interested in what I pour/write about and ask for advice.
I often “joke” that HR drove me to wine… its not really much of a joke.
Putting on my HR hat:
My professional opinion is that employees who are overly nosy about what their co-workers do on off hours and want to “run to management” with that information usually need an honest and firm conversation with a manager about boundaries. Or in the case where management isn’t involved – the blogger should simply stand up for themselves, Its a power issue, and I typically recommend that the “nosy” employee needs to go find something to do that’s work related.
Unless an employee is coming to work intoxicated, or otherwise has performance issues, its really not company business. (read that as “I have other things to worry about, thanks!”)
There are a few cases where there might be a “Moonlighting” policy issue… but those are really old school.
As a preventative measure, I will typically disclose in an enthusiastic and positive manner that I write about wine, and that is, more often than not, a bonding moment with a potential employer. If they balk – they probably aren’t going to like me much anyway.
Hey Tammy — Thanks for providing your HR (and blogger/wine events organizer) perspective here. Totally agree that none of work’s business as long as this bloggin thing doesn’t interfere with ‘work.’ Sadly no easy cure for the nosey co-worker folks… oh well… at least we have wine.
I work in education and I have mentioned to my boss that I write a blog. She seems to that fact is rather interesting, but to my knowledge, she my boss has never visited my site. I told a co-worker a couple months ago about the blog and she read some, but as far as I know she has not been back and it has not some up.
For the most part, I keep them as separate as I can–I really enjoy wine, writing, and reading other blogs.
Work, on the other hand….
Great post, and one I’ve avoided for the past three years. All I can say is I’ve had to take a few breaks from blogging due to work. I started off as just “mmWine” in 2008, and it wasn’t until I did my first television segment in May 2009 that my name was added to my blog. It took until the end of 2009 or middle of 2010, I dont recall, for people to start nosing into my business. It caused quite a problem at work because someone figured if I were “good enough” to be on TV, that I had to be neglecting my work.
Needless to say, I still work here, and don’t neglect my work. And I’m back to blogging, and maybe better than before. It’s hard when people don’t understand that there are 24 hours in a day, and they don’t get to own me for all of them.
A few coworkers follow my blog and social media outlets. I don’t block anyone. I don’t say or do anything that would be an issue at work, so I don’t really care. Lots of them see me on TV, since I was doing the Local CBS news for a few years 1-2 times a month. I just keep my head down, get my work done, and do my best not to chat about wine at work. Until they form a line asking for recommendations for the holidays. Then I tell them to check my blog.
Thanks for stopping by to comment, Matt. Appreciate your experiences with balancing wine and work. Wow, I bet a TV segment did bring out the curiosity seekers at work. Great advice, “just keep my head down, get my work done.” Like you, I try not to talk about wine at work, but several of the people who occupy space in my office seem to insist on bringing up wine every time I see them. My extracurricular wine activities really seem to bother them (I tend to take some pleasure in that
). Cheers!
I have my own business, and our wine club shipments get sent to my work address, so my employees obviously know about my interest in wine. My current admin, who’s been with me since last November, ended up signing for three or four wine club shipments during her first week, so there’s no telling what she thought. I’ve been up front about my wine blog, but as far as I know, neither of them follow it. One is pregnant and the other more of a beer drinker, so that could be why.
The group I’ve been more wary about sharing with has been other professionals in my field, several of whom I’m friends with on Facebook. I do post my blog update links on FB, and often they’re the ones who hit “Like” and also ask me for wine advice when we’re together at conferences.
Of course, with clients, I don’t tell them about my blog. That’s a boundary thing. It’s also why I blog and tweet under a pseudonym so potential clients won’t find my wine blog when Googling me.
Frank, this is a really interesting topic, and I enjoyed reading your and others’ perspectives on it!
C.D.
Many thanks for your view on this Cecilia. You have an interesting perspective as a self-employed professional that deals with clients that are surely to Google you. I have not yet mixed my personal FB page and this whole wine blogging thing, even after four and half years.
Wise choice on the pseudonym, which is why I’ve used one as well (although I don’t think anyone else in the wine world realizes my name is not Frank
— I guess they do now… haha ).
Thanks again for sharing – cheers!