Wow. There but for the grace...

So a friend of mine did something stupid but harmless, and now is going to lose their career over it. How many times have I (or most of you, for that matter) done something dumb and gotten away with it?

Well, there are the times I've gone out to the car the next morning and done the "how did I get home" walkaround to look for evidence of impact.

Then there was the driving to the mall in another state while tripping on Robitussin.

Then there was that whole thing dating the crazy stripper in South Carolina.

No wait, most of those things shoulda killed me, not jut gotten me fired. But a friend gets their image plastered on the wrong website and all of a sudden their employment is fucked and their future is jeopardized. Sorry I can't be more specific, but too many people 'round here pop in from time to time, suffice to say that I'm spending a good chunk of my afternoon talking a friend down out of high freakout mode and trying to help them plan for the future. No fun, really, but that's what we do. Enough of you guys have listened to me rant and weep that now it's time for me to pay it back a little.

Just keep in mind that none of us are really that anonymous, and sometimes people can get Braceleted in worse ways than just having to take down their blogs. So be careful how public you are with those flickr accounts if your place of employment cares about such things.

UPDATE - Looks like my friend stays employed, but with an official reprimand and a black mark on their employment record. But the career seems to have pulled a Hellmuth and dodged a bullet. The earlier warning about being photographed or referenced by real name still stands, though. I'm fortunate to work in an industry where I can get away with a bunch, but we're not all in the same boat, so be cognizant of your surroundings.