Can I post this to the blue or not?

February 21, 2008 7:09 PM

Is it "legal" to post something to the blue that includes a link to a site I work for?

I am responsible for posting interviews and other content to a non profit public service broadcasting website. Recently I posted an interview to the site, conducted by one of our correspondents. The interview introduced me to a new report on climate change and it provides a more in depth look at the issues discussed in the report. I think both the report and the interview would be discussion-worthy and of interest to the MeFi community. But is it "legal" to post links to the interview/transcript, given that it's on a site I am paid to update?

posted by andihazelwood to etiquette/policy at 7:09 PM (34 comments total)

No. Post it to Projects if you think it's worthwhile, though.
posted by cerebus19 at 7:10 PM on February 21

It can be difficult to overcome the desire to share something you are interested in that came to you via your workplace. But you must resist.
posted by boubelium at 7:11 PM on February 21

It's legal to post the report in a FPP, then link to the interview in comments though, right? Since I have nothing to do with the report itself?
posted by andihazelwood at 7:13 PM on February 21

It's really pretty dicey territory, even if your intentions are good and the content is good. If you're wondering if it's a good idea, generally that's a sign that you should err on the side of caution and not do it.

As cerebus19 says, if it's something that's web accessible that you're directly responsible for, posting it to Projects is okay. If that's not really a good fit—if your custodial role is indirect enough that you'd feel weird about claiming it as "your" project—you could drop a line about it to a mefite you trust who doesn't have any relationship with the organization and let them post it if they feel like it'd be something they can get behind.
posted by cortex at 7:14 PM on February 21

No, this is a bad idea for all the reasons cortex says. This isn't a case of what's strictly "legal" but more what is a good idea. If your interview is what led you to the report and you link to both [even in the comments] it just looks like a sketch way to link to your interview and we don't want to have examine people's motives. Plus, climate change/global warming is likely to be a contentious issue anyhow and so I'd be double-plus extra sure what you were posting about wasn't something you'd worked on or by someone you'd worked for.
posted by jessamyn at 7:25 PM on February 21

Of course, you could always ask another Mefite to post it for you.
posted by misha at 7:31 PM on February 21

Just post it to Projects. If it's FPP-worthy someone else usually takes it to the blue.
posted by ikkyu2 at 7:32 PM on February 21

Okay. It'll be in projects soon. Hopefully someone will find it worthy for the blue, I think it'd be a very lively discussion. Thanks all.
posted by andihazelwood at 7:36 PM on February 21

Thanks all.

What? Just like that? Where have al the flameouts gone?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:48 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

Um, that's all the flameouts... I think Al the Flameout is still working the Coney Island Sideshow.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:50 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

Eye thenk where ripe 4 a flaemout ovre speling.
posted by jmd82 at 7:54 PM on February 21

Oh good, now I have Paula Cole in my head. Thanks, flapjax!

*Shoves Dremel tool up nose*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:55 PM on February 21

I'm just not a flameouty type person, flapjax ;) I've posted it to projects... I think. Does it take time to show up or am I a doofus at hitting "submit"?
posted by andihazelwood at 7:55 PM on February 21

We have to approve it but it should be pretty pro forma. Oh look, there it is!
posted by jessamyn at 7:57 PM on February 21

thanks jessamyn :)
posted by andihazelwood at 8:01 PM on February 21

This thread is overly civil, informative, and helpful. What is it doing in MetaTalk?
posted by localhuman at 8:23 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

I just found out today that another guy in the office, who's generally pretty cool, part of his job is to astroturf for our magazines, and they're attempting to quantify it now—he'll have to make X posts a day to get paid, etc.

Aside from telling him that I think it's fucking sleazy, which he kinda laughed off, I don't know as there's anything else that I can do without getting fired, but it pisses me off.

And Christ, knowing that they're googling for mentions makes me feel skittish.
posted by klangklangston at 9:19 PM on February 21

(just in case the inference is that I am attempting to astroturf.... I'm not. I get paid to generate content and to post content, not to flog it. I realise there's no way for you to know if that's true or not, but it is. In the four years I've been working for this organisation, nothing has shaken me like this report. I just thought others might be interested, and might be able to provide some perspective. Or ideas. Or something.)
posted by andihazelwood at 9:32 PM on February 21

No, no, just that I'm wary of the appearance of impropriety lately, and that I wanted to complain about my company's policy in sort of a passive-aggressive way.
posted by klangklangston at 9:37 PM on February 21

It's legal in Australia, but anything goes there.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:29 PM on February 21

Of course it's legal.

You would get banned though.
posted by delmoi at 11:08 PM on February 21 [1 favorite]

It's legal in Australia, but anything goes there.

I've got my eye on you, matey boy.
posted by Wolof at 11:50 PM on February 21

A dingo ate my Metafilter.
posted by item at 12:09 AM on February 22 [1 favorite]

I miss Australia. Especially the dingos.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:11 AM on February 22

A dingo ate my Metafilter.

Actually, I think that was Wolof.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:32 AM on February 22 [1 favorite]

You'll get a beatdown.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:20 AM on February 22

I think Al the Flameout is still working the Coney Island Sideshow.

He's part of what I miss about NYC. Not only was his act terrific, nothing tasted better than marshmallows roasted over what you would have sworn was his smoldering corpse until he jumped up (always scaring the bejeezus out of the more impressionable members of the audience) and ran backstage to prepare for the next show. Of course, they charged an arm and a leg for the marshmallows, but sneaking your own food into movie theaters and sideshow acts is one of the first survival techniques you learn as a New Yorker, right up there with turnstile jumping.
posted by languagehat at 6:02 AM on February 22

Of course, they charged an arm and a leg for the marshmallows, but sneaking your own food into movie theaters and sideshow acts is one of the first survival techniques you learn as a New Yorker, right up there with turnstile jumping.

Of course, turnstile jumping with only one arm and one leg ain't the easiest thing to do, but, hey, New Yorkers are tough and resourceful...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:59 AM on February 22

languagehat, you know they charge an arm and a leg so they have body parts to roast, right? You can check it on Snopes. It's the only way to get that roasted-corpse aroma.
posted by cgc373 at 8:00 AM on February 22

stavrosthewonderchicken : Especially the dingos.

Get an Australian Cattle Dog, they're part dingo.

*notices remains of sofa*

*eyes guilty looking cattle dog*

On second thought, avoid them like the devil spawn that they are...
posted by quin at 8:13 AM on February 22

No, no, no. Devils are an entirely unrelated species, quin.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:28 PM on February 23

I found that Aussies didn't generally find "a dingo ate my [x]" jokes to be very funny.

Alas.

I still laughed, though.
posted by TheNewWazoo at 6:24 PM on February 23

Indeed, it's actually a really great way to annoy the Aussies. Be sure to get the accent all wrong, and always follow it up with, "That's note a knoif, thees ees a knoif." Then order a Foster's, and duck.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:32 AM on February 24

I heard bold-faced duck was one of those Australian specialities, like Barbie Shrimp^® but I forget where I heard it.
posted by cgc373 at 11:30 PM on February 24