Lost my job...thanks for the memories.

[tigra 0]

Actually, if you read Kevin's original post, he says he wasn't fired for posting from work or excess internet usage, but for allegedly posting "controversial" topics (which might have been on his own time) and somehow "linking" his posts with his employer and clients. It was the content of his posts and not the fact that they were made from work. (and of course the fact that said posts were brought to the attention of his employer.......)

[PhreeZone 20]

Having read thousands of Kev's posts and unfortually having a photographic memory for written material I can't think of a single time he ever mentioned his employer name or the name of any of their clients. There were things said that said how smart some of the people he worked with were... and his Xmas stuff... but other then that I can't see anything that would be tied to his employer.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[flyingferret 0]

That just isn't the complete picture. I hesitate to respond because think this thread is past productive.

There are very very many companies with strict policies, that are often not enforced, they are simply in the policy, in case they ever need to be.
Sometimes firing can be a knee jerk reaction, that can be justified by one of the policies mentioned above. That is a thin, but significant, logical difference from saying that is the reason for firing. Rather, it is the reason for justification.

Somone outside of PK's company raised a complaint to PK's company that inspired fear of a smudged name, the knee jerk hit Kevin. That does not mean that all his posts were from work, or that they were controversial. Unfortunately in a litigatious society, the suggestion of impropriety accomplishes the same results as a proven offense. This is the same reason why there is a disclaimer like skymama mentioned, because dropzone.com does not want to assume liability for suggestions.

Legally, that is just the way the balls fall. Unfortunately, the company did not value Kevin enough to get his view, etc. Maybe he has a case, maybe he doesn't , but wisely he is not discussing it here. So....the rest is speculation.

The one and only question to the community is how we handle it? I suspect we don't have a proven name at this point, which is probably good until legal options are all sorted.
At the time we do, I think one of two things will happen, there are reasons for both, neither wrong or right persay.

1. Action will be taken against this person from a membership level. This will make everyone a bit more reassured. But it does nothing to guarantee it does not happen again, and it does nothing to guarantee someone does not rejoin with different information.

2. Action is not taken against the person. Everyone feels a bit jaded and angered. On a personal level, someone will probably find the person's identity and produce unfriendly vibes for them among jumpers.

In either case, dropzone.com loses some innocence. That is just part of it, it happens every to every internet forum. Maybe it will a bit of a wakeup call to some of the users and what they choose to give importance. I assure you for people like AD, myself, Ivan, and other net geeks, this is pretty standard forum BS. This is a bit far admittedly, but then this community has gone a bit far about being open. Scan the user logs sometimes, and the troll posts. You really think all those people are skydivers?

--
All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.

[tigra 0]

I agree. I don't even know what he does for a living. But I actually know exactly where at least one person here works based on his/ her posts alone, and that person never named the company. Still, its a stretch.

[HeatherB 0]

Controversial...inappropriate...excessive...the verbage doesn't really matter. Companies will cover their butts at all costs and they found a reason to fire him.

Can anyone give an example of one of his posts where he spoke about his company or clients? I haven't seen any. The content of the alleged letter and what the company really fired him for could be very different.

[gmanpilot 0]

Quote

Additionally, users should be aware that when they voluntarily disclose personally identifiable information... beyond the control of DROPZONE.COM.

I don't think anyone can blame DZ.com, we know the net is a big privacy petri dish. I don't post all that much and I have tried to remain fairly anonymous. I have made lots-o-jumps with dz.commers and they don't know I have ever posted on here. I could be in PK's shoes right now as the "company" I work for has a very broad policy against discussing any controversial public topics in the public domain...even from my own computer.

I would like to know if the snitch is outed though, even if it's only for my own note-to-self.

_________________________________________
-There's always free cheese in a mouse trap.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

Controversial...inappropriate...excessive...the verbage doesn't really matter. Companies will cover their butts at all costs and they found a reason to fire him.

Can anyone give an example of one of his posts where he spoke about his company or clients? I haven't seen any. The content of the alleged letter and what the company really fired him for could be very different.

Like I said before, if it was "at will" employment, the reason doesn't matter. They could have just let him go and never told him why.

However, when the company mentioned to him about the letter it changed the entire scenario. It seems they took action because of the letter, and in the HR legal world that is what matters the most. The company will be able to prove if Kev posted from work via the time/date stamp on the posts. If they prove violation of an internet usage policy the company is in the clear. However, if there isn't a violation, the company acted upon hearsay and damages can be awarded. On top of that the author would be up for slander.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Muenkel 0]

Quote

Having read thousands of Kev's posts and unfortually having a photographic memory for written material I can't think of a single time he ever mentioned his employer name or the name of any of their clients. There were things said that said how smart some of the people he worked with were... and his Xmas stuff... but other then that I can't see anything that would be tied to his employer.

I completely agree with this post. I can't say I have read every one of PK's posts, but I don't recall him ever mentioning anything about his employer or clients.

This is a very abstract thought I have about this. The business I have been in...like most businesses...I dealt with a lot of clients. I would never discuss with them anything about my political or religious leanings. It just doesn't belong in the business world. I don't know what Kev did exactly for a living. However, if he posted his opinions on religion and politics on company time using the company's equipment; I could see where an employer may see that as a conflict of interest. You certainly don't want to piss off a potential client.

But...then again, his username really did not identify him, so I do not see how a client would connect the dots.

Chris

_________________________________________
Chris

[ReBirth 0]

Hi all. I'm a friend of the person who started this thread...this is my first and last post here, to answer some questions.

From what I hear, his company treated him very well and very fairly, even after letting him go. They are a high profile company with high profile clients. The risk of jeopardizing that image could cost them millions. They made a business decision. If some whacko on the internet can send them a letter, they can send it to anyone, and that could jeopardize the livelihoods of a few dozen people. They felt horribly about having to make this choice, they didn't blame him one bit. It had nothing to do with posting from work. His work performance and productivity was excellent, but he didn't have irreplaceable skills. It had to do with the fact that a psycho was out there willing to send accusations to anyone anonymously. Accusations that falsely made claims regarding the content of his posts and association with their clients. They couldn't rationally risk the income that is essential to all the other employees for the sake of this one person. They decided it best to disassociate with him, even though he was not at fault. While he worked there they treated him 10 times better than any company has ever treated an employee. And they treated him 1000 times better than any company ever treated an employee that they let go.

He told me he won't be coming to this website anymore because, while it was fun, it's not worth it. He had been here when it was a handful, maybe a couple hundred people worldwide that came to this website at all. It's grown since then and he didn't temper his posting to match the risk of increased exposure to increased level of fuck nuts.

He posted the original message, not to name the perpetrator, or get even. But just to warn you all of the possibilities of what can happen when obviously deranged people are permitted to work a computer and take typed text from a monitor and turn it into an evil, sick, demented vendetta against someone they viewed as a threat because of their typed words.

He's taking the appropriate action regarding any slandering that took place by the person who contacted his company.

But don't expect any updates, don't expect some kind of closure. He'll do what he needs to do, and step one is not come on this site, or any site for that matter, where anyone might be able to identify his true identity.

He appreciates the support from everyone, but again, not why he posted. Just watch your backs. Especially one of you inparticular.

-Pittsburgh Keith

[Deuce 1]

That was like Clark Kent talking about Superman.

[Zenister 0]

honestly that is a piss poor business decision. I wouldn’t do any business with a company that rewards dedicated professional service by severing an employee simply on barely substantiated accusations from anyone, particularly if that 'anyone' isnt even a client/ customer and can be shown to have ulterior motives for their baseless claims.

if that kind of faithless support is how they generally treat their employees, and is indicative of the overall business attitude of his former employers, he is, in fact better off without them and their customers and clients are better off seeking professional financial advice elsewhere, from someone with a real sense of morals and a substantial backbone. Such a blatant lack of faith and trust only serves to illustrate that, in the end they will bend over for anyone at the slightest pretense. Hardly the type of company I would chose to do business with…

simply sickening.

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[davedlg 0]

Quote

if that kind of faithless support is how they generally treat their employees, and is indicative of the overall business attitude of his former employers, he is, in fact better off without them and their customers and clients are better off seeking professional financial advice elsewhere, from someone with a real sense of morals and a substantial backbone. Such a blatant lack of faith and trust only serves to illustrate that, in the end they will bend over for anyone at the slightest pretense. Hardly the type of company I would chose to do business with…

simply sickening.

Welcome to corporate America

[Lindsey 0]

Unfortunately people can screw you over whether you visit the forums or not. If you choose to interact with people, they can and sometimes do make a point to hurt you. I hope that Kev will come back when the taste in his mouth isn't so sour. It stinks that this happened, but you really can't expect that the people who visit these forums will really be any more ethical than any other group of folks....

Peace~
linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[sunshine 2]

Quote

Hi all. I'm a friend of the person who started this thread...

Liar. Kev has no friends.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[catfishhunter 2]

Slander would be telling lies partner. Sorry but I am not one of the people here who think poor you. Your words signed your death warrant someone pointing your employer to them isn't slander. They would have had to make shit up which they didn't. Take responsibility for your own actions. This whole thread sounds like the whiny crminal that blames their being in Jail on the person who called the police when they saw them breaking into the neighbors car.. Grow up take responsibillity for your words. If you believed them strong enough to post them on the internet for the world to see you shouldn't be afraid if your employer or anyone else knew them

I don't think the person who did was right by any means but WTF he didn't make shit up and this site isn't some private playground. ANYONE can come here or didn't you ever consider that?

I wish you the best of Luck but grow up and be a Man. Say what you believe and believe what you say and be willing to die for what you believe. If not then maybe you need to sit down and really find out who you are and what you DO BELIEVE IN...

Peace

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

Quote

ust watch your backs. Especially one of you inparticular.

I hope that doesn't mean that this person that targeted Kevin is now targeting someone else on the forums.

This whole situation is disturbing.

[Zenister 0]

Quote

Welcome to corporate America

fortunately not all corporations are like that...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

Quote

ust watch your backs. Especially one of you inparticular.

I hope that doesn't mean that this person that targeted Kevin is now targeting someone else on the forums.

This whole situation is disturbing.

I think he meant the person that wrote the letter. A thinly veiled threat.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

Quote

I think he meant the person that wrote the letter. A thinly veiled threat.

Well, that was my other guess.

[AggieDave 6]

Hey, have Kevin e-mail me, he can e-mail to my DZ.com account, I've got a couple of things I want to tell him before he drifts away from the online 'neter.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[TheAnvil 0]

I find your prose most interesting Mr. Olson. In particular the following tidbits and the solid conviction with which you state them:

Quote

They would have had to make shit up which they didn't.

and

Quote

I don't think the person who did was right by any means but WTF he didn't make shit up

Given that you state with conviction that the person[sic] who did this to PhillyKev did nothing slanderous in nature, one would naturally assume that you had actually read the letter in question. Have you read the letter in question? If not, how can you defend your hypothesis?

Being an afficianado of politics and a man who enjoys reading the Speaker's Corner, I can state with confidence that I never once saw PhillyKev associate either his company or any of its clients with any of the beliefs he espoused in any manner whatsoever. Can you perhaps point to an instance in which he did so? If not, would you be so kind as to explain how his words signed his death warrant? I find this most perplexing.

Quote

grow up and be a Man

Personal attacks are out of line at all times. How about being nice and editing that so a moderator doesn't grouch you? There's been enough bannings around here as of late and I want to read your response and won't be able to if you were banned for this.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[gravityizsexy 0]

Quote

Slander would be telling lies partner. Sorry but I am not one of the people here who think poor you. Your words signed your death warrant someone pointing your employer to them isn't slander. They would have had to make shit up which they didn't. Take responsibility for your own actions. This whole thread sounds like the whiny crminal that blames their being in Jail on the person who called the police when they saw them breaking into the neighbors car.. Grow up take responsibillity for your words. If you believed them strong enough to post them on the internet for the world to see you shouldn't be afraid if your employer or anyone else knew them

I don't think the person who did was right by any means but WTF he didn't make shit up and this site isn't some private playground. ANYONE can come here or didn't you ever consider that?

I wish you the best of Luck but grow up and be a Man. Say what you believe and believe what you say and be willing to die for what you believe. If not then maybe you need to sit down and really find out who you are and what you DO BELIEVE IN...

Peace

Apparantly you are confused, and the part where you
tell PK to grow up would merit the well known phrase...
"practice what you preach", Especially in this case. Because,
first off! It's against the law to break into a car, not
voice an opinion... therefore your analogy is blown to
shit. Second, how are you going to tell a grown man
how he SHOULD act. Fucking listen to yourself man,
you sound silly.... "be willing to die for what you believe
in" ... Thats some typical Hollywood bullshit, You are
the one who needs to grow up my main man. As far
as the internet is concerned.. Obviously, everybody
who is anybody comes online as learned (very
scary). The pliability of the spectrum we play in
tends to produce infinite oppositions, and nothing
would explain that best where as in Sir Isaac Newton
explains considerably, "For Every action yields a
opposite and/or equal reaction." (FACT)... you should
be ashamed of yourself...

-Tonjy

"'Someday is not a day in my week'"

[PhreeZone 20]

>fortunately not all corporations are like that...

They are when they are dealing with hunderds of millions or even billions of dollars in a year. Look up the info on taking a stock public sometime, if anyone and I mean ANYONE in your company says anything to the public or even that can get leaked to the public in the "Quiet peroid" then the listing market will probally drop you before you are even listed. That can sink a company completely. Once you start dealing in publically traded companies and working for one that is... welcome to a whole new ball game.

If I was to talk to some of my friends at the DZ about the status of projects at work and it gets back to them that I did... I couldbe met at the door and fired on the spot. If I was to talk about companies we are looking to buy, same thing.

Things get very touchy in large companies or those that have a lot to lose.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Zenister 0]

oh believe me i'm well aware... i've censored myself more than once on here on topics i'd LOVE to really discuss with some of the people that frequent this site...

however there is a difference between implying that someone has done/said something that compromises company interests and them actually doing it.. taking action on implications alone is shortsighted... something no serious business can be and expect to thrive in the modern business world...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[PhreeZone 20]

If I sent a letter to your boss saying that you sent me emails with certian information, and I was going to also send them on to your clients (which would cause large issues in your business relationship with the client if they knew)... you are telling me that your management would sit there and do a complete investigation to verify that you had actually sent me the emails, that the information was correct and everything rather then dismiss you and do damage control to make sure that they continue to stay in business?

I know when Google was going public they were monitoring every employees email, IM, Internet and lots of other things. Rumors were if they even brought up a stock trading website they would let people go since you might be doing insider trading pre IPO.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com