ON THURSDAY’S I POST FROM THE VAULT. THIS POST IS FROM JANUARY 2011.
So . . . I sometimes mention that I work as an adjunct professor? I have always tried to keep my online life separate from that role. I work in the grad psych department, and even though I still have the inevitable embarrassing moments in the class, I at least want to create the illusion that I am a professional. Because of that, I’ve hoped my social media stuff would go unnoticed – and for many years it has. Because writing about your foibles online may not give you the most credibility when you later try to use words like psychopharmocology and epistemology with a straight face. I’ve had students try to friend me on facebook, and I always turn them down, in part because it’s awkward to get a facebook message about your grading decisions, but in part because I’m hoping they don’t discover my blog. Last year a couple students heard about the blog and brought it up in class and I was mightily embarrassed. I mean, I know it’s not that hard to find if you google my name, but I really doubt my students are googling me. This semester, my online life seemed safely under wraps. Mortification avoided. That is, until I got a google alert last night that the UNIVERSITY WEBSITE did a feature on me being on the Today Show. And as soon as I saw the title, I was like, “please don’t let them mention the blog, please don’t let them mention the blog”. And of course, a few paragraphs down, the blog is mentioned, linked, and quoted. Edited to add: when I saw the alert, I was reminded that they did email me for a quote. And I was also reminded that I forgot to respond. 
Not to mention, guess what was on the top of the site the day it went live? A post about me mistaking a “team-building exercise” product for hair gel. Awesome. So, to all of my university students coming by the blog, um . . . sorry? Let’s pretend this never happened. And you can friend me on facebook once you get your diploma.
