I don’t know if you guys felt the floor shaking over the last few days. Maybe noticed the tremor of coffee in your mugs. That, my friends, resulted from a collision of my personal and professional lives. It’s something I’ve been worried about for a while now, but instead of addressing the issue I decided to avoid it until it exploded like a botulism-tainted jar of tomato sauce.
Here’s the thing. I am a loving wife and mama, responsible employee, God-fearing Christian, who just happens to drop f-bombs like it’s my part-time job, royally suck at traditional housewife stuff, and use the term Dirty Lunch Vagina (don’t even ask) in a crowded restaurant without batting an eye.
Welcome to MOLLY.
Editor’s note: DLV is actually a fairly benign term used between a couple of friends. An inside joke. For the love of all things good, please don’t Google it. I doubt anything from THAT search is appropriate.
It’s never my intention to offend someone, but I (selfishly) don’t want to filter myself either. I’m concerned that my face will literally blow off from the pressure of not being wildly inappropriate. And that is a mess I don’t want to clean up because, as I mentioned before, I suck at cleaning.
So, now I feel the need to have two websites. I’ve actually acquired a lot of work through my blog because clients enjoy my voice and my humor but… I feel the least I can do is provide potential clients a safe space to view my portfolio and general character without having to wade through POSTS ABOUT FARTS. Maybe even prove that I can have an intelligent conversation regarding copy writing and social marketing strategies while mentioning nary a bodily function.
Let me be clear – this takes away about 49% of my usual conversation topics.
I hopped on Twitter the other day and started tweeting. What, no one told you that hell froze over? Unfortunately, I’m already confusing my followers (ALL EIGHTEEN OF THEM. It’s like high school again and I don’t have a date to the prom) because I’ve swapped out handles. I’m now @MollySteere. I panicked and decided to keep my other account in my back pocket for filter-blowing emergencies.
I like to keep my options open.
So what’s your take on all of this? Should I just give the world the full unfiltered version of myself and (heaven forbid) my PERSONALITY, and hope it doesn’t offend colleagues and potential clients? Or should I rock a social media mullet and split my worlds with a little business in the front and party in the back?
Split the worlds. They are not ready for you!! I never write F-bombs on my blog because I have people who read who would be offended. I know, I know, their problem. But it’s also not my writing style. But at home, heaven help my poor husband’s ears. And the dog’s. I think that you’ll forever be editing yourself if you think potential clients or colleagues are reading. And then the rest of us will lose out on the full Molly. (You know, sort of like the Full Monty.)
I’m currently in your camp, Martha. I’m interested to see what other people say. And just for clarification – I never drop an actual f-bomb in my writing. However, my computer is hit by a barrage of them on a daily basis :) Thanks for weighing in!
I….CAN’T….BELIEVE….you rolled out Dirty Lunch Vagina in your BLOG!!!! THAT, Girlfriend, is true AWESOMENESS!
Oh and I think you are SCREWED if you think you can actually cruise around with any semblance of propriety, good luck with that though… :) I’ve given up.
First, I’m here to entertain :) Second, I had to give everyone a very distinct idea of what we’re talking about here. I’m mean, DLV is actually a fairly innocuous term…but it’s going to make people’s eyebrows shoot up. Tadow!
You know, I struggle with this one too. I like to think that by day I’m an uber professional and very good at what I do. By night, I’m not against dancing on a bar. Will the two worlds ever mesh? Me thinks not… sigh.
Please bring the bar-dancing version of yourself to lunch next week….
I changed my handle from my first initial/last name because I realized *anyone* could find me & see all the f-bombs & tweets about poop & vents about stupid co-workers… probably not a good thing. So now I’m a little harder to find if someone did a search, therefore protecting themselves from the evils of my brain. And since you’re more of a professional than I am, I say business in the front & party in the back = have two twitter accts.
I totally get where you’re coming from, Molly. On the one hand, you want to just be you and get jobs because they want YOU…on the other hand, you want to be able to show you can leave aside that part of you if it will get you the job and you don’t have to be that person ALL the time.
I guess the real problem is this: even if you have two twitter accounts and two websites, what would keep the people you want to show this “professional” side to from finding your “dirty” blog anyway? Would you possibly have to hide your personal blog, or write “professionally” under a pen name?
It’s a tough one, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I guess maybe the real question is whether or not you actually NEED the jobs that are being offered to you “professionally.” Didn’t you just pass along a job lead because you didn’t have time to do it? Sounds like you’re in demand enough that it could be a moot point. :)
If you do decide to hide, however, please tell me where to find you. I can’t live without my Molly fix. ;)
I think the party is in the Front and the back is the business end. just sayin’.
Either way, I’ll read all i can get! Love you! Boo
Well, I survived six hours in the car with you and I didn’t think you were someone I never wanted to hang out with again! ;) But maybe you were on your best behavior seeing as how we’d just met and you were in my car??? ;P