Technology is such a wonderful thing. It helps people communicate easily, its more convenient. It brings you closer to the people you don’t see everyday. You get to look at their pictures, comment on their sarcastic and hilarious status updates, and you get to vent about the annoying things that you see.

Sometimes people take advantage of technology to “try” and get more information about you or “hurt” you. They follow you and examine the things you post and the places you visit, a form of cyber stalking. It’s pathetic really, but if some people get off on the stupid comments or status updates that I post, its all good. Unfortunately some people *up* the creep factor, they decide to read too much into what you say, they start to trace your steps, read EVERY status you post. Every comment or picture you like is read. Each word they read, some how is about them. I think that’s very delusional and unacceptable behavior. I think it is very sad that some people think this behavior is acceptable.

A couple of weeks ago my boss approached me and told me “I know what you and the girls were doing on Facebook”. I was very confused and asked “What was I doing on Facebook?” She replied “I got a complaint from Bertha* and she said she feels harassed and that you were calling her names on Facebook”. At this point I broke out in laughter because :

1. I don’t care about Bertha. Bertha is known as the endless complainer and someone who does not like to work.
2. Bertha talks crap about everyone and always blames others for her mistakes.
3. I never once talked about Bertha on my Facebook page.
4. Why was Bertha on my page reading what I say, assuming I was talking about her?
5. Why is my boss calling me in her office about Facebook?
6. Oh, and did I mention that she quit that day and was still on my page reading my statuses!
7. AND she sent the whole department an angry e-mail about how we all treated her bad because we wouldn’t put up with her bad attitude.

My boss continues to say that it is out of her hands and that she was sending the print out of my page that Bertha provided to HR. I tell my boss that they cannot punish me for something I do on my own time and on my personal page and about something that is not true. She stated “I don’t know how this works, for all I know you could have been posting while at work”. She also mentioned that she had talked to my coworker since she had commented on “the” status. I asked her “So, um you questioned someone else about what *I* posted?” She started to act all confused and I just ended the conversation telling her that she had violated my right to defend myself and that I felt that my employee rights were violated and I left.

She had pretty much made up her mind that I was guilty and Bertha was right.  The following is the status that Bertha thought was about her.

LOL “special snowflakes” who treat others like crap expect to be greeted, tee hee

Where here does it say I am talking about Bertha? Who am I talking about? Heck, I don’t even remember!

At this point I am beyond pissed. I think of ALL of the lies that have come out of Bertha’s mouth. ALL of the accusations she has made in the past that were wrongfully believed. ALL of the people she tried to get fired. How can someone do this?

Even as pissed off as I was, I was not ok with showing my boss all of the comments she makes about other employees on Facebook. I was not ok showing my boss time stamps of Bertha’s statuses that were posted during work hours. Nope. Even now that my boss has not apologized for falsely accusing me and taking sides, I am still not ok with “trying” to get her in trouble. Even though my boss said I would *probably* be punished, I am not ok with it. I am mad that HR has not contacted me to say “Hey your boss messed up, you cannot get in trouble for this”.

I still think I am the one being harassed and stalked, but this whole situation helped me realize that office politics are ummm ridiculous.

Have you ever been in a similar situation?