Dear LinkedIn,
Somebody around here has a sense of humor. Is it you? Is it?
Because I could swear that when I was using your mobile app the other day, I clicked a resounding “HELL TO THE NO” when you asked me if I wanted to send invitations to connect to my entire address book.
But then … then I started suspecting that you went ahead and did it anyway, you silly goose. You know how I knew? I got a notification on my phone that my ex-brother-in-law — a man so sick and twisted that I cannot comprehend how God allows him to stand upright and walk around on this planet — accepted my invitation.
So thanks for making that connection for me.
And then, since my contacts are from my gmail account — and gmail has a charming little feature that harvests every single email address I’ve ever sent an email to — the fun got even funnier.
So I’m trying to pretend that I don’t look like a douchebag for sending invitations to my daughter’s principal or that guy who wanted me to write a brochure for him before he screwed over my ex-boyfriend. And the list of people whose names I don’t even recognize? Holy shite. My inbox is now littered with the names of strangers who have graciously agreed to connect with me.
My biggest concern is that I have this blog on my LinkedIn profile. I’m proud of the work I’ve done here and the skills I’ve acquired along the way. But I share a lot. I’m extraordinarily uncomfortable knowing that every parent in my daughter’s class may be reading this — and potentially getting all kinds of info about about my dating life. I’m in a very, very small minority of single parents. (For now anyway. Statistically speaking, the single parent contingent of the PTA is going to swell by the time our kids are filling out college applications. Just sayin’.)
I can handle potential employers judging me. In fact, they’d be crazy not to. What I can’t handle is anyone judging my kid.
I guess I could go on a massive deleting spree. But you know what? No. This is me. This is all of me. I’ve worked hard to get comfortable letting my freak flag fly. I’m not going to take it down now.
LinkedIn, does that mean I should thank you for forcing me to take yet another brave step? I’m not entirely sure about that. But I’ll keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Trish Sammer Johston
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