Archives
October 2007
10/31/07
10/30/07
10/29/07
10/29/07
10/29/07
10/29/07
10/28/07
10/27/07
10/26/07
10/26/07
10/26/07
10/26/07
10/25/07
10/25/07
10/25/07
10/25/07
10/24/07
10/24/07
10/24/07
10/23/07
10/23/07
10/23/07
10/23/07
10/22/07
10/22/07
10/22/07
10/22/07
10/21/07
10/20/07
10/19/07
10/19/07
10/19/07
10/18/07
10/18/07
10/18/07
10/18/07
On Being Laid Off From AOL
10/17/07
10/17/07
10/17/07
10/17/07
10/16/07
10/16/07
10/16/07
10/16/07
10/15/07
10/15/07
10/15/07
10/15/07
10/14/07
10/13/07
10/12/07
10/12/07
10/11/07
10/10/07
10/10/07
10/9/07
10/9/07
10/9/07
10/8/07
10/7/07
10/6/07
10/5/07
10/5/07
10/5/07
10/4/07
10/4/07
10/4/07
10/4/07
10/3/07
10/3/07
10/3/07
10/3/07
10/2/07
10/2/07
10/2/07
10/1/07
10/1/07
10/1/07
10/1/07
Thursday, October 18, 2007
2:16:00 AM EDT
Hearing Nothing at the moment
In the comments to the previous entry, AOL Journaler Monponsett has this to say about the recent layoff of Joe Loong, aka Journals Editor Joe:
Still missing Joe.
It always seems like the nice guys get effed over on this rock. That kid never had a bad word to say about anyone, was always patient, worked to fix whatever problem you brought his way and genuinely cared about we journalers. I only run Monponsett Industries, but it seems to me that businesses should be crawling over each other to get a guy like that...
I wouldn't want you to lose YOUR job or anything... but I'd like your advice on what we bloggers could do (and who to do it to) to get our Journalin' Joe back. Grass roots type stuff, not me having someone killed or anything.
Well, first, you don't need to worry about me losing my job here -- I'm a freelancer. Technically, it's not a job. Second, if AOL Journals and I part ways, sooner or later, it won't be a terrible thing for me. To be completely honest about it, at this point my writing career has been successful enough that if this gig went away, I could replace the income pretty easily (it won't be as regular as AOL's pay, though, which comes every month on schedule, but that's what you get for being an freelance author). And anyway, I've been let go from AOL before, both and an employee and as a contractor. I've survived them pretty well, I have to say.
Mind you, I like being here. And I like monthly paychecks; it makes paying bills easier. I'm not in a rush to go. But it wouldn't kill me, and I would leave you all the URL to my personal blog as I go, so you wouldn't have to miss me too terribly.
About doing something to get Joe back: Honestly? No, there's not really anything you can do. The cuts have already been made, severance packages formalized, and corporate layoffs are not amenable to personal appeals after the fact. He's gone from this job. And yes, it sucks. It sucks hard. He was great for AOL Journals and its Journalers.
I will say this, however, and it's the God's honest truth. I've known lots of people who have been laid off from AOL over the last ten years, including, if you'll recall from the previous paragraphs, me. Nearly all of them have landed on their feet, and often done even cooler things. In my personal case, I quite seriously believe getting laid off from AOL in '98 was one of the best things that has ever happened to me professionally: It forced me to kick my own ass and actually take charge of my own writing career.
To be sure, it was pretty awful at the time. But to be bluntly egotistical about it, I wouldn't be an award-winning, best-selling author of a dozen books today if I hadn't been punted to the curb by AOL nine years ago. It's just a fact. I like where my life is now, and that required a layoff. It's a fair price, especially in retrospect.
Joe Loong isn't Journals Editor Joe anymore. But he ain't dead, either, and as anyone who has ever worked in tech will tell you, everybody who works in this field has been pretty much laid off at one time or another. That's the pathology of tech companies. And it's not as if the skills one gets from AOL aren't transferable elsewhere.
So it's not a black mark against him or any of the 2,000 other souls that AOL dropped the hammer on the other day; I expect a lot of them will get snapped up pretty quickly, and others will take some of their severance pay and take a nice long vacation before they let themselves get snapped up. I can't imagine Joe's not going to be just fine, both in the short or long run.
This is not to minimize folks in the AOL J missing Joe, and missing the work he's done for us all here. I want him back, too. But I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. The thing to do now is wish Joe well moving forward.
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
2:16:00 AM EDT
Hearing Nothing at the moment
On Being Laid Off From AOL
In the comments to the previous entry, AOL Journaler Monponsett has this to say about the recent layoff of Joe Loong, aka Journals Editor Joe:
Still missing Joe.
It always seems like the nice guys get effed over on this rock. That kid never had a bad word to say about anyone, was always patient, worked to fix whatever problem you brought his way and genuinely cared about we journalers. I only run Monponsett Industries, but it seems to me that businesses should be crawling over each other to get a guy like that...
I wouldn't want you to lose YOUR job or anything... but I'd like your advice on what we bloggers could do (and who to do it to) to get our Journalin' Joe back. Grass roots type stuff, not me having someone killed or anything.
Well, first, you don't need to worry about me losing my job here -- I'm a freelancer. Technically, it's not a job. Second, if AOL Journals and I part ways, sooner or later, it won't be a terrible thing for me. To be completely honest about it, at this point my writing career has been successful enough that if this gig went away, I could replace the income pretty easily (it won't be as regular as AOL's pay, though, which comes every month on schedule, but that's what you get for being an freelance author). And anyway, I've been let go from AOL before, both and an employee and as a contractor. I've survived them pretty well, I have to say.
Mind you, I like being here. And I like monthly paychecks; it makes paying bills easier. I'm not in a rush to go. But it wouldn't kill me, and I would leave you all the URL to my personal blog as I go, so you wouldn't have to miss me too terribly.
About doing something to get Joe back: Honestly? No, there's not really anything you can do. The cuts have already been made, severance packages formalized, and corporate layoffs are not amenable to personal appeals after the fact. He's gone from this job. And yes, it sucks. It sucks hard. He was great for AOL Journals and its Journalers.
I will say this, however, and it's the God's honest truth. I've known lots of people who have been laid off from AOL over the last ten years, including, if you'll recall from the previous paragraphs, me. Nearly all of them have landed on their feet, and often done even cooler things. In my personal case, I quite seriously believe getting laid off from AOL in '98 was one of the best things that has ever happened to me professionally: It forced me to kick my own ass and actually take charge of my own writing career.
To be sure, it was pretty awful at the time. But to be bluntly egotistical about it, I wouldn't be an award-winning, best-selling author of a dozen books today if I hadn't been punted to the curb by AOL nine years ago. It's just a fact. I like where my life is now, and that required a layoff. It's a fair price, especially in retrospect.
Joe Loong isn't Journals Editor Joe anymore. But he ain't dead, either, and as anyone who has ever worked in tech will tell you, everybody who works in this field has been pretty much laid off at one time or another. That's the pathology of tech companies. And it's not as if the skills one gets from AOL aren't transferable elsewhere.
So it's not a black mark against him or any of the 2,000 other souls that AOL dropped the hammer on the other day; I expect a lot of them will get snapped up pretty quickly, and others will take some of their severance pay and take a nice long vacation before they let themselves get snapped up. I can't imagine Joe's not going to be just fine, both in the short or long run.
This is not to minimize folks in the AOL J missing Joe, and missing the work he's done for us all here. I want him back, too. But I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. The thing to do now is wish Joe well moving forward.
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has 10 comments: (Add your own)
-
Someone other than me is breaking this news to Lurkynat.
-
John — I was laid off by AOL about three years ago. I agree with what you said about many folks landing on their feet; profesionally, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Honestly, it was a wonderful company to work for and provided me with invaluable experience. Joe will do just fine.
-
I know Joe will do well, in fact, GREAT. He was a GREAT Journals Editor, THE BEST we have had, & I doubt anyone will come close to it. It is our loss that he was let go. I agree with you, John, he will move on to bigger & better things.
Good Luck, Joe, where ever you are...Ü
Marie -
Well, I live in Ohio, actually. So you have one fewer in than you thought.
I don't mind getting technical complaints, but my problem is, I don't know who to send them to at this point.
10/20/07 12:14 PM