A relaxed work atmosphere may inspire creativity, but does this environment foster respect? Some lessons you have to learn the hard way. Don’t let the conversation with the boss bring your career to a halt.

1. Don’t gossip. It doesn’t matter how big the company is or if you are only talking with "friends", stop the water cooler talk. What you say will always be taken out of context and come back to haunt you in this job or the next. Remember, you never know who will be your next boss. Also, be careful of your digital identity. Don’t vent about your boss online in your blog. Save it for your journal or confession.
2. Don’t become personally involved. Set boundaries. An occasional drink with the team after completing a milestone is OK, but don’t make it a habit. Leave the drama at home. This means physically, verbally and digitally. A conversation with your best friend over the phone discussing your previous night’s adventures is not what your boss needs to overhear.
3. Don’t tattle. Settle disputes amongst one another and take responsibility. Be the bigger person. Your boss is managing so many relationships, does she have to manage yours?

More things NOT to say to your boss:

• The 10 Worst Things You Could Say to Your Boss – I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the wedding excuse from clackers
• 7 Ways to Manage Up

This weekend was husband and child-free. Without guilt, I read a good book (fiction) and played on my laptop. It was del.icio.us! StumbleUpon kept me occupied for three hours. I was still in Internet oblivion when my Mom called. Immediately, I chatter away about my blog plans, cool Facebook add-ons I just found and trying to convince Mom to download StumbleUpon.

My Mom thinks I am speaking Greek. I should have known better. My Mom is anti-Internet; she just figured out email and is incredibly afraid of identity fraud. I received a twenty minute lecture about the problem with the world today is no one knows what is real or virtual. According to her, I am being sucked into the "Internet vortex" and assimilated. If Mom only knew…

What would I do without an Internet connection? I was looking for fingerprint painting ideas for daughter when I stumbled upon this…my Mom has to agree this is awesome!

In the spirit of last year’s First Annual CSI Scariest Client Service Stories Contest, this blog will host a Spooky Social Media Contest.

Submit your scariest client/customer blog story between now and midnight EDT 26 October. If your story is judged the scariest, to be announced on 29 October, you will receive your choice of one of the following books:

1. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott
2. How to Do Everything with Podcasting by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson
3. The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media by Paul Gillin

The realm of PR 2.0 is still rich with unexplored frontiers, but making your mark (and being noticed) is becoming more difficult. Every three or four months, I reevaluate my voice and value in the blogosphere and other social media networks. The Twelve Step Program for Communicators is my foundation and I will continue to promote this ethical way of career/personal life. Please send me examples of how the Program is working in your career/personal life or other topics you would like explored on this blog. Thank you!

Working Topics:

• Accountability in a Virtual World (Where in the world are those who fumbled in the blogosphere? Real people and accounts.)
• Four Generations of Females in the PR Workplace (Interview with Traditionalist, Boomer, Gen Xer and Millennial)

If you would like to contribute to either working topic, please send me an email.