A few years ago someone let you play web master.
Some of us in the organisation already had a web site running for several years. We had a web presence, for our particular niche area, our search engine rankings were good. It’s nothing fancy but it does the job. Plenty of people link to us. We’ve had people come and visit and work with us after finding us on the web.
I maintained it. The IT guys took care of the technical details, and gave me sufficient privilidges to do what I needed to do.
You wanted total control. You convinced the powers that be that we (you) needed a server of our (your) very own - how I don’t know. I guess our bosses aren’t very technical and were prepared to believe you.
For a couple of years or so it made a nice powerful desktop machine for you. Eventually some enquiries were made regarding the new server and what had you done with it. So you decided to take action and we would all be moved over this summer. You of course chose a time when most people were on holiday (we’re an educational institution). Most people didn’t see the message, no doubt what you intended. One of my colleagues did. He maintains our web site with me along with the head of our research group (henceforth known as the boss). He asked for all three of us to be given the same privilges as before. He received his new username/password. He asked for the change over to be delayed to allow me and the boss chance to move stuff over in an organised manner. One our return the boss also intervened and felt he had successfully communicated the need to maintain the same web address given most visitors were external, our search engine rankings were good etc.
Nothing much happened. It seemed you had left us as we were. Maybe we were too troublesome for you. We certainly wouldn’t left you have control of our site. It wouldn’t work - you never responded to any of my requests. I noticed that our web pages had been duplicated. Not exact copies, but the information and layout had been replicated within a page which conformed to the official template. The address was different and and links from the higher level pages in the site had been hijacked to go to this new address. Irritating, since we had never been consulted. Ridiculous, since the material would quickly become obsolete, since despite the boss being named as the pages author, he didn’t have the priviliges to make changes. However, people from out side would find us though existing links, or a search engine and so go straight to the original site.
We made enquires, though and pointed out the obvious regarding updating problems, and you blamed another member of staff. You said he’d insisted that all research group sites were organised in a particular hierarchy and presented as official pages and thus in the departmental colours and layout. You lied, but we didn’t have the energy for a row. You are a very difficult person.
So yesterday afternoon (Friday), I had a number of tasks to do. I’d updated part of the site earlier in the week - we’re recruiting staff and had put up a few pages for prospective applicants to look at. The ad went out the day before, and I was puzzled not to have more enquiries. I also had to update out the page I’d made for my students.
None of the pages were there. Our top level url led straight to the “imposter” pages. The pages I’d created for job applicants were missing as was my entire personal directory, which contained all of my lecture material, student information, papers I have written and many other things.
I showed the boss. His personal pages are ok, as are those of the other guy who maintains the site (I’ll call him Brian). Everyone elses were “not found”. He couldn’t log on to the server either.
He phoned you. He was on the phone for a very long time and remained calm despite the barrage of swearing that came his way. You couldn’t fix the problem, and refused to admit you fucked up. You blamed your technician “cos he can’t spell” . You then find you can’t access the server either. You announce it’s since it’s Friday afternoon and you have to go home early, it will have to wait.
We managed to find out was went wrong. I apparently was meant to move all of the pages under my control to the new server. Tricky since you had not told me my user name or password, or the name of the new host. Only Brian had a working account with enough priviliges to write to the whole of our web site. We looked at the new server and found a labyrinthine mess of a structure. There were three versions of our web site directory alone. One lower case when instead of upper, one misspelt and the other empty. None of my stuff had been brought over, even though you would have been aware that I was still using it and was updating it as recently as 7pm the previous evening.
We phoned you back and listened to more abuse. The boss tried to explain what had been the problem, several times. Meanwhile, Brian uploaded my stuff and some of the other missing directories so that anyone accessing the site over the next few days, in particular prospective candidates, would see business as usual. Not that you bothered to take a backup of the original server. We found the ip address of the old one and fortunately our stuff was still there.
You are an fucking arsehole of the highest order. You do not give a shit about your colleagues. Worse than that you take perverse delight in obstructing them. I was not the only one affected. Any normal person would assume people with peronal pages and directories on the old server would want them brought over to the new one. You deliberately did not do so unless specifically asked. The email you sent where you claim explained this to people says nothing of the sort. It is incoherent and was sent out at a time of your when most people are on holiday. Additionally most people, unless they are very senior staff, know you do not repond to any requests.
We all know you as a rude egotistical intimidating and aggressive shit. You are a mysogonist and a bully. I know you have denigrated my to one of my students. You had as ever ignored my requests to create a directory for him. I suggested he tried asking you personally, and suggested if he continued to ignore us, I would create a directory for him within our web site, and post pages for him. You made abusive comments about me . I would have taken this further but he was too intimidated by you to support me.
You are a bully to students. I have heard more complaints about you than all other members of staff put together. Every year I have heard reports of verbal abuse and intimidating and aggressive behaviour. You are unapproachable and they fail your subject in droves. They are too scared of you to complain officially. When the subject was brought up by the student rep last year, nothing was done. Those that could deal with you can’t be bothered or done have the stomach for it. They are as bad as you. I am waiting for the day that you swear or shout at me, because I will start harrassment procedures.
I complained to the head. Much good it will do, but he sent an email out telling to to fix it. Not that you could. You have no sense of organisation, that was clear from a cursory glance at the server’s directory “structure”. We, or rather the boss and Brian sorted it out. The boss gave me his user name and password so I can actually do my job, since you have not seen fit to provide me with these. I guess women can’t be trusted to do these things, eh?
I am spending today, a Saturday in work. I have to catch up on the stuff I couldn’t do yesterday because we were sorting out the mess you made. I read an email from your technician, in response to the one sent out by the head yesterday. He has copied it to everyone he thinks might be important. He implies he has fixed the problem. I didn’t think I had the energy to get angry again. I replied, to all and told them exactly who had fixd the problem. No doubt the boss would tell be not to stoop to that level, but he’s not here.
Fucking, fucking twats. How dare you fuck about with my work. How dare you leave my stuff to be wiped whilst taking away my ability to back it up. How dare you copromise my research project by putting off job applicants by preventing them reaching the information they require and leaving them with the impression I am incompetant. How dare you remove access to and risk my losing my intellectual property. How would you feel if I walked into your office while you were out and removed all of your lectuer notes and research papers?
t’s a beautiful day and I’m stuck in work. Clearly neither you or your arse licking sidekick are. I’m still angry. It takes a while to get me mad, but I won’t forget, you tosser.
Oh yeah, and you stink.
