The Cranky Product Manager

Administrivia

The Cranky PM believes she has finished fixing this here blog.  Please inform her of any broken links or missing images.  Muchas gracias.

Oh yeah. Two caveats:

1) Some comments and TrackBacks got lost.  Where they went is anyone's guess.  Seems they didn't export correctly.  Sorry 'bout that.

2) Any link that YOU made to a specific Cranky Product Manager post is probably busted.  The CPM would much appreciate it if you could relink. Her apologies for the inconvenience.

(If only SixApart would let Typepad users manually specify the base filename of each post. Alas, they do not.... Guess they didn't account for a use case where the actor tries to recreate the blog she deliberately nuked weeks earlier.)

A Bit on Anonymity

The Cranky Product Manager wants to respond to the comments on her last post.

Maybe y'all are right.  Maybe the CPM's real-life alter ego could not be fired for keeping this here blog.  She thinks you're wrong, since her state is an "at-will employment state", which she understand means she can be canned at any time for any reason that doesn't have to do with discrimination.

But anyway, assume you're right and she can't be fired for keeping a blog.  That doesn't mean she's willing to risk being found out by her colleagues.

Even though the CPM's stories are fictional, well, think about it.  How would you feel if you found out one of your co-workers was the Cranky Product Manager?  Would you wonder if your latest gaffe was the inspiration for her most recent post?  Would you wonder if you were the inspiration behind the Asshole Product Manager? Or the Product Marketing Director who is a self-styled visionary?  Or what about Sally, the Spineless Release Manager?

Do you think the Cranky Product Manager's credibility and influence with developers, marketers, salespeople, and executives might be impacted?  That maybe her entire ability to get her job done would be gravely compromised?  And that her diminished job performance might lead to her eventual firing?

The Cranky PM thinks so. And thus she continues to remain anonymous and do her utmost to protect her identity, regardless of whether or not her company can officially fire her for having a blog.

She's back again

Cripes, it is a pain in the ass being an anonymous blogger.  One becomes constantly paranoid that her identity will be revealed, and that a pink slip and unemployment claims will be the end result.

Picture, if you will, the Cranky Product Manager doing a horrendously stupid thing at her real life job that -- if anyone was even paying the slightest bit of attention -- would surely have exposed her as the author of this here site.  Within 5 minutes of realizing this grave mis-step, the Cranky Product Manager blew this site away. No time to backup the site, except for a quick export of all posts. In desperation, she pressed *DELETE WEBLOG* and *poof* it was all gone.

Fortunately, it seems that no one was paying attention.  Perhaps it has blown over. Perhaps it is safe to come out of her cave again and breathe the fresh air of civilized society.  Perhaps the Cranky Product Manager can rebuild and venture in the blogosphere once more, but a little bit wiser this time.  OK, a lot wiser as she was an unbelievable idiot for letting this happen.

So the site is republished. Mostly.

Alas, all the photos on this blog -- including her marvelous logo image -- are gone.

And a bunch of links are effed up.  If you ever linked to a specific CPM post, you might want to redo your link. So sorry about that. 

And the site looks like crapola now, with all the missing images and the yucky plain green design.  It physically hurts the Cranky Product Manager to think of her site looking so freakin' disgusting.  Cripes again.

The CPM apologizes for her disappearance, especially to those who gave a s*&$. She gives a shout out to the folks at On Product Management for filing the equivalent of a missing persons report. And to the fine, upstanding individuals who emailed her, inquiring about the CPM's health and whereabouts.  Love to you all.  Kisses. Every one of you.

Stay tuned for the next post, being slaved over this second.  It's called How to Gain the Respect of Development in 10 Easy Steps. You'll love it.  Swear to Cheesus. Unlike her usual bitch-and-moan posts, the Cranky Product Manager promises that this post will actually be useful.

See you soon. Promise. And again, apologies.

test