Doing non-journalism piddling while working

Four sites, yes. Three of them to work matters and another for timeouts. My eye is on the ball when it is in play. Sorry if that goes against how you do it, Mr. Petty. When I was learning the craft, I was taught to watch the freaking game, take notes/keep score and write what happened. Somewhere, evidently, that got lost. Enjoy writing from the canned play-by-play while logging that Minesweeper high score, everybody!

rb

 

Or the Scruples Nazi.

Although that would have to be a solo act.

 

Seriously, do you review your posts before you post? Do you realize how much of a hypocrite fool you sound like?

If you're looking to increase productivity in the press box, you better look in the damn mirror.

BYH

 

This is actually kind of an interesting thread/argument, since it's clear that nobody's going to convince the other. So, with these, I'm done:

1) RB, just not lest ye be judged.

2) I've known some great news people who basically just hung out the entire game -- doing whatever -- and then absolutely nailed it in the paper the next day. And, I repeat: That's all I've ever cared about. I don't care about the labor, I just want to see the baby (to paraphrase).

 

Good thing you signed that ... we never would've known ...

 

Hey Shottie I hope you're not on the clock.

 

Codas tell Shot to log off and get back to work.

 

The first post on this thread is one of the funniest unintentionally funny things I've read in a while.

 

Scrupulous Desk Nazis might work, if you want a band.

and just so no one's judging me, i'm "off the clock," but doing research for a story in between SportsJournalists.com posts.

 

I'm off the clock, but traveling home from a road assignment. So I guess I'm on a "travel" day. Better log off, lest shottie track me down and berate me.

Off his clock, of course.

 

So much worry about what other people do that affects not a whit what the posters do.
It's fairly typical of a nation that struggles with groups of people who loudly protest about what other people do, even if it's in the privacy of their own homes.
What's also interesting is the underlying sentiment that if you aren't working at least 40 hours a week, well, you really aren't working. This also in a nation where two weeks of vacation is standard.
Do you know there are countries in Europe that grant six weeks of vacation annually, with the majority if people taking it in the same month.
Guess what? Those countries haven't gone to hell in a handbasket.
And I'd be more wary of a play-charting, moralistic sniveller cranking out what is likely colorless prose than a guy who might dare play solitaire during a three-hour, 14-minutes of actual action football game.
I'd also be more likely to sit down and have a beer with solitaire man than with rock bottom.

 

NO SCRUPLES FOR YOU!!![/russian accent]

Seriously, the on the clock thing really irritates me. This isn't a 40-hour per week job. It's a whenever news happens job, whether the paper makes you fill out a time sheet or not. You don't just walk out the door when you get to 40, not if you want to keep said job. But there has to be some time somewhere when your brain cools its jets, and sitting at the game usually allows time for that. Especially one that starts at noon. At a major sporting event, even the Auburn-Alabama game (;D) there's a significant portion of the time where nothing is happening, particularly when the event is on TV. I don't think it makes anyone unprofessional to take a quick diversion when those times come up. And if that means you're able to think more clearly when crunch time (deadline) comes, then it might be irresponsible not to do it. Microsoft recognized this when they started putting solitaire in the Windows software.