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The Link I Won't Click


As I've mentioned before, I use Google Reader to track various RSS feeds. It helps me to keep up with various sites and stories that I find interesting and/or educational, so I like it quite a bit. On most days, I read my posts and go about my business. Recently, though, there was a post that made things anything but just another post on any other day.

To begin with, the post that came up on my feed was from a site called "Clients From Hell." In hindsight, the title on the thing was "NSFW Work Opportunity," so I should've known that this was going to be awfully interesting. Now, I should also mention that I usually read my feeds while at work. So a post that says "NSFW" made me a little leery. Still, it showed up on my feed, and those posts are generally text-only, so I figured I'd take my chances.

If you haven't already read the post, the story is about a guy who asks a designer to make his anatomy look bigger in a "risque project." There's even a link to said project. Cue laughter, exit stage left, right? No. The post finishes with an editor's note, "I'll be very impressed with the bravery of anyone who clicks that link."

Well, hell. That looked like a challenge if I'd ever seen one. My inner smart ass immediately replied with, "you're on, unseen editor. I don't back down from no link." A split second later, I realized that I was still at work, and it was a very, very good idea to avoid clicking on that link. The title says it's not safe for work, for crying out loud.

The secondary reaction, however, triggered an inner monologue. The work network was only a minor inconvenience, since I could easily grab my personal phone and pull up that link. Game on. Then again, I'd be clicking on a link to, in all likelihood, look at some other dude's junk. Game very, very off. I kid you not, I went back and forth in my head for several minutes trying to weigh the pros and cons of this decision. Ultimately, I had to get back to work, so the decision was shelved for later.

When later eventually rolled around, I had the exact same discussion with myself again. To click or not to click? If only that editor hadn't called me out, I wouldn't have had this dilemma. Do you know what it's like having your pride put on the line for you, for no good reason? It's rough, man. I even emailed another friend joking about this quandary of mine, and she predictably laughed her head off. Like I said, it's rough.

Ultimately, though, I decided against showing that editor who was boss. I'm okay with not being brave enough in this specific instance. Still, my pride hates that website just a little bit.
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