The issue of whether to allow employees access to social-media apps, Facebook in particular, is a growing concern in many companies. Bandwidth costs are soaring, and some people think it’s affecting productivity. As someone quipped on the Nomadic Marketing course “Is it Social-Networking, or Social-NOTworking”!?
Of course, the people inside these companies probably don’t appreciate their access to these sites being curtailed. I, for one, think these things enhance my productivity. But I’m obviously a bit strange.
Of course, someone has created a support group for these people, on Facebook, ironically.
The group, called “I hate IT departments who block MSN, MySpace & Facebook” could be big, but only if it’s target membership can actually access it!
Anyway, some interesting commentary is coming from the group:
We have found a way to access the book at work – hee hee ….. www.logmein.com… basically download the free software to your pc at home – leave it running while at work – and you can access your pc from work and facebook ALL DAY …. WICKED!!!
An IT guy had this to say:
We (The IT Guy) is not the enemy we do as we are told and what security procedures we have to follow… But what the boss doesn’t know wont hurt him!
And:
Make friends with the IT guys they have basically your office world at their finger tips…
Where there’s a need, there’s a Facebook group. What are your thoughts on this?
By the IT guys drinks and they can unblock you……………….
*Buy*
It seems that companies are scared of what they don’t understand.
Scoble’s comment on Techcrunch, about Siemens embracing Facebook as a possible replacement for their corporate intranet is very interesting:
http://tinyurl.com/2baua7
Also, Jason Kottke’s comment,
“Facebook is an intranet for you and your friends that just happens to be accessible without a VPN.”
(http://www.kottke.org/07/07/facebook-vs-aol-redux)
I like this idea of Facebook becoming an personal intranet.
Gabi: u know this.
Andrew: I love that idea! In fact, I feel a follow-up post coming on. Thanks for your input.
yup, I also read that Siemens thing and it’s something that other companies should look into.
Especially with companies that are possibly going to be huge, this is a great way to get to know the nameless, faceless people at your company.
When you join the company you get: Laptop, business cards, skype account, facebook account.
Awesome Dave, I look forward to reading it.
Dave,
I am actually not surprised at all that companies follow this route. The mere existence of groups such as the one you have mentioned and the comments from some people (in your article) goes to prove that the majority of “Facebookers” (has this been termed?) are using Facebook “to NOTwork”.
Others like yourself, use Facebook as social platform, within limits I bet, but mostly as social marketing platforms and possible business ventures. Your “friends” extend to more than people you went to school with 100 years ago. Eric Edelstein mentioned how he searched for that one specific contact and finally made a connection, landing him some form of business deal.
There is a vast difference in the meaning of the word “networking” between someone like yourself, Eric Edelstein, Mike S etc and the average time consuming Facebooker out there.
And the only real way to solve this issue is the all or nothing approach.
I personally do my social research / networking / NOTworking at home at night.
Reason 1 being, I know the potential addiction.
Reason 2, I have yet to prove my research that social platforms add value to the specific project I’m working on for my company.
Another spin is considering using social networking tools (like errr…. facebook perhaps
) to add value to the CRM systems we know that are in existence at corporations today.
What do you think of that idea?
You make some good points Henre, and there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of people who’re using it not to work. However, if most of the company’s employee’s are already on Facebook, and communicating with it, why not try and leverage it for good, seeing they’re on there anyway. I’m sure it could improve communication, thereby productivity.
Facebook is customisable, through the apps, so why not create a facebook app? An exampleapp could show a “work status” ie, “I’m working on the new facebook app”.
There are so many ways, companies just need to be creative.
Andrew, I fully agree. My comment was not intended to shoot down the idea at all.
I am all for it. My concern is that there are no real tools to measure effective company interaction over socialising (and time wasting) on platforms such as Facebook. If there are, then obviously my concern is irrelevant.
For companies such as Dell, Apple, Forbes and as mentioned Siemens, sure, this could be a fantastic opportunity to embrace social media. These companies can afford the effort and management that goes along with it, but in SA where there are abundance of SME’s, the risks (financially and otherwise) are too great I feel.
See, not everybody’s looking for possible business opportunities, a way to reach large dedicated audiences, enhancing their brand or sales of “social” products. My opinion is that most are using it as entertainment. To illustrate, place a copy of FHM, Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated in front of male employees. Grant them the permission to work through the magazines, with the intention of sourcing leads.
What would happen? Am I too critical?
Henre: It’s true that the way many companies (along with their salary structures, hierarchies, incentive shemes etc ) are not suited to trust their employees with their own time. I believe, however that this needs is where the big changes are going to happen – as Tom Peters pointed out: “If you don’t like change, you’d going like irrelevance even less”!
Ernst, I frikkin’ love that idea. U know this tho:-p
Andrew: yes, the app side of things could be the key to productivity here… I liked the “Facebook OS” idea in that Techcrunch article you sent me – not so far-fetched.
It is funny how everyone seems to be using Facebook for different reasons. I joined on recommendation from my flatmate.
At first it was a great tool to get in touch with people who I went to school and varsity with, and worked with in the UK. I then advertised my company and joined various business groups and the sole purpose now is to use it as a viral marketing tool, not only for myself, but for current and prospective clients.
Although I get irritated with IT departments who ban these sites, in fact I detest them, I can see why. Facebook has become the new Gaydar. People spend their time ‘poking’ each other – now, they are ‘Super Poking’ each other (have you ever!). So I can see that a lot of time is wasted on the site. That is why I only log in when a message comes through.
What I say is that IT departments should give a little leeway to Facebook, MySpace and MSN and strike a compromise. After all, it is a craze and if access means happy staff then so be it. To be honest, I would rather have my team on Facebook and MSN at their work stations than sitting browzing it on their cellphones and on MXIT all day long. One company I know has got a good compromise – Facebook is open for browzing before 9am, and after 5pm so staff have access to it at work, but it doesn’t affect their performance.
I just loved the TechCrunch article. And anything labelled as far fetched in computer / internet terms in history have been absolutely destroyed.
Too many people have been left red faced in the past for me to even suggest a hint of sceptism to the idea.
Companies working like the ones described above are not going to last very long… the way business is being done is being revolutionised right now, at this moment
(profound huh!)
The days where workers are hanging on to a job, doing their hours, trying to avoid the next layoff, are over. Where companies pay employees to sit in a cubicle from 9-5 daily, are over… this is the age of the individual, and companies can’t really do much about it – the internet is starting to change the world in a way we never expected in the late 90s!
I’m not saying that has anything to do with companies embracing facebook (or any social networking tools)… but I’m definitely saying that companies should not just see this as just another way to avoid “work”; to survive, companies need to, at the very least, be open to considering the potential of utilising tools like facebook.
Preventing people from using facebook though could leave a company biting competitor’s dust.
Facebook isn’t just a website – it’s a platform on which *anything* can be built, utlilising the facebook user base ;o)
Tim: Limited access could be a safe way to manage for a start, and maybe good for some companies to squeeze all, but I don’t think it’s a sustainable or particularly advantageous… it seems like a defensive position rather than an expansive one. These tools can actually HELP! (p.s. yes, I know u recommend it’s use to clients so I’m preaching to the choir here)
Henre: Yikes, it’s true! Who knows what’s coming next? Certainly no individual can see the whole picture. I’m with you on that. Apps like Facebook can help us co-create a direction and vision to adapt to the need for ongoing (potentially) disruptive innovation.
Another point which comes to mind is this…. (Prepare for a rant!) What makes companies think that they own a whole person and all of their hours in a day. Surely they’re employing people to achieve certian objectives and perform certain duties rather than simply being in a particular place for a particular amount of time? The way I see it, having a company is a great way to help people fulfill their mission and live satisfying lives, anything short of that is abuse!
Ernst, yes! Companies should identify the possibilities and the diverse array of avenues apps such as Facebook provide. Fact is that many businesses (like the ones in the article) are still doing business in the ’90s. I like where we are going though. Just today we found Afrigator mentioned in the top 30 internet startups. We’ll see more and more businesses embrace social media as the voice become louder.(Cluetrain Manifesto)
I suppose as long as the job gets done and deadlines are met, who cares if the guys are on Facebook all day. If someone has the ability to do 8 hours worth of work in an hour, the hats off to them!! I think as soon as it affects productivity and if poor performance amongst staff occurs as a result of this ’surf abuse’, then a compromise should be made
Dave, love the rant. And I’m a great believer in allowing talent to become the best they can be. I applaud companies who encourage that, but I believe they are in the minority. They don’t own the employee, but they believe they do. And they make the employee believe they do. I am still not seeing employers giving their employees the freedom to find their niche. And on some levels they can’t be blamed. Too many employees choose mediocrity as a career path.
It took a long almost 20 comments (Dave will be proud) before someone rationalise it like Tim. To quote Chandler’s boss on the Friends sitcom: “If the numbers go up, I’m happy”.
Ja, I reckon I’ve cracked the code to getting lots of comments: ask a question about Facebook.
Thanks for duplicating the article on our website Dave.
Here’s an example of a social networking tool that claims to make you more productive: http://8apps.com
Nice1 Ernst, I just signed up.
Q: Should Employees Be Allowed to Access Facebook at Work?
A: You know what i say, block’em! the http://www.logmein.com this is not so easy for users behind a proper firewall “Linux Powered”
What happens on Facebook doesn’t stay on FB!
Networking aside, whether that be from a business perspective or from within a social context……more and more ppl are getting sucked into FB, because of voyeurism. Human beings are just naturally curious, inquisitive n just plain busy bodies.
Blogs allowed u only so much access into the psyche and into the personal space of someones life, with FB the possibilites are endless……its like a voyeurs paradise.
Good point – what happens in Facebook literally *will not* stay in Facebook – one of the biggest investors (indirectly) is the CIA. For more info, go here: http://albumoftheday.com/facebook/
Might make you think twice next time before you click those “Accept Terms & Conditions” buttons on a site ;o)
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_facebook_apps_work.php more work stuff for Facebook.
Nats – on the point of voyeurism: employers are incerasingly looking to Facebook for insights into prospective hire’s lifestyles and interests. It’s also becoming a matter of prudence – how does what you have on your profile reflect on your company?
Ernst: I haver resigned myself to the fact that the CIA owns my info and it keeps me honest:-p
Marsh: Awesome resource, thank you!
Dave, what you touched on is also an interesting one. Companies also have to spend more to ensure that their reputation is not suffering as a result of irresponsible behaviour of its employees on sites like Facebook?
I think companies should set up an Internet policy to prevent what is termed ‘Surf Abuse’.
I worked at a leading retailer and a staff member was caught looking at porn on a demo computer. This naturally threatened the integrity of the brand but sadly due to no set Internet policy, he got away with nothing but a slapped wrist.
I have personally been in the dog box for sending jokes around the office on the company email. Great for morale etc, but did you realise that sending a joke via company email is just the same as sending it on a company letterhead? That is why I suppose these days most companies have disclaimers at the end of their emails.
As I said before, as long as the job gets done, who cares if someone is on Facebook all day. And of course as long as the content they are browsing through does not in any way, shape or form compromise the reputation and integrity of the company.
Tim, agreed. Employees will be bleak if you completely remove their Facebook use, but if you set clear guidelines around what is considered inappropriate use then it’s easier to control and can be used positively.
Some good posts on this:
Why You Should Let Your Employees Use Facebook – Mike Stopforth
and
Corporates Blocking Facebook – Vinny Lingham
I think in today’s office Facebook has a definate place. I see it as the virtual watercooler. In the mid 80’s and early 90’s people used to congregate around the watercooler and waste time, now they congregate on Facebook and “waste time”. It’s just a different application of the same principle: People would rather socialise then work.
I feel that at the end of the day you still have hours to bill/sales targets to hit/calls to make and if you don’t perform on a business level someone above you in the corporate hierarchy will send you on your way.
I also have a theory that Facebook will eat itself. At the moment Facebook is at an all time high with people jumping on board at an astounding rate. Sooner rather then later all your friends will be on it. The “newness” factor will have worn off, you have made silly comments on all your “old friends” (that quite honestly you don’t want to speak to really anyway) and you are sick of useless applications and groups that offer no real value.
Myself and Uno spoke about this the other day and we both don’t nearly use Facebook as much as we used to. The novelty wears off.
Johan, true. The novelty is fast wearing off, but this will probably lead to more a more outcomes oriented approach to Facebook…. i.e. using based on what it’s best for, and selecting the applications which add the most value for the time spent on it.
I hide my access to facbook at work by using http://facebookpr0xy.info/
http://facebookpr0xy.info/
More and more people are starting to realize the marketing potential within Facebook. I ran across a website that shows you exactly how to use social networking to make huge sums of money…
With respect to getting access to Facebook or other sites at work, proxy’s don’t always work. A superior method is to create an encrypted tunnel to send your HTTP request through. Here are instructions for how to do it http://www.blakebrannon.com/2008/09/03/howto-facebook-at-work/
should, coz PDA phone will do the same thing later
We all get bored at work sometimes so removing the distractions from the internet is a good thing. I knew this gal who said she would surf the internet for six hours a day instead of working. Her employer made some cutbacks and had to let her go. Her husband opened his own business shortly after. I wonder how she would feel if their employees were wasting time on the internet like she did. Facebook is pure time-suckage. If you were an employer would you want your employees on Facebook instead of doing productive work? It’s all fun-and-games until your job is outsourced and then you can blame the nasty old Bush administration if it makes you feel better but you will still be out of a job.
I think employees should have access but not all companies agree with this. Especially the micro-managing ones. Have you looked into all proxy sites? I’ve been using http://www.proxyheaven.cn It’s registered in China and has never been blocked from my office. Hope this helps.