(image source: CarbonNYC)
I got a warning from our IT security people yesterday, who noticed that I was on Facebook at work during a “random audit.” Apparently this is bad because it “could cause congestion and disruption of networks and systems.” Sigh.
Note that it’s not actually slowing down the network, rather it might possibly slow down the network.
Why single out social networking rather than any other form of online activity? They might as well tell us not to use the Internet for our work. Stop visiting those web site thingies! Oh and all those emails you’re sending and receiving? Well stop that too!
Course, then it would pretty much impossible to actually get any work done, but no matter. The network would be lightning fast with nobody pushing any data through it.
Obviously this isn’t what they are really thinking. How about: Social networks = goofing off at work? My IT department is not alone in their anti-Facebook stance either – it seems that there’s lots of IT managers that don’t like social networks (as in over 70% in this survey).
I take solace in the fact that Facebook is not (as of today anyhow) being actively blocked by our firewall – unlike the situation in some other bureaucracies. (Kinda surprising given the Facebook slam on the copyright front back in December – you’d think that would have opened the door to someone to implement a ban in reaction, but hey.) Somebody somewhere in our IT-land is taking a more reasonable “wait and see” attitude. Or maybe they’re just addicted to Facebook.
And just in case you were asking yourself why I am in fact goofing off on Facebook: it’s an experiment. Field research if you will. My colleagues and clients at work are wondering what it’s about, and what it means for their communications and marketing activities. Folks are looking for answers. So I’m exploring.
What's a spaghetti test?
I don’t goof off on Facebook at work. I use it to speak to stakeholders in the privacy world (twist your head around that!), colleagues in marketing and communications in the States, Europe and Asia, and – gasp – reporters!
Try framing your counterargument to IT that way.
[...] this with a federal government that bans workplace access to Facebook and other social networks, that is — notable exception aside — almost entirely silent [...]