This for my HR Scrabulous buddies out there — most of whom I’ve met through this blog.
LTS&R ain’t gonna get you very far.
As a side note, my pformer employer blocked Facebook almost immediately after I left the organization. Coincidence? Happenstance? Divine intervention from Baby Jesus?
I’m curious about the level of access to Web 2.0 in Corporate America. Does your organization block The MyFace? How about the Twitters? It seems pretty clear to me: if they don’t see the value in web2pointohs, they won’t see the value in your employment.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Facebook is blocked but not Myspace. Is that stupid or what? Twitter isn’t blocked. If they do then I’m quitting and taking the first flight #’ed 815 to anywhere it goes.
P.S. I’m going to bang Holly! Just thought you might like to know.
Oh. I’m so going to have to tell you the whole story of the IT guy at my former corporate gig and all the things he tries to block and how much time he spends (wastes?) tracking websites visited and number of text messages on each corporate cell and stuff like that.
It’s one of those tales that if you read it in a book, you wouldn’t believe a character like that existed.
All the best!
deb
@DRules I love the Phyllis/Angela battle. Can I have a list of all your vendors?
@deb DON’T YOU KNOW THAT HE’S PROTECTING YOUR COMPANY AGAINST VIRUSES AND EVILS AND TIME-WASTING APPLICATIONS THAT TAKE UP TOO MUCH BANDWIDTH???
HA! that’s the most hysterical part! he swears the place has never been hit by a virus….and has senior management convinced that all his work until 3 in the morning is protecting them….but we all knew better.
and props to drules just for working 815 into the conversation. (HA!)
all the best!
deb
When I started my current job, the company was WebSense
At my last company almost everything was blocked. I had a less stringent level of blocking but it was still very difficult to do any research online (for work).
At my current company the standards like Myspace and Facebook are blocked. Gmail is not though which is wonderful. I can check my mail and blogs during the day. Although wordpress is blocked so I can’t update my blog. Originally Craigslist was blocked but now that’s open since we use it for work stuff. Things are generally spotty. CNN and MSNBC are okay but Fox News isn’t (not that I’m arguing that one).
Wow, blocked wordpress? that is ill. I’ve been working at office jobs (small businesses) with full internet access since the year 2000. Lord help me if anything got blocked. How would I get new ideas or motivation? Certainly not IRL LOL.
Twitter and Facebook are blocked, as is Flickr. The filter hasn’t learned about BrightKite yet, but they caught on pretty quickly to Twitter so bkite’s days are numbered here. Accessing aol.com is spotty. I can’t read the comics on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer site, which is blocked as a game site (it’s the only online site I know about for the strip “Retail”), but reading the comics through the Washington Post and Houston Chronicle is okay. Some internet radio is blocked, but I can listen to NPR and Sirius feeds just fine. The Onion is blocked as R-rated material.
The website for Jones Soda is blocked under the category “music appreciation”. Huh?
Of course, this is why I bought an iPhone. Blocked sites? Bah.
@deb + drules I had to look up flight #815. LOST? I don’t watch the show, yo.
@neil Maybe your employer got a clue? (Nah!)
@Rachel So weird about Fox. I know there’s a case to be made against wasted time at work, but frankly, time will be wasted. Do you want me to take a nap in the bathroom or do you want me to watch videos at my desk on YouTube?
@Regina What’s it like to work for companies that trust you not to download porn and viruses? It must be awesome.
@Perrik Technology can’t keep you down. I love it. I also love how Jones Soda is blocked. WTF?? On a side note — Do you love your iPhone? I’m on the fence about buying one. I just bought a personal blackberry, last year, but I’m ready to throw it in the garbage and get a fancy iPhone (although I saw the new Blackberry Bold and it looks sweet).
Thanks to the iPhone, if I get lost en route somewhere, I can do the following:
1. Call to say I’m running late.
2. Use the built-in triangulation thingie in Google Maps that shows you (approximately) where you are, and then ask Google Maps for directions to get un-lost.
3. Go back to Google Maps and find the nearest Starbucks, because clearly I got lost because of caffeine deficiency.
4. Whine on Twitter about being lost.
5. Check my e-mail, find the clear & detailed directions they sent me, slap my forehead.
6. Check my calendar, and discover that the appointment is 2 hours later than I thought.
7. Visit the iPhone-optimized version of I Can Has Cheezburger, then head to the Starbucks.
8. Drive to the building and wait in the parking lot, drinking a latte and watching Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Holy crap, Perrik, I’m getting the iPhone. STAT.
“Video no longer available”? Bummer.
Robyn — really? I can see it. Try the direct link to The YouTubes.
Facebook is blocked at work; I haven’t tried MySpace, since I’m not a user or a fan, to be honest. I wouldn’t be surprised if Twitter gets blocked once they figure out what it is.
Some blogs are blocked but not others – for some reason, the filtering software thinks some blogs/domains are “Usenet Groups” or “Games,” and won’t allow access to them. It also blocks all TinyURL links as “hacks/proxy avoidance,” so I can’t access links that anyone posts on Twitter. There doesn’t seem to be much consistency about what’s blocked and what isn’t, so I can’t begin to figure it out.
I assume the blocking is partly motivated by productivity concerns, but really…if we want to waste time at work, we’ll find ways.
HA! perrick, i love it!
i once was “spoken to” about checking personal email at work (something i did *not* do often, but i also volunteer for an organization that my old company was a large contributor to — i was checking my personal email for a project i was working on with that organization) — i had the same reaction you did, “yeah. okay. won’t do it anymore. have an iPhone anyway.” and walked away laughing that wicked and evil laugh of mine.
all the best!
deb
I think the last time I worked for a company that bothered to block anything was 2004. I have been very lucky.
Last job? Hoo-boy. I spent days (yes, pural) doing no work at all. Of course, that is mostly because I didn’t have anything TO do as I automated and outsourced everything…
@hrwench We can’t even wear cropped pants at my company. Damn straight they’re going to block all the fun sites.
@Florinda I agree. I can waste time anywhere, but I prefer to waste it on the internets.
@hrwench God, all of my former employers are stuck in the *early* part of the century.
@perrik You can’t wear cropped pants? Damn those hospital regulations are tough.
@laurie What they don’t know is that I always wear cropped pants. My inseam is 24″, so crops require no additional hemming. Wearing them lets me be subversive and yet correctly dressed at the same time.
This is what passes for rebellion in my life. Sad, eh?