By Andrew White and Claire Ferris-Lay on Sunday, July 22, 2007
It may have 30 million users worldwide, but you’ll never find me on Facebook. The social networking phenomenon, which allows users to create profiles containing photos and lists of personal interests, exchange private or public messages, and join groups of friends, is the second most popular destination on the web. Nevertheless, it represents dangerous territory – a messy fingerprint that blurs the line between work and play, and one that could leave an indelible mark on your career.
In March, in a poll of 500 employers by UK recruitment agency Poolia, two thirds admitted to regularly carrying out internet searches, including checking social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. An even larger poll, of 2000 workers and 600 employers, by the social networking site Viadeo suggested that one organisation in five carries out such checks – and that a quarter of those that did had rejected applicants as a result. Who’s to say that those ‘hilarious’ Ibiza holiday snaps won’t find their way into the hands of an unimpressed potential employer? And do you really want to be struck off the candidate list before you’ve even got to the interview stage, on the pretext that the boss doesn’t like what he’s seen of you on a website that was supposed to be the private domain of trusted friends?
There’s also a good reason why firms are increasingly looking to ban Facebook in the office – quite simply, there are enough distractions in the workplace without obsessing over what might make a good profile photo. A recent US study found that the average 18 to 34 year-old spends 45 minutes of each work day conducting personal business on the internet. For many addicts, however, 45 minutes just isn’t enough – and their work is bound to suffer as a result. After all, why schedule a meeting or pick up the phone, when it’s more interesting to sit there ‘poking’ an old acquaintance you haven’t bothered to keep in touch with for the last 30 years?
Face facts. Thanks to Facebook, your boss probably already knows a lot more about you than you’d like – which means you’d best get back to work before his or her patience runs out…
I agree with this statement about Facebook. I think it should be banned from work places because it is addicting and can affect your work. Also, if you are older and start getting jobs and wanting to be accepted into colleges, you should watch what you put on your Facebook and Myspace because even if they say it is private, people are able to see into your profile.
Facebook is a social website that helps people stay in touch with long lost friends and immediate friends. It is a lot easier and less expensive than calling someone, which costs a lot more than i expected. However, it is up to the individual using facebook to know when they are going over the limit. That person should know when it is time to work and when they can use their free time for being on facebook. If they do not know this difference then it is their own fault and should pay the consequences for it.
It is true that Facebook wastes a lot of time, if not used correctly. I see no problem with keeping in contact with friends if you organize your time well. At the same time, I do not think that it is the right time when working a job to be playing around on Facebook. I do not think, although, that the companies should look into this beforehand and judge a person by their Facebook account.
the authors do have some valid points but may be taking it a bit too far, the online networking comunity is still fairly new to many people. thus these people dont know how to go around with them. there are many sites u can go to that show how to use them properly. for your boss to go and look at your site and find stuff that the users dont want thier boss to know, it is entirely thier own fault. users of these sites must be infull awareness of who can see thier details. people today must inform themselves before creating/posting personal things online.
Facebook is a fun and exciting site for people to have fun and keep in touch outside of school or work. It is easier to type messages then it is to talk on the phone with someone in my opinion, and its more fun! Yes a lot of people post things about themselves that they shouldn’t, but I think that it is their choice what they put on the internet for the world to see. People know the risk that they are getting into when they sign up for facebook and that’s why I don’t think that it should be band. If people feel like they need to post strange thing on the net then it is their own fault if they don’t get the job that they wanted for it or the opportunity they deserve because they put themselves out their to much. I don’t think that we should get blamed for things that other people screw up. We all deserve to prove ourselves and we cant do that without getting a chance to. Not everyone puts things on facebook that shouldn’t be on there and the people that do, do it at their own risk.
For everyone who agrees to this argument, your suggesting that facebook should be blocked from school since it is also a place of work. Don’t get me wrong I agree that facebook should be blocked in school since people are not working where they should, instead distracting others.
i dont really go on myspace and i dont even have a facebook, but i do not think it should be banned. i think one needs to have a little self control and not go on, or at least not stay on. i go on myspace because i dont have an e-mail, and i use the myspace IM to give and get info
-the end
Because so many people are signed up on myspace, face book, and or youtube, Many people consider using these sites as one of their “e-mail” accounts. An e-mail account for their friends that are also signed up to one of the named sites. Face book being banned from work, it could be an option, because at work you should only concentrate on your work. But in todays world, a big amount of people who signed up on these sites are in some way addicted face book, myspace, and or youtube. An option could be that the workers would get access to visit these sites in between their breaks.
This author does have a point. If people in an office spend most of their time on Facebook, they arent getting their work done and it hurts the business. The workers spend most of their time on the computer, so there is more chances to access it. I think it is appropriate to ban Facebook in an office, but not in a school. Most students do not get access to a computer in school, and if they do, it probably only for a couple of minutes for school work. Blocking Facebook in school is unnecessary.
Florian,
I think it should be blocked from school at certain times. When classes are going on, Facebook should definitly be banned. But maybe during lunch or something it can be open for anyone to use…
I do not think Facebook should be banned. Facebook or Myspace or any other networking website are there to keep in touch with friends and family or to just meet new people. Also it is ones own fault for posting pictures on Facebook or Myspace of their spring break or summer containing explicit stuff. And since I am only in 10th grade i will not apply for jobs or colleges for atleast another 2 years. IT is true though that it can be a distraction and for some it is like a drug and they are addicted but banning it would cause a sort of rehab effect… haha! Making certain boundaries would be a good first step.
obviously the people that put, fun on facebook before work, then they are not ready to be working the way they should be so they need to either take their job more seriously or things like facebook will be band, but insted of banding it from the whole company they could get a filter that controls who does what so people that do put facebook before work cant use it, but others that don’t have ths problem should still have the privilege of using it in their spare time at work.
Facebook does pose potential dangers of being misused in school, however that does not mean that it should not be banned in the office or schools. I think that students and workers need to be more responsible for how they spend their time. I do not believe that it is so much of a problem for students as they are in class for most of the day and when they are at break the students should be able to do what they want (in reasonability) for their free time. This also goes for workers at an office.
Since when is school a place to keep in touch with old friends and family and looking at friends’ pictures??
This article is not about the dangers of facebook, rather than the effects of it. If i may ask, how many hours per day do you sit in front of your computer browsing on facebook or chatting on msn, aim , etc..I could almost guess that it is 1 or 2 hours. For all of you that say it is easier to stay in contact, speaking with experience, if you have something important to say you either call them or meet up and discuss it in person. Facebook does help stay in contact with school friends, but it is being used as a main way of communication which is why people are becoming “addicted” and waste many hours every week with meaningless talk.
who said its meaningless? a lot of relationshiips bloom over myspace and facebook
Then have fun with your online relationship i used to think it was for people who have problems but i suppose i was wrong. For clarification i’m not one of thoes people who has nothing better to do that sit around all day and chat on facebook. Some people actually have a life.
Why does it have to be meaningless talk? Maybe you don’t personally don’t have anyone to talk to on Facebook or Myspace but that doesn’t mean you have the right to judge the people who do.
Amey, Why…
If you seriously go on one of those blind dates from meeting someone over the internet you are just an idiot…
I also agree that it should be banned, though it creates a huge opportunity for people to interact and share their thoughts and ideas, it still is not an escape for dirty contents that are not being filtered by the administrators. Though it can still be saved to this kind of maliciousness but still it has affected some users and actually not some but many of it..