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A recent survey conducted by Robert Half Technology found that many businesses ban sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the workplace. Seen as a distraction by some, these sites do have potential value to IT employees who use them appropriately.
Says Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, "These sites can be leveraged as effective business tools, which may be why about one in five companies allows their use for work-related purposes."
The key is exercising good judgment, no matter which computer an employee uses to update their profiles, says Willmer: "Professionals should let common sense prevail when using Facebook and similar sites -- even outside of business hours. Regrettable posts can be a career liability."
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- If your boss does allow Facebooking or Tweeting on company time, limit messages to friends and family during those hours. Connect instead with fellow IT pros and catch up on industry news.
- Show your boss or a potential employer that you're a thought leader by working to post frequent musings on your industry or niche.
- Cas Purdy of Purdy PR, calls this his "Don't Twitter while you're bitter" rule. It's hard to take back harsh words, so think carefully about spewing negativity.
- Don't get yourself into trouble because you didn't know company policy regarding Tweets at work or because you didn't think you'd get caught sneaking a peek at your Facebook profile during some downtime.
- Familiarize yourself with privacy settings to make sure that compromising personal details or pictures can't be seen by the boss or the office blabbermouth. Or better yet, don't post that stuff in the first place.
- Practice a little self control and limit your activity while at work.
- Timestamps make it easy to check up on the type of activity you're into while in the office. Bosses don't like being notified that you've leveled up in Mafia Wars when a big software milestone is due.
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