[Basket Case] Let’s Face it 27 August 2007

I picked up a news item the other day regarding Facebook and the fact that more and more Australian companies appear to be clamping down on their employees’ use of Facebook at work because it’s costing them (the employers) huge amounts of money. But it’s been like that with everything, hasn’t it? Some years back there was a report to the effect that out of every 10 or so photocopies made in the office, the official ones were in the minority. Private documents accounted for some, recipes and cartoons and other bits and pieces for the others, and the lone two or three official company-related copies accounted for the balance. In similar vein, if your email inbox is anything like mine then some are business-related, and the balance are invitations to buy products that will apparently enhance areas of my somewhat dissipated body to the extent that top models will fall over themselves to share my life – well, love life (I trust they wear dark glasses and have a guide dog). And I get a lot of jokes as well. Other messages allude to someone in Nigeria who is second cousin to the widow of the late minister of Trade who somehow or other forgot US$20 million in an account, and if I just help one teensy bit, I’ll get half of the cash for my troubles. So it’s no wonder that in this age of instant communication, we are assailed from all sides by the good, the bad and the ugly – and I can understand how Australian business leaders feel when they see their employees spending far too much time on Facebook. I wonder how long it will be before employers here is South Africa also begin to take a long hard look at FB and programs like it. Weeding out the trash in the inbox takes more than enough time as it is!

Rod Baker, Content Manager
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This column originally published 27 August 2007.