Comments on: Why your company should ban Facebook http://www.hallaminternet.com/2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/ The Search Engine Optimisation Experts Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:06:20 +0000 hourly 1 By: martin /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-2779 martin Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:51:10 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-2779 I really hope I've missed the joke here - an internet marketing & training consultancy posting an article suggesting banning Facebook? You cannot be serious... Even if you are being clever clever there will be elected members, for instance, who will jump on this as justification and vindication of their own luddite views. You haven't done anyone any favours here and I think you've made yourselves look a bit silly because posting this, even in an ironic manner, you've put yourselves firmly in the Daily Mail school of knockers. Facebook, or any other website (including yours?), is just one feature on the hierarchy of digital distractions. Any employee who wants to skive will do so, whether it's spending 20 minutes on social networking, porn or gossip in the lift. I really hope I’ve missed the joke here – an internet marketing & training consultancy
posting an article suggesting banning Facebook? You cannot be serious…
Even if you are being clever clever there will be elected members, for instance, who will jump on this as justification and vindication of their own luddite views.
You haven’t done anyone any favours here and I think you’ve made yourselves look a bit silly because posting this, even in an ironic manner, you’ve put yourselves firmly in the Daily Mail school of knockers.
Facebook, or any other website (including yours?), is just one feature on the hierarchy of digital distractions. Any employee who wants to skive will do so, whether it’s spending 20 minutes on social networking, porn or gossip in the lift.

]]> By: Andrew /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-2693 Andrew Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:38:30 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-2693 Banning Facebook at work - really? With all sorts of different platforms to be able to interact with friends and family over the internet, either on an mobile phone, tablet or personal laptop (people do bring these to work) is it really possible to prevent staff from going on Facebook and causing damage to a company's reputation? Far better to get staff engaged and be sociable rather than coming down and being heavy handed. Does anyone say anything to the people in the office/work place about colleagues talking to their friends and family? In the office culture it's not necessarily seen as being counterproductive. Engage with staff and embrace social networking - it's here to stay! Some firms have set-up their own version of social networking through the intranet, which is easier to manage. Banning Facebook at work – really? With all sorts of different platforms to be able to interact with friends and family over the internet, either on an mobile phone, tablet or personal laptop (people do bring these to work) is it really possible to prevent staff from going on Facebook and causing damage to a company’s reputation? Far better to get staff engaged and be sociable rather than coming down and being heavy handed. Does anyone say anything to the people in the office/work place about colleagues talking to their friends and family? In the office culture it’s not necessarily seen as being counterproductive. Engage with staff and embrace social networking – it’s here to stay! Some firms have set-up their own version of social networking through the intranet, which is easier to manage.

]]> By: Susan Hallam /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-1532 Susan Hallam Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:31:24 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-1532 Hi Ed, and thanks for your input. I must confess we wrote this post to be deliberately provocative, and it appears the strategy worked! I agree with you entirely about educating your staff, and indeed was recently interviewed on that very topic: http://www.itdonut.co.uk/news/it/firms-should-warn-staff-to-watch-their-words-on-twitter Hi Ed, and thanks for your input.

I must confess we wrote this post to be deliberately provocative, and it appears the strategy worked!

I agree with you entirely about educating your staff, and indeed was recently interviewed on that very topic:
http://www.itdonut.co.uk/news/it/firms-should-warn-staff-to-watch-their-words-on-twitter

]]> By: Ed Cox /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-1531 Ed Cox Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:35:40 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-1531 Banning Facebook in organisations is overkill. Surely it's better to educate staff about when to use and not use these things. The arguments presented here could be used against either the Internet or email (people use them for personal business, it uses bandwidth) but no-one's suggesting we should ban all email and web use from the workplace. People will be talking about your organisation on social media whether or not your staff join that conversation. Surely it's better to arm employees with the tools needed to look out for and manage PR disasters. Banning Facebook in organisations is overkill. Surely it’s better to educate staff about when to use and not use these things.

The arguments presented here could be used against either the Internet or email (people use them for personal business, it uses bandwidth) but no-one’s suggesting we should ban all email and web use from the workplace.

People will be talking about your organisation on social media whether or not your staff join that conversation. Surely it’s better to arm employees with the tools needed to look out for and manage PR disasters.

]]> By: Raul Palmios /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-1150 Raul Palmios Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:46:02 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-1150 Make sure you are marketing on the right platforms. No need for a Linkedin account if your market will be on Facebook. Make sure you are marketing on the right platforms. No need for a Linkedin account if your market will be on Facebook.

]]> By: Dave Spencer /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-1149 Dave Spencer Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:08:40 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-1149 It's easy to see the risks to organisations and you hear all the time about instances where people are being sued or that someone mucked up and posted something they shouldn't have, take the Vodafone incident as a prime example. However, wouldn't a better policy be to educate people? As time and time again, something comes along, organisations try to impose restrictions and people always find a way around it. Engaging with your workforce and educating them what you can and can't do is usually a more productive process and generally leads to greater adoption of policies and practices than imposing an outright ban, when they most likely haven't done anything to warrant it.... It’s easy to see the risks to organisations and you hear all the time about instances where people are being sued or that someone mucked up and posted something they shouldn’t have, take the Vodafone incident as a prime example. However, wouldn’t a better policy be to educate people? As time and time again, something comes along, organisations try to impose restrictions and people always find a way around it. Engaging with your workforce and educating them what you can and can’t do is usually a more productive process and generally leads to greater adoption of policies and practices than imposing an outright ban, when they most likely haven’t done anything to warrant it….

]]> By: Ben Proctor /2010/why-your-company-should-ban-facebook/#comment-1148 Ben Proctor Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:35:43 +0000 http://www.hallam.biz/?p=2585#comment-1148 I agree absolutely with the risks that you identify and banning facebook would certainly be one way to reduce those risks. I don't think it will be sustainable in the medium term because social media is starting to permeate the working space. In, say, five years banning access to social networking sites will be as bizarre as banning e-mail. The challenge for organisations is to find a way to move from where we are now to that point while managing the risks that your identify above. I agree absolutely with the risks that you identify and banning facebook would certainly be one way to reduce those risks. I don’t think it will be sustainable in the medium term because social media is starting to permeate the working space. In, say, five years banning access to social networking sites will be as bizarre as banning e-mail. The challenge for organisations is to find a way to move from where we are now to that point while managing the risks that your identify above.

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