This is a sea-change from a few years ago, when organization’s had sort of a Wild West situation going on.  The “Business” half of the organization was mired in business – the doing of doing what ya do – and “IT” was lagging a bit:  particularly in small and medium business environments. 

Acceptable Use policies made little if any mention of social networking.  Many policies were even thin on e-mail etiquette.  Remember “netiquette?”  How quaint that seems.

Even today, as I review policies, many are remiss in their treatment of social networking.  As I remarked in an earlier article, I think a Permitted Use section of an AU policy is a good thing, spelling out the when of what you can do on social networking.  It’s a blended environment, and people are going to use company assets such as e-mail, to apprise spouses and other significant others of their schedule:  My arrival time home, who’s picking up the kids, etc.  To say nothing of “Friending”…

Now consider that Facebook is adding e-mail to its services:  Employees have another tempting avenue of communication via work-related assets for purpose of handling personal affairs.

Some companies allow social networking on lunches and breaks.  Some ban it altogether.  However, what is important is that you size the employee expectations and associated use- and establish protections for your organization.  The general caveats that have stood in time apply:  No bad-mouthing the company, its personnel, its practices… Do not divulge corporate secrets… most of it dumps straight out of HR, and gets quickly tuned and rewritten as IT policy, and as a section of IT orientation for each new hire.  Be sure that employees aren’t conducting official business through social networking, as that doesn’t come under the umbrella of your content management policies, your backups, your oversight.

Periodic refreshers for appropriate use of social  networking, or no use at all, for all staff are in order, too. 

Nov. 17^th:  On this day in 1853, street signs are authorized at San Francisco intersections.

Oh oh – here we go again.  A Wall Street Journal investigation has found that the social networking site MySpace, in conjunction with popular applications on the site, has been sending crucial data to advertising companies.  This data can be used to identify users – and I’d call this a breach of identity.

This report comes amid news that many employers are blocking access to sites such as MySpace, facebook, and even AOL.  This comes at a time when social networking is becoming, or has already become, as ubiquitous as e-mail.  Many work folks stay abreast of family and friend occurrences and commitments through these means, just as they do through e-mail.

Companies need to revisit Acceptable Use and Security Policies again.  If you’re not covering and directing what people can do with organizational  resources, to include social networking, you need to address that at once.

For some companies, facebook and MySpace, et al, represent opportunity for marketing and expansion of client bases, exposition of products, and sales.  The authorized uses of social networking are obvious and can be easily documented in an Acceptable Use Policy.  If your company is utilizing social networking in expanding business, you merely follow many of the same dictates for appropriate use of e-mail, for appropriate communications, etc. 

However, in any Acceptable Use Policy’s three main sections (Required Activities; Forbidden Activities; and Limited Personal Use Activities), it is  the “Limited Personal Use…” section that is trickiest.  Here is where the organization attempts to be a “decent chap,” in making allowance for some of the mental snack time we all need; some idle web surfing, personal e-mailing, social networking perusal and update… 

In other words, it’s tolerated, so long as

1)     You don’t publish proprietary information

2)     Shared resources aren’t tied up,

3)     Inflammatory or illegal material isn’t published

4)     Personal activity isn’t conducted under the impression that you’re operating in your official capacity

5)     You don’t open security holes for breach

And so on and so forth.

MySpace is still around??  Be careful out there.   :^ )   Also, you may wish to visit Social Networking and the Blended Environment.

NP:  Band of Gypsys (Hendrix, Cox, Miles) on original vinyl.  Naturally.  (And yeah, it is “Gypsys” – but you knew that).