I was recently involved with a road show telling people on the streets of Manchester about the Getsafeonline website (http://www.getsafeonline.org) which advises people about how to secure their web interactions. About half of those who tried to brush me off with ‘I never use the internet’ were attracted to the leaflet when I pointed out that their friends and family may be posting information about them in blogs or social network sites.
 
It’s an alluring technology but few of the associated risks are really technology problems. It’s no different from that old managerial adage of ‘less gob, more job’. Perhaps management is failing to get people working to their appropriate potential? But similarly, heavy handed bans are unlikely to mitigate the risks. It’s a difficult solution to call. Do you risk resentment and clandestine access and comments by putting in a blanket ban or do you encourage personal responsibility by leaving access available? Some companies seem to have the balance by allowing access out of hours or at lunchtimes. You may curtail the workplace access but you can’t control the cybercafé or home PC without instilling staff with a risk literate attitude. If it’s not your job to update a social networking site(!), you are stealing from your employer if you do it during working hours. With quick checks and small updates, you will find yourself like Oscar Wilde - resisting everything but temptation. You may have intended it to be a 5-minute break an hour ago . . .
 
And then there’s the problem of automated content management. We’ve already seen the lack of control afforded to an advertiser placing adverts on a social networking site and the freedom of users to define content outside the close control of the website associating them with undesirable material (from at least the point of view of brand image).

Daniel Dresner