SHOULD SCHOOLS BLOCK SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?

ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST BLOCKING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AT SCHOOL.

Facebook has a negative impact on the concentration of students

A recent study in one school in Britain has shown that Facebook has very negative impact on the performance of students in school. What is all about?

The school has conducted research and testing to determine whether social networks, and facebook as the most popular among them, affect in any way the performance of students. The testing was done so that for a period of three months, the first two months access to facebook was denied and the third month access to facebook was allowed. The results showed that a sample of three months was just enough to make a conclusion. In the third month, during the period of facebook usage, it was noticed slight deterioration of grades, but what is even more important is lack of concentration and poor knowledge acceptance. In order to test the concentration level and the quality of teaching, at the last week, lesson was carried out to make summary of what was learned in every subject. In that summary students have participated and it turned out that the results were much worse in the third month. This test has shown that facebook and other social networks have the most negative influence on quality of education.

The problem does not occur only in case when students were actually logged on to facebook and didn’t pay attention to what teacher says. The problem is in the fact that “current events” on the facebook distract them also in the time when they are not connected to it. Social networks are used by teenagers as a way to call the meeting with some person, to declare love and so on which in aspect of socialization is much easier to do than in actual world! In those situations, waiting for a response creates the need for constantly visiting facebook.

All this mentioned, and many other elements are the reason why the results of the test showed that the use of social networks in school has a negative impact on grades, monitoring of teaching and the concentration of students!

http://worldoffacebook.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/hello-world/ 

Should employers ban the use of social networking sites at work?

FOR 

· Wastes Employer's Money Using social networking sites while not on break at work wastes productivity on the boss's dime. Employers should already have Internet/phone usage rules in place before employees work there so they know what to expect. In general, using the Internet or texting while on the clock is a no-no, so use common sense while on the clock! 

· No time wasting at work I think they should. Most companies already have it in their policies that Internet is not supposed to be used for personal purposes during work time. That includes social networking sites, by definition. Some companies use software to track how employees use the Internet, too. They understand that some folks would try to violate the rules. 

· Social networking can become a distraction In some cases, yes, employers may want to band the use of social networking on their work computers. If it has become a distraction or a hindrance to accomplishing the daily task that an employee must complete than it is cost the employer money. It can also cause a rift in employee's working relationship with each other if things are posted about one another. 

· Yes, it is a distraction. Employers should be perfectly entitled to ban the use of social networking sites at work; it is not only a distraction, but the employers are not paying them to sit their chatting and playing games they are paid to work. Employees should not be on those sites even if it is allowed at work. 

· Yes, employees waste time on them. Yes, employers should ban the use of social networking sites at work, because employees waste a great deal of time on them. Although employees like them, they are a great way to waste time and to be distracted. Employees get more done if they are able to concentrate on their work without distractions from social media. 

AGAINST 

· Employers should not ban the use of social networking sites at work. The use of social networking sites should be left up to the account holder. If the use of these sites start to get in the way of the work that should be done then I think the employer has the right to ask the employee to stop using it. 

· No they should not ban it. There should be no issues between work and social networking sites at work as long as it is done in an employee’s own time such as a break. Employees have the right to post what they want to on their pages as it is their right, and employers should not try to block that. 

· Communication -- whether it's internal or external -- is key to business success. One of the fastest means of communication today is social networking. In fact, it's just about the most immediate form of communication you can find. Your employees may be communicating with the outside world, but many of those people on the outside are consumers and possible clients. 

· Advertising . Dare I say "free advertising"? I dare and I do. Social networking brings to businesses a boon of free advertising. You can't afford not to hop onto this bandwagon. And getting on board early shows the public that you are an agile, aware company. Allowing your employees to take advantage of social networking also shows you care about them. In this society, caring goes a long way. All of that makes for some seriously powerful advertising. 

· Social networking facilitates collaboration internally, but it also lets users collaborate with the entire world. I have done this countless times. When I've been stuck on an idea, I call out to my followers on Twitter or Facebook to get a deluge of answers. It's free and it's fast. 

· Your company and its employees need to know how to use social networking effectively. Why? Because our society is on a collision course with an even further embedding of social media into our lives. You want your company and your employees at the forefront of that trend. At some point, your employees may have to use social networking to market and sell your product. Allowing them to use it on a daily basis now will ensure that they're social media savvy, without the need for training. 

· The world wants transparency. We've seen it from every level of business and government. Allowing your employees to participate in social networking illustrates to your employees' social circle that you mean business when it comes to employee retention and happiness. Today's consumers and society eat that up. But if they see a company deliberately squelching the employee voice and hiding behind the walls of security and information blocking, there will be a backlash. Transparency can go a long way toward boosting customer loyalty as well as your customers' faith in you as a business within the community. 

· You want your company to network. You want your employees to network. You want your employees to know what other companies are doing and to be in touch with the heartbeat of your market. What better way to accomplish this than with social networking? Yes, they can network with email, but not on as grand a scale.

Should companies block social networking sites?

Internet controls and filters in the workplace are nothing new. Nearly one in four businesses block employee access to social networking web sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Just a few years ago, the idea of an online social network was revolutionary. With the number of Americans using social networking sites tripling in recent years, use of such sites has grown during work hours. But social networks pose an interesting case: their potential for professional as well as personal networking, not to mention the well-publicized use of Twitter for marketing and customer service. There's also the fact that they've become so ingrained in culture and communication that some companies choosing to block them can hurt their companies chances of success rather than help.

Did you know that over half of U.S. workplaces block access to social-networking sites? New survey results indicate 54% block social networks "completely," while another 19% only permit it "for business purposes." Some companies, additionally, may have different standards set for different degrees of employees--the guy running the company Twitter account and the human resources department may have extra privileges, for example. Is social networking a productivity killer or is this the perfect opportunity to boost sales in the new era? 8% of companies actually encourage employees to use social networking sites, and 10% say they are invaluable marketing, networking and sales tools. Banning use of sites could also make it hard to recruit young employees. 

I think part of the desire to block is fear of the unknown. When rock and roll first hit the scene, people around the world were horrified and wanted this new type of music banned. I believe as more and more companies become comfortable with social networking sites, they will less stress about the use. Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication to your colleagues, customers and more. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your potential client could discuss a transaction by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. The idea of socializing with millions of people, in just one click, is exciting to the world of business. 

All in all social networking is here to stay, whether you are a fan of the concept to connecting with millions of people in a tweet or status, or whether you feel it is a distraction from your everyday duties it is a the future of business.

https://www.campaignercrm.com/en/community/blog/crm/post/should-companies-block-social-networking-sites/