Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Companies misusing social networking


By Brooke Shanholtz

Social networking has grown vastly over the past year, but are some companies misusing the service?

Reports have shown mixed attitudes from different companies. Some companies, such as Symantec Corp., report urging their employees to promote the organization through free services such as Facebook and Twitter.

Other companies find that using social networking causes problems and have banned their employees from logging on to these sites while at work. Many believe that allowing employees to log on to social networking sites disrupts their work productivity.

Another problem that could arise is legal issues.  "I think what’s the core of this is a blurring of social and professional," stated Patricia Abril, assistant professor of business law at the University of Miami stated.

I personally believe social networking is a great service and should be utilized by organizations, but keeping it professional is important. I do not agree with companies that allow all and any employees to use social networking for work purposes. Because the purpose is to gain organization awareness, departments such as public relations and marketing should fulfill the task. It is important for a company to maintain a consistent message and this could easily be disrupted by allowing any person to "tweet" or use another service to discuss the company.

Daily Dog. (2009, October 20). Companies Report Mixed Attitudes About Social Networking Sites: What Works for Some Creates Problems for Others. Retrieved from http://www.bulldogreporter.com/

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