I’ve been thinking about a remark recently regarding workplaces reining in Facebook usage, etc. I can certainly understand the concern about people wasting work time, but as for prohibiting social media use all together during work hours, I have a few observations/suggestions.

To begin, please understand that I am not at all trying to get on a high horse. I think my social media use (during any time of day) has been well within reason, but I would just like to lend another perspective, because broad policy changes like this do concern me. This exact topic came up at the diversity workshop that I attended recently, and several articles have been written about social media use in the workplace, so I just wanted to throw out some thoughts for consideration by the powers that be.

In my little office of four people, there are three age groups represented, so I was especially interested in the section on generational diversity during the recent workshop. We talked about a number of issues, such as how each age group typically likes to be recognized (the “retirement watch” vs. public recognition or non-material perks like time off). We gained an understanding of why the WWII  and Boomer generations have such a formal outlook on work attire (“live to work/work to live” and “work isn’t supposed to be fun”), while Gen-Xers and Millennials favor a more casual approach (“work/life balance”).

We also learned about how each group manages time and perceives technology …

Facebook, Twitter, etc. are like the watercooler conversations of yesteryear. Share the news; see what’s new; get back to work. In my humble opinion, they are akin to making a brief, personal phone call – certainly not to be abused but understood in the context that unless one is operating heavy machinery or tending to patients, an employee can still be productive without putting nose to the grind for nine strict hours a day with a 60-minute lunch break.

Researchers at The University of Melbourne released findings from a study this spring about Internet usage in the workplace. You can read the article here, but in brief, what they found was that leisure Internet browsing actually boosted productivity – provided it was carried out within reason.

Companies used to have (and I suppose some still do) two 15-minute breaks and a lunch break. Before my parents retired, they worked for the postal service, and they – literally – had to clock out and clock in for break times. Social media converts that break time into tiny increments, sprinkled throughout the day. In the past, a proud grandparent may have spent 10 minutes strolling the office hallways to show off wallet pictures of her grandbaby to co-workers. Now, she can spend two minutes uploading the same pictures to Facebook and share them with 75 friends at once.

Another interesting discovery is that Millennials (broadly defined as the under-30 set) are more likely to send an email or text message than they are to pick up the phone and call someone. They have been inundated with technology since birth, so it is just another means of communication to them.

I serve on the marketing committee for an academic/corporate relations group that I’ve been a part of for a few years now. One thing we’ve discussed recently is how to engage our members better through social media. The group has a presence on LinkedIn where we can share bulletin board discussions, pose questions of peers and stay connected with group-related news. I also “follow” 25 foundation-related Twitter accounts, which range from the Gates Foundation to the Council on Foundations to Philanthropy Journal. Some of the “tweets” pertain to national policy or press releases, but others are for new grant initiatives and trends. I have found this list to have just as valuable information as skimming the Chronicle of Philanthropy periodical – perhaps even more so, since the updates are done in real-time.

All this is to say: I just want to encourage folks to look at the underlying concern behind this discussion about Facebook, etc. Is the concern that employees will goof off on the job? If that is the rationale, then I’m afraid those employees will just as readily do a crossword puzzle in the morning paper, hang out in the break room or play Solitaire on their computer. Employees found plenty of ways to waste time long before social media – smoke breaks, taking the long route back from the mail room, unnecessarily long bathroom trips … any number of excuses. If, however, the underlying concern is something more along the lines of people saying inappropriate things via social media outlets during work hours, then that could be a separate personnel issue. To me, that falls more into the category of someone caught swearing in the hallway than it does social media, in particular.

For what it’s worth, that’s my $0.02 on the social media matter. I do respect the concern that people can spend too much time involved in social media, but I believe that reasonable usage amounts to no more than a coffee break. If someone is spending too much time online and it is hindering their work performance, then that is a personnel issue and not the fault of social media, in and of itself.

Gee, where to begin? I said in my last post that I would talk about what to do in Second Life. The problem is, there’s so much to do, I’m not sure where to start to explain it.

I will begin by introducing the elephant in the room. Human nature being what it is, anytime an environment exists that is user-created and [for the most part] user-controlled, there is going to be some morally questionable behavior involved. SL has its share of nude beaches, strip clubs, bizarre people and weird places … if you can imagine it, it’s probably there.

When I talk to classes about this aspect of SL (b/c someone always brings it up in Q&A), I explain it this way: Some colleges (like my alma mater, Stephen F. Austin, for instance) have the reputation of being “party schools.” I don’t doubt it one bit; there was plenty of partying going on at SFA (not by yours truly, of course!). 🙂

However, you choose whether you’re going to spend your time at the frat house or the library. SFA, like SL, has a lot to offer in many positive ways, but the trouble-makers seem to garner the most attention.

There are some really amazing things inworld concerning distance learning, theraputic alternatives for people with autism and other disorders, digital design & programming, and sociological research, to name just a few. It makes me frustrated when people hear that you can make your avatar have sex, and they assume that SL is just some sordid playground for weirdos.

So, I thought I’d share a little about some of the things I enjoy doing inworld. I already mentioned about building and designing; that’s a lot of fun. I also enjoy a couple of role-playing (“rp”) environments in SL.

In one case, I pretend to be a medic in the old west town of Deadwood. It can be quite exciting at times, what with gunfights in the street and childbirth sans epidural! lol

The other rp venue that I enjoy is a fantasy/medieval realm with knights, elves, mages, faeries and other creatures. It is a facinating world of magic and adventure. I can shoot a bow, wield a sword and fly around with scripted wings that actually flap.

There is something cathartic about delving into a character and creating it, acting it out and watching it evolve over time. It’s very much like writing a story, only you get to observe the story as you write. The story, however, remains your own to devise.

Even though there are millions of account holders from around the world and tens of thousands are logged on at any one time, there are still plenty of folks unfamiliar with Second Life.

Growing up, I wasn’t much of a gamer. I once made it to the high scoreboard on Centipede at the local pizza joint arcade, but generally speaking, I never had much patience for computer games. (I’ll save the story about how our first computer had a ginormous boot disk.)  🙂

So, it might strike some folks as odd that I enjoy the virtual world of Second Life. “I don’t have time for my first life!” is what a lot of people respond when I try to tell them about SL. It’s funny, b/c to me, that’s one of the things that I find so interesting about SL … you can spend as much or as little time as you like. Study breaks, wind-down time in the evening, lazy weekend afternoons … There’s no minimum investment of time and no shortage of things you can learn & people you can meet.

I have had a great deal of fun learning how to create and edit objects inworld. I’ve made textures, simple pieces of furniture … even clothes!  🙂

In the 14 months that I’ve been in SL, I’ve made some genuine friends. Some people may think it’s silly, b/c I don’t even know some of their real names, but in my opinion, the friendships are genuine, nonetheless. If I’m not inworld for several days, there are a few IMs waiting for me, checking to see how I am. On my one-year “rez day” (virtual birthday), some friends threw a party for me inworld. Those are the kinds of thing friends do.

Next post: So, what exactly do you do inworld?

Comparative discussion of economic models in two synthetic environments (Second Life & WOW), as well as a brief tour of Second Life.

Link to my presentation: https://bearspace.baylor.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-2485868_1-t_l6tJiY0g

The purpose of blogging is to pen one’s thoughts & opinions, is it not? Yet, the very nature of a blog is that one’s thoughts & opinions are — in essence — made public.

I used to write regularly in a personal blog that I created as a military family support group/outlet for myself. I quit writing in it for a long while, a) b/c I’ve been swamped w/school, work, life, etc., and b) b/c I didn’t feel comfortable expressing my concerns, doubts, fears, anxieties, frustrations, stress, etc. in a forum that is so public about a situation that is so publicly criticized already.

Although it may just be a pipedream, I do entertain thoughts of running for office someday, and I realize that anything I’ve written in my blog, every post I’ve inserted into Facebook, every comment that I’ve made to someone in Second Life and every remark I’ve made via email is potential fodder for a tabloid to receive and take out of context.

If I were to share in my blog about how angry I felt when the Army missed one of my husband’s paychecks or how difficult some days are as we try to readjust to life under the same roof again, I might be portrayed as a fair-weather military supporter and not the patriotic, devoted and deeply passionate American who I really am.

Sometimes it seems easier to avoid controversial subjects for the sake of not having to explain oneself after the fact … or years down the road, as the case may be. There is no expectation of privacy as a public figure, and it seems that private citizens have less and less privacy, as well.