Social Media Revolution

Social Media - Driven to Distraction

Yesterday, I took a quick break from work to check my Facebook account and scan the latest headlines.  It was 10:00. 

A Facebook friend posted a link to an interesting blog on Huffington Post, which led me to a great YouTube video that prompted me to send a Tweet. This reminded me to check for blog updates on Google Reader.  There was a blog of interest that I rated on StumbleUpon and Sidewiki then posted to my LinkedIn page.  I almost forgot to link it back to my Facebook page!  I remember to return some personal e-mails, but before I did that, I got up to get a coffee.  When I got back to my desk it was 11:15.  All that lost productivity. Am I a social media addict?  

  

Interestingly enough, while on this unintended social media sojourn I came across a tool called Freedom.  Freedom bills itself as a productivity application that "frees you from distractions, allowing you time to write, analyze, code, or create".  Basically it disables your ability to go on-line for up to 8 hours.  The good news is that the user controls the program and length of time they put themselves into internet exile.  

In all seriousness, it will be interesting to monitor if social media blocking programs become more prevalent in the workplace.  Crafting social media policies is delving into unknown and untested territory.  If social media specialists hope to reach out to the public, do they need to take their stakeholders corporate protocol into consideration?   It would be a helpful metric to track how much time people participate in social media at work versus at home.  Do you think social media equates to pure socializing and lost productivity?  Is there a happy medium?   Since we are involved in social media as a profession, we are probably not the best people to ask.