Published: April 29 2010, 06:06 PM | no comments
by Marcel den Hartog

Did you read it as well? "A private hospital center, blocks access to all social media websites". According to a senior executive: if this hospital created a Facebook account and asked its patients to be friends, "that would constitute a security breach,"  "Our senior management has felt it easier just to block these sites rather than trying to police and manage them." http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid182_gci1510466,00.html?track=NL-964&ad=762411&asrc=EM_NLN_11398110&uid=5874943 for the full story..

If you have not read my previous GenerationX blog, please do (http://community.ca.com/blogs/execio/archive/2010/04/28/generationx-are-they-really-different.aspx). Because this is another example of "us" (the older generation) not keeping up with "them" (GenerationX).

Let me start by saying that I completely understand the senior management of this hospital. Dealing with patients, and their relationship with a hospital is privacy sensitive. Uncontrolled access of social networking sites is not something we should want. Even more, uncontrolled access of anything is not something we want... But at the same time, it feels we treat the people who use these systems as irresponsible, ignorant and maybe even dangerous. But what prevents these same people from using their iPhone, BlackBerry or other Smartphone during work hours to do exactly what we prevent them from doing using the corporate network?

Does anybody remember going to Italy around 8-10 years ago? Remember coming back with stories that "Everybody had a mobile phone!! Often even TWO!! And they used it all day! While they were walking in the streets!" We were amazed. And less than 5 years ago, we could not stop talking about "these kids around us" who were texting and phoning constantly. And today? WE have two phones, send text messages, check our private mail and use our Smartphone for everything except doing our work for us...

Social Networking is something we have to live and deal with. Every new-hire training should cover the topic "How does our company deal with contacts to the outside world." Not JUST about Social Networking, but about understanding why you cannot always talk to everybody about everything... Just blocking it will also block useful sites that your staff (and especially your new YOUNG staff) needs. To do a better job. An example? CA is hosting a virtual tradeshow in the month of May to overcome the travel restrictions many of us have to deal with these days. This virtual tradeshow cannot fully replace tradeshows and other industry gatherings, BUT it gives your IT staff the ability to achieve almost exactly the same, for a lot less money, using Social Networking technology...

Check it out at www.ca.com/mainframe/may and decide if the advantages outweigh the risks. And believe me, 5 years from now, we will look back and admit that it's better to try and "manage" than to simply forbid.

A final note: My daughter is using her time between her Bachelor and her Masters to help international students get a workplace to gain experience and learn what it is like to have a real job. Guess what; if she finds a job at a company where Social Networking is banned, these students prefer another job. They feel they NEED it to stay in touch with their fellow students, use it to find out how problems they encounter are handled elsewhere etc...  It's a new world folks, and we'd better deal with it...