Comments on: Twitter is a Waste of Time

By: What is twitter really useful for? [Survey Result Post] — Just Professionals

What is twitter really useful for? [Survey Result Post] — Just Professionals — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:52:36 +0000

[...] In the last few weeks we’ve seen what twitter is not – its not a broadcast medium, its not a waste of time, its not [...]

By: Silicon Beach Training

Silicon Beach Training — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:47:57 +0000

Playing games and chatting with friends will not profit business at all, and why should business pay for time spent socialising. On the other hand Social Media is essential for businesses today to compete in the market, but there is a big difference between using social media to promote a business, offer great customer service, increase brand awareness, engage with customers - and using social media for your private life. We at Silicon Beach Training use Social Media every day but everything we do is to improve service and attract custom. Our Social Media Training course for business is our most popular course. .-= Silicon Beach Training´s last blog ..Black Hat versus White Hat =-.

By: Su

Su — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:19:25 +0000

That is awful Brian.
This reminds me of the difficulty early adopters had with CAD when it first came along in the 90s. It was always the enthusiast’s ‘hobby’ until all of a sudden people realised what they were missing out on.
When that happens, it will of course be someone elses great idea
Look forward to speaking to you on the other side.

By: tnrkitect

tnrkitect — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:26:21 +0000

Funny the difference 13 days can make.

The social media policy I helped with above was nixed today, and the big bosses instituted a ban on social media at work, with any posts about work requiring approval prior to posting.

Unfortunately I am just a peon, in debt, in the midst of the worst recession that this country has dealt with since the 1930′s, so I just have to agree and inwardly shake my head at the short-sightedness of the decision. (I could through out a few other thoughts on the matter, but I will refrain).
.-= tnrkitect´s last blog ..tnrkitect: @threefourteen @GinnyPowell I am not pleased, but I am still just a peon so I have no say. =-.

By: Most Tweeted Articles by Construction Experts

Most Tweeted Articles by Construction Experts — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:13:50 +0000

[...] located at the shoreward end of Southwold Pier in Suffolk plans to hold … 2 Tweets Twitter is a Waste of Time — Just Professionals 2 Tweets Construction Marketing Ideas: Effective marketing: Up close and personal [...]

By: Gordon O'Neill

Gordon O'Neill — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:56:56 +0000

There are many activities in business, all of which can be construed as a waste of time, indeed can actually be a waste of time. Send an employee to a network event, how do you evaluate if they have wasted their time or not? They could have stood in the corner, ate the mini sausages, talked football or knitting and come back to the offices apparently having networked.

Evaluating what is or isn’t a waste of time is a difficult task. It cannot always be evaluated in hours spent or money earned, nor can it be assessed over short or even medium term. What you do now could reap benefits in the long term.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison is equally applicable to Twitter, personally it’s my meat.

Gordon

By: Nicky

Nicky — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:03:03 +0000

I agree that the portrayal of Twitter in the mass media has not done it any favours.

The big misconception seems to be that its all about following celebrities.

The most frequent question I get from people not on Twitter is “how do I find the time?” Simple, I dont do Farmville! Now there’s a complete waste of time!

@nicchick

By: Paul Wilkinson

Paul Wilkinson — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:43:27 +0000

As very few AEC firms even embrace social media, I suspect even fewer have a social media policy in place. That said, however, lots of online activities are probably already covered within existing disciplinary codes of conduct and acceptable use policies regarding PCs, networks and phones – which are often already contained within employee handbooks.

There are numerous examples of social media policies available online (here are some public/private sector ones that Simon Wakeman identified) and these are a good starting point for AEC firms to develop their own, encouraging responsible use, client confidentiality, protection of copyright, etc.

On the bigger issue of time-wasting, companies can monitor their staff’s use of different websites, etc and can take appropriate measures if there is excessive non-work-related use. I was asked last night (London Constructing Excellence club event) about time-wasting and information overload, and pointed out that there are numerous ways social media can be used to save time. I save hours of research time every week by using RSS and Google Alerts; I use Delicious bookmarks to capture useful articles, etc; and can often get quick answers to questions by asking my followers on Twitter. And Twitter is often a quicker way to share useful links or to organise meetings than via email, and less intrusive and disruptive to my work than the dreaded ‘you have new mail’ ping!

By: Su

Su — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:09:01 +0000

Hi Pritesh,
I’m not a consultant – I only work for one firm, Barefoot & Gilles, so I can’t actually answer your question, however I suspect very few at the moment. Perhaps Paul Wilkinson would know?

By: Pritesh Patel

Pritesh Patel — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:44:34 +0000

Great post Su,

However, i have to ask the question, how many of the practices you work with actually have a social media policy in place? How do they train there staff to follow the policy? Do they include the policy within their employee handbook? Probably not.

As well as using social media for business there is also the risk of employees abusing the tool but if it is well moderated, everyone knows what the objectives and goals are then I don’t think there will be too many problems.