Social networking sites for work and non-work purposes:
Snapshot survey
 In the November 2009 eNewsletter we invited members to share their thoughts about their use of social networking websites for both work and non-work purposes.
The survey reveals that respondents are at once highly connected yet risk-averse.
Most respondents (87%) indicated at least one social networking website that they are registered on.
Typical of the trend in the wider Australian population, the vast majority of respondents (93%) said that they are registered on Facebook.
Just over a quarter (27%) are registered on LinkedIn, with Twitter (14%) and My Space (11%) taking up most of the remaining numbers.
Interestingly, whilst 87% of respondents are registered at least somewhere socially online, only 75% are currently spending any time each week on social networking sites.
Of those who are actively logging in, around half are only doing so for under two hours a week.
 One in ten respondents reported communicating with a manager or senior work colleague on a social networking site for non-work purposes. When asked about communicating with a team member who one supervises/manages, that figure rose to 20%.
Reflecting the hesitancies and risks involved, only one in ten respondents said that they had ever made comments on social networking sites about their work experiences.
Further indicative of those risks, most respondents (59%) agreed that 'it’s inappropriate and too risky' to use social networking sites to comment on work. Juts over a third (36%) said that it depends on the context.
If you haven't already, read last month's feature story, 'Your voice, use it wisely', on the pros and cons of mixing social networking
with work |
