Report: Majority of U.S. Firms Ban Social Media Sites at Work

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2009 - 11:52am.

Los Angeles - More than half (54%) of businesses block employees' access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter while on the job, according to a survey of more than 1,400 CIOs conducted by Robert Half Technology.

One in five companies (19%) allow social networking for work-related purposes, while 16% allow limited personal use, and 10% don't mind employees going on social networks for any use.

Meanwhile, a study conducted by Deloitte, Beeline Labs and the Society for New Communications Research found that, despite the recession, 94% of companies are continuing to invest in online communities and social media.

Some 40% of companies in the survey reported that more full-time people are being deployed to manage their communities, and 20% report having set up "ambassador" programs, where outsiders receive preferential treatment for being more active in the community.

A majority agreed that increasing word-of-mouth (38%), customer loyalty (34%) and brand awareness (30%) continue to be the top business objectives of online communities.

"Despite risks associated with participating in online communities, the internal costs of community formation and management and the fact that we are in the midst of a profound recession, organizations' continued and enhanced investment in online communities underscores the perceived potential for the value that they may provide to the enterprise," said Ed Moran, director of product innovation at Deloitte Services. Poll: Should Social Media Websites Be Banned At Work Computers?

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/sdxvo (Robert Half Technology survey)

http://www.deloitte.com/us/2009tribalizationstudy

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