Understanding the Importance of Networking in the Workplace

Social networking is a big hit these days and as such, it is no longer a surprise why its appropriateness is being questioned in the workplace. The propriety of social networking while in the office, the question as to whether or not it would be disallowed or welcomed as part of the work day are but a few of the issues that surround this topic. Many people expressed their sentiment about this issue but regardless of their position, it cannot be denied that there is a growing concern about social networking in the workplace. Facebook, Twitter and My Space are but few of the most popular social networking sites these days.

According to the vice president of Office Product Management Group, social networking can be utilized as a tool to help boost the productivity and efficiency of businesses. He said that the web of communication brought about by social networking can be a way to help formulate communities outside of the workplace that will foster a cultural diversity. This outside community can help the workplace get a speedier discovery of opinions and data that can create a positive impact on both personal and professional decision making due to the increasing the speed of cross-pollinating concepts (Durant, 1).

While there are some businesses which welcomed the idea of social networking, there are those who think of it as a nuisance which hinders the productivity and performance. They cannot help but think this way because there are those employees who spend most of their time browsing facebook rather than doing what they are paid to do while in the office. However, people must not let their preconceived notion get in the way of understanding how to utilize the purpose and power of social networking.

Those who think that Facebook and Twitter are a waste of time miss the reason why people entertain such networking. For social networking in the workplace to succeed, they must have knowledge-based teamwork founded on a particular project. These activities hold the key to the success of business and these may be improved by enhancing the principles of social networking usage. It is a known fact that businesses spend a lot of time in organizing meetings and retreats and the one thing they all have in common is a face to face interaction.

The world is now facing an economic crisis which makes retreats hard to justify and as such, social networking may be a good substitute for this kind of interaction because it builds a certain atmosphere of activity (Yeh, 1). Some businesses view social networking as a positive contribution to the workplace while others view them negatively. The opposing sentiments of the different kinds of businesses is but a normal reaction to this issue. However, no matter what their stance on this matter is, no one can deny the power and the growing implications that it has in our daily living.

Works Cited Durant, John. “Social Networking and Workplace Productivity”. MSDN Blogs. Microsoft Corporation. 2010. Web. 2 Aug. 2010. <http://blogs. msdn. com/b/johnrdurant/archive/2010/03/02/social-networking-and-workplace-productivity. aspx> Yeh, Chris. “Get Real: Social Networking in the Workplace”. Information Management. Information Management and Source Media Inc. 2009. Web. 2 Aug. 2010. < http://www. information-management. com/infodirect/2009_135/enterprise_intelligence_social_networking_facebook_knowledge_transfer-10015899-1. html? pg=1>