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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Using Social Media at Work isn't Always Time Wasting

Dear Cybersorter,
I recently started a new job. Many of my colleagues are either mystified about, or don’t care, what I do, so I use Twitter as a support tool to bounce ideas off people in my field and to help people if I can.
One day, some news broke about a local celebrity. I mentioned it to someone in work and, much like on Twitter, the rumour spread through the office.
Someone asked how such a crazy rumour got started and I said: “Well, I started it. But it’s on Twitter.” They all had a good laugh; but I think they felt Twitter is not something you should admit to during work hours. Is it?
SB

Dear SB,
I once worked in an office where the boss would stalk through the open plan desks and, when he found two workers chattering, would shout “Oi! Do i pay you two to stand there blathering on about crap?”
The rest of the office was petrified and a tiny bit pleased, because they were talking rubbish – but only after resolving a work issue.
Good work relationships are seldom confined to discussions about work.
Social media, particularly Twitter, can be a great work resource, giving access to millions of experts who could easily be in the next digital cubicle. It also forces you to get to the point. No one can blather on in 140 characters.
Your problem is perception. Your colleagues are suspicious because they probably don’t understand what you do.
Next time you find a solution on Twitter, share it – and the source – with colleagues. “Finally figured out how to save a voicemail. @whoeversentyouthesolution on Twitter had the answer.”

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