"The policy of the Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas explicitly prohibits the use of our computer facilities for chat room purposes or for weblog (blog). Staff members who engage in blogging which is not related to their official duties, while using their Office computer will be subject to disciplinary action."
It follows several blog reports (here and here, and here). The story has yet to break in Ireland's mainstream media.
Let me say, straight away, Ireland is not banning its politicians from blogs. TD's like Ciaran Cuffe of the Greens and Liz McManus will continue to blog from both inside and outside parliament. Nor is it necessarily banning all its staff from reading blogs. But it says something for the power and pull of blogging that its capacity to waste people's valuable working time that it has been listed alongside porn surfing as a disciplinary offence.
Most of us who run moderately successful blogs can confirm that the big numbers come to us during the working day. In the Republic this is possibly exaggerated by the poor quality of its national roll out of broadband. One international company recently had to review its offer of a laptop and high speed broadband access to its employees, when a large number of them had to refuse on the basis they could not access it at home.
Clearly Leinster House feels that keeping staff on task is an important priority. But in using such a sledgehammer to crack a specific nut, it is also cutting them off from one of the major innovations in the way knowledge and information is transmitted. It is not inconceivable, for instance, that this same human resources department will be blogging all its messages to its staff, within a very short period of time.
Blogging is not about subversives sitting up half the night and day in their pajamas pushing out spikey missives about what's wrong with the world. It is just one intimation of a flatter, knowledge-driven world in which crucial connections are made quickly and transitively. Nor is blogging the definitive endgame. A ton of smart new collaborative applications are already in use or being developed. Flickr, Delicious, Digg, even YouTube all follow on and build on the networks established through the intitial blogging revolution. In the case of The Times of London and the Daily Telegraph, its technologies beginning to become embedded in its key online offering.
It is unlikely that the good burghers of the Oireachtas (Leinster House), who can already read the Guardian Unlimited or the BBC News with impunity, will face disciplinary proceedings for reading this blog (or the Editors Blog), since the focus of the directive appears to be on the act of blogging, rather than just reading them.
But this is a read/write revolution. If organisations blunt the capacity/opportunity for their members employees to engage in online communitication, they are, ultimately, also blunting their longer term capacity to function in this new, networked world. Those of us who care about the health of Irish democracy, will be hoping for a rapid change of mind on what looks to be a very hastily thought out policy.
16 comments:
Alright, I'll bite: oh no it isn't! ;-)
We are still living in the dark ages, down South.
well one mans night is another mans day in this twilight world of blogging.
Good staunch defense there Mick.
Free the blog
stiofan,
The light is on its way, be sure we don't find you too fat with rich food and fine wines when the day comes to reclaim the soul of Eire ;)
So an employer doesn't want its employees pissing around on the internet all day, wasting the empolyer's money and resources.
Is this so shocking?
Anon,
The Oireachtas is entitled to make reasonable demands of its employees. This measure however doesn't stop anyone from 'pissing about on the Internet'. And what is highly questionable is the assumption that writing a blog automatically equates to the same thing.
I've simply argued that it is misguided, shortsighted, and in the longer term (if it is persisted with) may prove detrimental to the organisation.
I've always noticed a big drop off in comments from 5:00 pm Fridays until Monday morning and have assumed that it's because a lot of people have Internet access at work only.
"I've always noticed a big drop off in comments from 5:00 pm Fridays until Monday morning and have assumed that it's because a lot of people have Internet access at work only. "
Or they have a life. Wasting your employer's time is one thing, wasting your own time is another.
"And what is highly questionable is the assumption that writing a blog automatically equates to the same thing."
Are you saying that writing a blog during work hours, using your work computer isn't pissing about on the internet. You're having a laugh Mick!.
Annon:
To avoid confusion, can you use a name? As to your argument (as opposed to the one I've tried to make above, as Einstein said: Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler!
very sad to hear of a chinese journalist on newsnight getting 10 yrs for blogging by the chinese state.
Doesn't it make you mad.
I would suggest a time wasting element has been identified by monitoring internet usage.
People are paid to work not update blogs, use the comments facility or go on chat rooms.
Regardless of how up themselves bloggers get about the importance of the 'new media' - work is for working and commenting on blogs like using chatrooms isn't what taxpayers expect from civil servants.
This story is just another example of bloggers thinking they are sooooooooo important.
Sorry above was me, Mark - this system can be confusing.
We are talking about civil servants here. They have defined roles and if they have a legitimate need to access blogs they should be able to contact their line manager and IT dept to arrange it. Very few have any legitimate reason to be reading or commenting on blogs.
I feel sure they have noted people are using the comments facilities in particular to waste time and carry out activities of no relevance to what they are paid for.
The MSM probably hasn't picked it up because they recognise moaning about being prevented from abusing the internet for non-work related activities isn’t valid.
Of course blogger's will get on their high horses as they get most of their hits and profile by people abusing the internet access they are given at work.
What purpose does logging into blogs serve for those working in finance, human resources, purchasing, committee servicing etc. None.
I'd be interested in hearing what someone other than a blogger has in answer to your question.
Mick,
Let's be serious here. For most of us there are few legitimate reasons to be posting stuff on a blog while at work. In fact, while you're being paid by your employer, you really have no legitimate business doing anything than forwarding your employer's interests. Obviously employers should not operate sweatshops where people are timed for the length of time they spend going for a piss etc, but at the same time they are quite entitled to ensure that people are doing the work they are being paid for. This is particularly relevant in the civil service. Those are my taxes.
Certainly under UK law your employer has pretty much completely comprehensive rights over everything you do with your computer. If you're caught posting on a blog and your employer wants to make an issue of it, you haven't got a legal leg to stand on. That's why I personally never post on blogs while I'm at work.
CS,
Nothing you've said contradicts anything I've argued above.
This may seem pedantic - but the Oireachtas is not the civil service. To mix up the 2 misunderstands the separation of powers that forms the basis of democratic system.
The civil service is well known to operate controlling mechanisms that 'manage' information flows. The business of the Oireachtas is different - or - it should be. The Oireachtas purpose is to challenge and scrutinise. Its staff are to enable that purpose. This requires staff to be non-partisan - both in practise and perception.
This instruction seems to be a carry-over from the Oireachtas being staffed by civil servants and could damage its new found independence.
Two points:
1. The freedom of expression article in the European Convention on Human Rights also applies to people at work, at school and so on.
2. At the same time as one part of the Oireachtas is restricting Internet use, their e-democracy team is encouraging it, running a pilot e-consultation on the Broadcasting bill, at http://econsultation.ie/
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