Can you read Metafilter at work?

August 25, 2005 10:12 PM

NSFW? Would your bosses be okay with you looking at mindless garbage all day as long as it doesn't contain nudity? I'm really interested to know.
posted by null terminated to Etiquette/Policy at 10:12 PM (42 comments total)

Oh yeah, and replies best posted drunk (what?)
posted by null terminated at 10:19 PM on August 25, 2005

I'm intrigued by your ideas, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 10:24 PM on August 25, 2005

Not if it's NFSW.
posted by Gyan at 10:24 PM on August 25, 2005

What i'm saying is, why is it okay to waste time at work looking at useless links, but not okay to look at nudity (labelled NSFW). If I were a boss, anything not work related would be NSFW.
posted by null terminated at 10:46 PM on August 25, 2005

Reprimanded for Friday Flash.

Da boot for Friday Flash.
posted by Gyan at 10:48 PM on August 25, 2005

I'd say it's because most bosses would be okay with a reasonable amount of non-work-related web-surfing activity (just as personal phone calls aren't necessarily verboten at work), because either they a.) see and understand the need for mini-breaks and to blow off steam, or b.) do it themselves.

Contrast this, though, with seeing NSFW images (nudity or disgustingness) which can be seen and processed very quickly. And which are also often offensive to some. The potential for social disruption is far higher with NSFW images than with, say, reading MetaFilter or BoingBoing.
posted by Vidiot at 10:51 PM on August 25, 2005

posted by gramschmidt at 11:00 PM on August 25, 2005

Because looking at pr0n on your work computer is essentially the same as tacking centerfolds to the wall of your cubicle. It gives rise to an actionable sexual harassment claim.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 11:02 PM on August 25, 2005

No... My bosses only want me looking at important, interesting, informative links.

If they were okay with mindless garbage all day, I'd be on Monkeyfilter.
posted by koeselitz at 11:12 PM on August 25, 2005

Also, because many workplaces block (and/or log) nasty stuff, which includes not only pictures, but text and URLs.

The bottom line, though, is that it is much easier to get caught if someone sees nekkid wimmen on the screen than almost anything else. Most things can be explained away, but it's pretty hard to exlain nekkidity on your work computer.

Actually, my wirk requires me to look at mindless garbage all day, which is why I come to sites like MeFi - for a break from it. I actually have a defined quota of personal surfing which is allowed (x URLS or x MB per month), which I usually exceed on about the 2nd of each month.
posted by dg at 11:22 PM on August 25, 2005

A couple guys where I work spend most of their Thursday and Friday afternoons looking at porn. Nothing hardcore, but enough that I think 'Christ, how can they do that?'

But no-one seems much to mind; even the girls in the office.
posted by armoured-ant at 11:33 PM on August 25, 2005

I had a cow-orker that had a pretty filthy taste for Consumption Junction and Stileproject style snuff-core. People going splat, crushed junky bits, car crashes, horsies, road pizza, etc.

That he liked loading that stuff up at work in itself didn't really bother me.

What bothered me was: "WOAH! Duuude, you gotta come check this out."

I don't think I ever learned.
posted by loquacious at 11:48 PM on August 25, 2005

My office is fine with it. My job is basically "fireman for networks". When there are no alarms going off, there isn't anything for me to do. I suppose I could clean the keyboard and untwist phone cords, but basically, unless there's a 'fire', there's nothing for me to do. My office is also cool with reading novels at one's desk.
posted by Bugbread at 12:01 AM on August 26, 2005

The NSFW alerting used to bug me, because I figured that anything not work related (like hanging at MeFi) was probably not OK for work.
Now, since the alert is tagged on things that contain nudity for the most part and often general grossness, I'm actually happy it's there. Some days I liked to be given a warning, others I might want to avoid the link - depending on how innocent or hardcore it looks by the description. Naked pin-up ladies with squid vs. a nipple popping out in a video, or something like that. I am my own boss so I make the rules on what I can see or not see on the web. ;)
posted by dabitch at 12:59 AM on August 26, 2005

No.
posted by scarabic at 1:39 AM on August 26, 2005

I don't mind the NSFW phenomena as a whole, until I forget to mark something NSFW and some asshat starts sounding off about how I could have cost him his job.
posted by fire&wings at 2:15 AM on August 26, 2005

I sometimes surf the web in a computer cluster in my department (I'm a grad student), which is perfectly normal behavior. But, I certainly would not want for, say, goatse to appear on my screen as a professor walks by. So, I very much appreciate NSFW warnings.
posted by epimorph at 2:22 AM on August 26, 2005

yep, what fire&wings said.
posted by dabitch at 2:51 AM on August 26, 2005

My office logs every URL we visit and saves the logs for years, if they want to terminate a person they then check out where they've been.
posted by page404 at 3:13 AM on August 26, 2005

There's a huge brouhaha going on within the state Government that I work for about NSFW computer use.

It turns out that there's not a consistent internet use policy in state government; there's an "acceptable use" policy that is left up to individual agencies to interpret.

One cabinet secretary's "zero tolerance policy" has meant about 19 firings so far this year that are being contested and a shit-storm of admirable proportions is starting to arise. And it has shed light on similar scandals in other agencies.

That has everyone throughout the state government nervous and looking over their shoulders. I should note that I'm out on medical leave this week and posting from my home ;~).

So. Yes, I appreciate the NSFW warnings. In fact, I also take a moment to think before I click on anything during my occasional web-breaks.
posted by mmahaffie at 5:55 AM on August 26, 2005

I never touch MeFi at work (nor MeCha nor MoFi). If I'm on here, it's because I have the day off or for some other reason am not in the office. It astounds me that people can do their surfing at work -- but then I'm government, too. Our surfing is reviewed, and if obviously not pertaining to work, you'll find the site blocked to all employees the next day. Even banking sites are out.
posted by dreamsign at 6:14 AM on August 26, 2005

It astounds me that people can do their surfing at work

My, you're easily astounded. And null terminated, we've had this boring discussion several times already. Most people appreciate the NSFW warning; some have, or pretend to have, some sort of philosophical objection to it. I truly don't understand the point of even bringing it up.
posted by languagehat at 6:23 AM on August 26, 2005

I was hoping for nudity.
posted by jonmc at 7:07 AM on August 26, 2005

we've had this boring discussion several times already

Has it really only been several? I was thinking that it was many or at least numerous, though I suppose that I would settle for multiple.
posted by anapestic at 7:18 AM on August 26, 2005

There. This thead is now officially NSFW.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:35 AM on August 26, 2005

It's also not just about work, that's just short hand. Some of us are using either a public terminal, are using a laptop in a public space or are using a PC a home where children can see the screen. Or maybe we're checking MF at our parents place during Thanksgiving or something. There are many reasons you may want a warning of NSFW contents.
posted by Mitheral at 7:53 AM on August 26, 2005

That damn bag is in the way.

I look at mindless garbage all day at work. So far, my bosses haven't said a thing. Maybe because I show them some of it.
posted by Miss Bitchy Pants at 7:53 AM on August 26, 2005

Alright, sorry for bringing this up (again, it sounds like). Thanks for your responses.
posted by null terminated at 8:19 AM on August 26, 2005

naked pin-up ladies with squid, please
posted by mr.marx at 8:21 AM on August 26, 2005

I only read and post from work. When I'm not at work, that is time to spend to with my wife and friends. I don't know if my firm monitors my usage, but if they do, they must not care because they have not mentioned it. I get all of my work done quickly and at a high caliber, so I don't see why my boss would care about me keeping my mind working by visiting here. It's better than napping.
posted by dios at 8:33 AM on August 26, 2005

You know, I've been wanting to tell you off for the longest time. You STINK! Your whole operation stinks! I quit!
posted by hellbient at 9:32 AM on August 26, 2005

Here ya go Mr Marx.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:33 AM on August 26, 2005

I was told there would be nudity in this thread.
posted by klangklangston at 10:22 AM on August 26, 2005

I tunnel all my browsing through an SSH session to my home PC because I don't think it's anyone's business what I read when I've got no work to do at work.

That having been said, I still appreciate the NSFW tags, because I still don't browse for porn at work.
posted by wakko at 10:30 AM on August 26, 2005

naked pin-up ladies with squid, please

Oh, you said with squid. [nsfw]
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 10:45 AM on August 26, 2005

I can pretty much do whatever I like, I guess, as long as I get my work done, but I have a strong feeling that porn at work would pretty much equal a pink slip.

I don't even like doing personal email or metafilter. My friend who works at Apple, on the other hand, is looking at all kinds of crazy furry anime midget porn, playing Frank Zappa's "Fuck Yourself" on the iTunes and AirTunes and what not, and apparently no one cares.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:14 PM on August 26, 2005

My, you're easily astounded.

It astounds me makes me insanely jealous that people can do their surfing at work
posted by dreamsign at 9:15 PM on August 26, 2005

I work for myself now. Haha, take that fuckers! Nothing like insane stress and playing chess with your professional life!
posted by Dean Keaton at 11:35 PM on August 26, 2005

dios : "I only read and post from work. When I'm not at work, that is time to spend to with my wife and friends."

I'm pretty close to that. Working night shifts for 14 or so hours a night, when the night has the least network outages, results in a LOT of free time. Add that to the fact that even when working, I can be on hold for 10 minutes at a time for any phone call, and you get a whole whole whole lot of MeFi time at work. My job is very goal-oriented, if that makes sense, so if you complete your goals (i.e. get whatever network problem that has occurred fixed quickly, and inform the customer promptly), what you do while on hold or between network outages is no big deal.

Though I did get scolded for playing with my yo-yo (no, not my metaphorical yo-yo, a real yo-yo with string and metal bearings) too much. Apparently, the "as long as you get it done" ethos doesn't extend to actual toys in the workplace.
posted by Bugbread at 2:07 AM on August 27, 2005

It turns out that there's not a consistent internet use policy in state government; there's an "acceptable use" policy that is left up to individual agencies to interpret.
Same here - I suspect that this is why my department consistently takes out the "highest number of staff members sacked for surfing porn at work" award every year. Some people never learn.

In my department, all URLs are logged and kept permanently, but they are (supposedly) not scrutinised unless there are complaints.
posted by dg at 4:59 AM on August 27, 2005

I got fired for reading mefi at work in 2003.
posted by beth at 5:20 PM on August 27, 2005

We know.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 8:12 PM on August 27, 2005