Last but not least: Not everything was better in the past

No, says Gary M. Gansle, Partner at Dorsey & Whitney. Social networks have not significantly changed the work performance of employees, says the consultant and author. Employees who waste their time on social networks today used to chat at the water cooler or coffee machine. Then as now, the only thing that matters is balanced regulation and prudent control by the management. Although some adjustments certainly need to be made to how the workplace should be organized today, these are not as revolutionary in context as some doomsayers would have us believe. Instead of completely banning social networking in the workplace, Gansle recommends clear rules in companies on how the platforms should be used. For example, it is conceivable that employees could be instructed to only blog and tweet on work-related topics during working hours. It should also be made clear that confidential internal information must not be divulged via social networks. Spreading false information about the company, its employees and customers must also be prohibited. Makes sense. The words of social media expert David Nelles on the subject of internet blocking also seem plausible: blocking employees from social networks using firewalls is not a solution. "In view of the development of the mobile Internet alone, Internet blocking will have no future," he told Pressetext. Used correctly, employees can now act as true brand ambassadors in online networks.