thelump.net

This Week in Lumps
#1 [22/05 - 28/05]

· The “next evolution” of the Facebook Platform was made live, with a whole host of third party applications (or widgets, as everybody should now know them as) are now available to be added to your personal page. In the same week that Josh Kopelman bowed his hat to Facebook and in the same motion stuck two V signs up to Myspace by saying that choosing the former over the latter was more like “an IQ test” than any kind of personal preference, this step only heightens the difference between the two rivalling social networking sites.
Although Facebook is still very much 2nd best to the overpowering and, IMO, over-hyped) Myspace, Facebook users now have the ability to keep track of their most-used social software all in one place; all from the same interface. When I dipped my toes in on Saturday lunchtime, I found I was able to to see the recent music my friends have listened to via a last.fm plug-in, book reviews from Amazon they have recommended, even listing what their latest ‘tipple’ is. More importantly, this was not in the ugly, ‘not-at-all-easy-on-the-eye’ embed-fest that Myspace accepts. In fact, any site that disables glittery text, ghastly music and god awful cursors in favour of keeping everything looking trim and tidy wins my cyber-social vote. More so when I found the digg application working; two great ways to waste time merged into one big joyous jelly and custard dessert. YUM.

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· A 3rd of all bloggers are facing the sack if they post “derogatory or damaging details” regarding their employer, a recent HR survey has revealed. HR company Croner surveyed 2,000 people who keep a blog or other type of journal and 39% said that they made harmful comments of some kind. They admitted they felt that bloggers were falling into “a false sense of security” by the informality and ease of posting their thoughts and opinions.
The key factor here would seem that to avoid being shown the door on the grounds of ‘gross misconduct’ is by keeping the #1 ground rule: keep your work life and your life out of work different. I giggled at the news that “bloggers could also get sacked for revealing confidential secrets or sensitive financial data”, which is like digging your own grave really.
Personally, I’d be flattered if I found out anyone at work was reading my blog, let alone my boss or the MD. It’s a big compliment to know they’d take the time to read it, even if it was just for incriminating data. I also think its great that for someone getting paid so much, they can doss about on the Internet not doing anything when they should be working…

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· In a similar vein, workers in organisations that most discouraged social drinking were “45% less likely to be heavy drinkers” than those in workplaces with the most relaxed attitudes to drinking. Maybe these drinkers get wankered so much in fear that one of the powers that be will read their blog entries where they mention the boss is a bit of a tit, and it’s revealed that it was you that got the receptionist pregnant after the Christmas night out.

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· That was the week in lumps, which I think will now become a weekly episode, depending on how I feel over the next few. I shall depart now and leave you to ponder this:

How many times during the following ‘That Guy’ article did you go, “Oh My, that’s him from that thing with that guy in it, and whatsherface was in it too, you know what I’m on about, that film which came out a few years ago!”

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