Remember before all this online technology shenanigans when we just turned up to work - to work? Did we insist that we had access to Pac Man, Pong or Space Invaders, or any of the other trivial pursuits you care to name, during working hours? Of course not. Then, when the good old 'Messenger' came along - Yahoo, AOL etc. - and enabled us to chat with strangers at our will - did we insist that our new distraction of choice be installed on our PCs in the office? No. So why, pray tell, is there such a big beef about whether people should be able to access Facebook during their employers time?

OK, I get that some people's jobs demand it, but not everyone's job! It's not a given that when you go to work you should be able to access social networks at your will. And why should it be? I mean, hands up, who can honestly say they have Facebook and/or twitter on tap at work during the day and as a result are MORE productive? How? Take a look around you - on a train or a bus, in the street or a bar. People, hundreds and thousands of them tapping away furiously on their mobiles or laptops. "I've just got this badge" "I've overthrown Joe Schmoe as Mayor of Nowhereseville" "I'll be late home for dnner dear" etc. etc.  That's perfectly OK - in their own time but, give many of those people the same option in work time and surely, as much as some will argue it's down to people's own initiative, conscience and sense of duty to their colleagues to restrict the time they spend on social networks in the office, some of those same people will, through no fault of their own other than the fact that they can, end up spending far too much time doing stuff they shouldn't be doing as part of their job.

I challenge anyone to convince me that that is not the case. Indeed, I'm sure many of you reading this secretly know you delve into the depths of Facebook and/or twitter just a bit too much sometimes and that it does have some effect on your overall level of focus and productivity. The trouble is, like with any potential addiction, the potential addict is the last person to tell themselves there is an issue.

I've seen and heard of people in a work environment abusing their online access. Grocery shopping, chating with friends, browsing sports bulletin boards - the list is endless. It's also, I believe, in the majority of instances an unnecessary temptation. Never mind the employer employee stuff and making it a friendlier environment where people care and share. Human beings are crafty. Some also get obsessed and cannot help themselves. I say ban it unless you can justify it! (dons hard hat and awaits incoming)