Since Facebook first became publicly available in 2007, it has been hugely criticized as one of the biggest time-wasters of our time.
A lot of people, young and old alike, spend hour after hour on the popular social networking website interacting with friends.
This has created the illusion that Facebook only hampers productivity, and many workplaces have banned its use during office hours.
But that does not really solve the problem as many ingenious employees still find ways of circumventing employer-imposed restrictions and getting their daily dose of Facebook.
The real solution, therefore, is finding smart and productive ways of using Facebook.
Below are some guidelines on how you can better the way you use Facebook to ensure that the time you spend on it is worthwhile.
1.
Set Aside Time for Facebook You do not need to be logged in all the time.
Set aside a special "Facebook time", preferably over your lunch hour or in the evening after work.
If you have any IM (instant messaging) client installed on your computer, disable Facebook Chat until your "Facebook time".
2.
Turn off Email Notifications By default, Facebook sends you email notifications whenever someone writes on your wall, sends you a friend request, tags you in a photo, etc.
A constant barrage of Facebook-related emails can be very distracting.
You can however configure your profile settings such that you are only emailed the notifications you consider important.
You can also completely turn off email notifications - if you've set aside a special "Facebook time", you really don't need them.
To configure your email notifications, select "Account Settings" in the "Account" drop down menu and click on the "Notifications" tab in the resulting page.
3.
Don't Sign Up for Trivial Apps A lot of Facebook users make the mistake of installing every trivial Facebook app installed by their friends.
Always remember that some people actually have more free time for fun and games than you do.
Therefore, only sign up for apps that are absolutely necessary for your Facebook use.
4.
Friend Lists Categorize your Facebook friends using "friend lists".
These lists will help you prioritize updates from different friends, send messages to members of a certain "friend list" easily, or appear online on Facebook Chat for selected friends only.
5.
Filter Your News Feed The news feed shows public stories relating to your friends, apps, groups, events and pages.
You can hide stories that you consider petty by clicking on the "Hide" button that appears when you hover your mouse cursor over a news story.
You can also filter your news feed to view stories from friends in a certain "friend list" only.
To edit your filters, click on the "Edit options" link at the bottom of your news feed.
Facebook is known to be an addictive resource, and it would take you a lot of self-control to wean yourself off it.
However, these simple guidelines can help you minimize the time you spend using Facebook for nonproductive activities.
Short summary (not included in the word count) Facebook is known to hamper productivity in the workplace as many people spend too much time on it.
Indeed, some employers have banned the use of Facebook during office hours.
This article explains some of the steps you can take to control the time you spend on Facebook.
A lot of people, young and old alike, spend hour after hour on the popular social networking website interacting with friends.
This has created the illusion that Facebook only hampers productivity, and many workplaces have banned its use during office hours.
But that does not really solve the problem as many ingenious employees still find ways of circumventing employer-imposed restrictions and getting their daily dose of Facebook.
The real solution, therefore, is finding smart and productive ways of using Facebook.
Below are some guidelines on how you can better the way you use Facebook to ensure that the time you spend on it is worthwhile.
1.
Set Aside Time for Facebook You do not need to be logged in all the time.
Set aside a special "Facebook time", preferably over your lunch hour or in the evening after work.
If you have any IM (instant messaging) client installed on your computer, disable Facebook Chat until your "Facebook time".
2.
Turn off Email Notifications By default, Facebook sends you email notifications whenever someone writes on your wall, sends you a friend request, tags you in a photo, etc.
A constant barrage of Facebook-related emails can be very distracting.
You can however configure your profile settings such that you are only emailed the notifications you consider important.
You can also completely turn off email notifications - if you've set aside a special "Facebook time", you really don't need them.
To configure your email notifications, select "Account Settings" in the "Account" drop down menu and click on the "Notifications" tab in the resulting page.
3.
Don't Sign Up for Trivial Apps A lot of Facebook users make the mistake of installing every trivial Facebook app installed by their friends.
Always remember that some people actually have more free time for fun and games than you do.
Therefore, only sign up for apps that are absolutely necessary for your Facebook use.
4.
Friend Lists Categorize your Facebook friends using "friend lists".
These lists will help you prioritize updates from different friends, send messages to members of a certain "friend list" easily, or appear online on Facebook Chat for selected friends only.
5.
Filter Your News Feed The news feed shows public stories relating to your friends, apps, groups, events and pages.
You can hide stories that you consider petty by clicking on the "Hide" button that appears when you hover your mouse cursor over a news story.
You can also filter your news feed to view stories from friends in a certain "friend list" only.
To edit your filters, click on the "Edit options" link at the bottom of your news feed.
Facebook is known to be an addictive resource, and it would take you a lot of self-control to wean yourself off it.
However, these simple guidelines can help you minimize the time you spend using Facebook for nonproductive activities.
Short summary (not included in the word count) Facebook is known to hamper productivity in the workplace as many people spend too much time on it.
Indeed, some employers have banned the use of Facebook during office hours.
This article explains some of the steps you can take to control the time you spend on Facebook.