I can understand The Man blocking Ebay, but I draw the line at my beloved QDB being forbidden

Longacre · December 19, 2012 7:54AM

As I write these words, it seems that the colleagues at work are finally winding down a bit, and anticipating the upcoming holidays. Outside my office on the counter are the requisite gifts of chocolate covered almonds from outsiders looking for business, interspersed with the obligatory tin of cheese popcorn and carmel corn.

With a few extra minutes, I decided to check out Ebay and see what was in the offing. Unfortunately, I got a message from IT and The Man, with big words announcing that the site was Forbidden because the category was classified as "auctions". In a way, I sort of agreed, with Ebay being the auction firm of the hoi polloi. Then I decided to check out what my beloved QDB was up to and tried to surf over to the Stacks Bowers site. To my dismay, unfortunately, The Man has also classifed QDB as Forbidden.

Does anyone else have trouble getting to these benign sites at work? If I was surfing off-color sites, that is one thing. But how Forbidden can a man be that describes how red carpets are rolled out, and uses exclaimation points in every third sentence?

zas107 · December 19, 2012 7:56AM

Try using https:// instead of http://

Unless of course you might get in trouble with the man.

ambro51 · December 19, 2012 7:58AM

Of what value is it to your employer to pay you money to diddle about on his computer on his nickel? ....just saying'.

RYK · December 19, 2012 8:00AM

No, I have no trouble with ebay or the other website that you mentioned. I also have an ipad at work that allows me to use the wifi to surf wherever I want to go. I hope The Man does not block you from this site (heaven forbid!).

MICHAELDIXON · December 19, 2012 8:08AM

"The Man" has FINALLY caught on to your slacking....I'm sorry, "Social Loafing." Slacking is not politically correct, social loafing is the policitally correct term nowdays.

mrpotatoheadd · December 19, 2012 8:08AM

<< Of what value is it to your employer to pay you money to diddle about on his computer on his nickel? ....just saying'.

>>

Some employers do allow their workers to take breaks on occasion.

LanceNewmanOCC · December 19, 2012 8:22AM

.
one word

proxy

.

19Lyds · December 19, 2012 9:08AM

<< Of what value is it to your employer to pay you money to diddle about on his computer on his nickel? ....just saying'.

>>

It could very well be Longacre's personal Laptop plugged in through the employers router and acess ports. Just sayin........

DeliaBug · December 19, 2012 9:09AM

<< .
one word

proxy

. >>

If you do this or a v-tunnel, make sure as heck you don't log in!

djm · December 19, 2012 9:13AM

I worked at a company that blocked many of these websites including personal e-mail accounts. There was a button on the screen that you let you go to the site. IT would make a not that you went to the blocked site and sometimes my would ask why I visited the site. If it was on company bussines it would be OK. Sometimes stayed alittle longer than needed.

DaveG · December 19, 2012 9:18AM

eBay is blocked in my office; I don't know if Stack's is.

coindeuce · December 19, 2012 9:23AM

And what, pray tell, is interfering with your acquisition of a G4 smartphone with wireless ethernet connection, which would fit into the breast pocket of your non-smoking smoking jacket?

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SportsModerator · December 19, 2012 9:28AM

Many years ago when I worked in the real world, I was the prez of one of those dot.coms trading on the AMEX, so you all know that was pre 2000. Anyway, I was tired of catching employees wasting time on ebay and other personal 'stuff' and had my IT guys prepare a list of employees who were the main culprits. The report was prepared and it turned out that the #1 criminal was 'allegedly' me.

keyman64 · December 19, 2012 9:45AM

<< Many years ago when I worked in the real world, I was the prez of one of those dot.coms trading on the AMEX, so you all know that was pre 2000. Anyway, I was tired of catching employees wasting time on ebay and other personal 'stuff' and had my IT guys prepare a list of employees who were the main culprits. The report was prepared and it turned out that the #1 criminal was 'allegedly' me.

>>

coinkat · December 19, 2012 10:17AM

Don't get in trouble with the man

19Lyds · December 19, 2012 10:23AM

<< Many years ago when I worked in the real world, I was the prez of one of those dot.coms trading on the AMEX, so you all know that was pre 2000. Anyway, I was tired of catching employees wasting time on ebay and other personal 'stuff' and had my IT guys prepare a list of employees who were the main culprits. The report was prepared and it turned out that the #1 criminal was 'allegedly' me.

>>

Don't cha just hate it when that happens!

At my company, back in 93 when everybody got new PC's, management got tired of walking around seeing Solitaire up on everybodies monitor.
So...................they had the IT guy write a short solitaire.exe which basically said:

"If you really need something to do, see Mr. So and so"

Solitaire stopped.

Coinosaurus · December 19, 2012 10:49AM

Yeah, with everyone carrying smartphones now, there isn't much point in cutting off the laptops from "offending" sites anymore.......but I guess they do anyway.....

Cougar1978 · December 19, 2012 10:59AM

I would avoid any kind of personal business on company time especially if its something that can be tracked electronically like web surfing.

Web surfing can and will be used against you in a PIP or firing.

Spooly · December 19, 2012 1:33PM

My favorite is the employee that "friends" the boss on Facebook.... then is posts all day long. How stupid are you?

jimbux61 · December 19, 2012 1:51PM

Try being self-employed like I am. Then your boss will really be your worst enemy!!! No vacation, no benefits --- but at least you can drink on the job!

LanceNewmanOCC · December 19, 2012 1:57PM

<< Try being self-employed like I am. Then your boss will really be your worst enemy!!! No vacation, no benefits --- but at least you can drink on the job!

>>

tell me about it! my new boss i've had for nearly 4 years now is the meanest and nicest thus far, but it all works out because of his crazy sense of humor and he lets me surf any site I want at any time!
.

Lakesammman · December 19, 2012 2:04PM

The Man has blocked auctions on the hospital system but doesn't dare block wireless for the patients, so the laptop is the key for me.

Dentuck · December 19, 2012 11:25PM

Can't you have your secretarial assistant's assistant secretary
telephone your Personal Shopper™ at Stack's Bowers Galleries,
have her print out each page of their web site, and courier them
to you at the start of each morning?

pruebas · December 19, 2012 11:38PM

You're not missing anything. QDB no longer rolls out the red carpet. He doesn't have to.

erickso1 · December 20, 2012 12:00AM

I had this problem at my former large employer.

I just went to a website translator website. Translated Ebay from Chinese to English. Sure, they missed a few, but it worked. At least for surfing. I couldn't log in, but you can have your secretary make not of auction lot numbers for later.

renomedphys · December 20, 2012 2:30AM

Job title: Medical Physicist

Duties: Linear Accelerator Quality Assurance (QA), Diagnostic Equipment QA, QA equipment QA, Treatment Planning, Plan QA, Supporting Systems QA, Patient Setup consulting, Building Maintenance management, IT management, IT firefighting, and snow removal.

So I guess as long as I work here, I will never have to worry about some big brother worrying about what I do on my computer.

droopyd · December 20, 2012 2:55AM

I used to work at the nation's largest municipal public health agency. They once hired a new IT director who was extraordinarily concerned about people accessing anything that might be considered pornographic. He banned so many sites that we couldn't access anything related to HIV/AIDS because they might have something on them about "sex." We had to get the big boss to intervene to allow us access to these sites.

They did wind up firing someone who spent basically every single moment of every single work day on eBay (yet somehow didn't think to block the site).

droopyd · December 20, 2012 2:57AM

<< At my company, back in 93 when everybody got new PC's, management got tired of walking around seeing Solitaire up on everybodies monitor. >>

Once, NYC Mayor Bloomberg was touring a department office and saw someone playing solitaire on his computer. The guy was fired on the spot.

Hussulo · December 20, 2012 3:38AM

At my work we work a Flexi time system. The office is open 7am to 7pm. You can go in and work any time within those hours, you need to work 37.5 hours in a week but if you work any overtime, you bank it and take it back whenever you want. You can have up to 28.5 hours banked to use at a later date.

At lunch times you can clock out on your computer and visit pretty much any site you want except for pornographic sites or Facebook. Once you clock back in, its back to work and work related site.

It seems to work really well.

pennyannie · December 20, 2012 3:41AM

I thought your corner office was next to "the man" and you were above what the common masses could do or see on your work computer. How are you suppose to buy "the man" a xmas gift if you can not surf ebay. Surely he does not want you to shop for his present from your home on your time.

Everytime i get put on hold or stand in a line waiting for service i picture in my mind the elderly airline ticket agent playing mortal combat in the movie "Soul Plane".

Actually i do not blame the man, with your high 6 figure salary he wants 90 plus hours of productivity per week from you.

You would think "the man" would be more concerned with the employee that is ticked off than the slakers surfing the net.

lcoopie · December 20, 2012 4:21AM

Perhaps use your phone?

Cameonut · December 20, 2012 8:51AM

<< Perhaps use your phone? >>

Bingo! My thoughts exactly. You can get the info you want and the man doesn't even have a clue where you have been surfing. Surely you live in a 4G locatioin

ebaybuyer · December 21, 2012 2:32AM

i worked for a company that ran a report every month of each employee's internet history... it was found that my computer was visiting all kinds of porn sites all day long, (this information was posted in the office publicly) it became a joke around the office when i posted my vacation days next to the computer use history, and i highlighted all the days of my porn visitations that correlated to a day when i was on vacation. soon after that the bulletin board was back to notices of meetings and interoffice information. moral of the story is: be aware of what you are accused of. if you want to surf the internet while at work, it is best to do it from your phone

garrynot · December 21, 2012 2:57AM

Ever since I got my I-phone, I can get on virtually any website without using my office computer.

ColonelJessup · December 21, 2012 4:12AM

The Man virtually invented the Law of Unintended Consequences.

<< .... off-color sites ....; >>

OK, not at work, and don't try this at home, but could your chauffeur PM me his list?

cladking · December 21, 2012 6:10AM

<< 

<< .... off-color sites ....; >>

OK, not at work, and don't try this at home, but could your chauffeur PM me his list?

>>

I wanna go with the maid.

<< The Man virtually invented the Law of Unintended Consequences.
>>

This is how The Man keeps people afraid of change.

I can understand The Man blocking Ebay, but I draw the line at my beloved QDB being forbidden

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