And their reasons aren’t only personal - 75% of respondents said they believed social networking brings benefits for the company as well.

Nick Abrahams, head of the technology, media and telecommunications law practice at Deacons which commissioned the study from Galaxy Research, says it shows employers must assess the perceived adverse impact of such websites on productivity against the need to attract new talent.

“Short of blocking or restricting access to Web 2.0 applications in the workplace, organisations should at the very least implement employee policies for use at work.”

 “People do believe there are legitimate business uses and networking opportunities with customers and suppliers,” Abrahams says.

Those that don’t are out of touch with the new digital world and at the outer age limit of the typical networker.

“Senior managers, given that they are usually over 35, take a dimmer view of social sites. They don’t think they can be used as a legitimate business tool,” he says.

The Deacons Social Network Survey 2008 revealed one in four 16 to 24-year-olds and one in three 25 to 34-year-olds are active social networkers, whereas membership drops to insignificant levels among older workers.

It did not analyse data according to industry but Abrahams expects future studies to show IT companies are more tolerant of Web 2.0 applications.

Bullseye, a digital marketing agency in Sydney, certainly is.

Jason Davey, director digital marketing, says Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn are not only allowed during business hours, their use is encouraged.

“We encourage it and use it in the enterprise because our people need to be across new campaigns and new trends,” Davey says.

The company established its own closed Facebook group to foster personal and professional contact between 85 staff in three offices after it merged with iFocus earlier this year.

“It was a way to get them to share their interests outside work and get to know each others’ personalities better,” says Davey. CONTINUED PAGE 2