Are you a tweeter or a memo manager?

Twitter is a 21st century technology that many older workers have not yet adopted. And as it becomes a more popular communication tool, the debate over social networks in the workplace becomes intense. Which tools are secure and productive? Which tools are dangerous and useless?

"There are baby boomers like me who think the road to productivity is through single focus, one thing at a time," Jim Routh, a consultant for Archer Technologies, tells CSOonline.com. "In reality, those brought up on the Internet are accustomed to using multiple media-rich environments productively. The older generation separates the work and the social, but the technology is so pervasive, there is no separation anymore," he adds.

That's a great observation for a workplace trying to navigate its way among the old school and new one as business tries to figure out what to make of social networking.

Some companies are responding to this debate by allowing social networks for specific business initiatives, but not for every project. Other companies ban Twitter and other social networks due to security fears. Nevertheless, CSOonline.com reports that security personnel are in a tough place, under pressure from employees and business managers to allow social networking into the office as long as it's secure.

"We spent so many years locking things down," said Frank Waszmer, information security architect at Florida-based Health First. "It took a long time to convince management to tighten things up. You have to make sure management is on board to the risk of opening up."

For more on the debate over social networking:
- see this CSOonline.com article

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