| Twenty years ago, most people did not even use | | | | and the 7th most popular in any language. Receiving |
| computers at work; much less have access to the | | | | 4.5% of the visits of all web sites, it is the most |
| Internet. Even if they did, the Internet largely | | | | visited site in the United States. And many of these |
| consisted of email and file sharing. But today, most of | | | | visits are not made from home computers. MySpace |
| the workforce has at least some type of access to | | | | currently has over 100,000,000 members and |
| the Internet while on the job. And, in addition to | | | | attracts a half million new members each week. |
| being able to email friends and family, they also have | | | | MySpace attracts users of all ages including those in |
| the World Wide Web on which they can surf for | | | | the workforce. Due to all the great features that |
| news, online stores, jokes, online music, funny videos, | | | | MySpace offers, many people find it hard to stay |
| online dating sites, funny pictures, and even friends. | | | | away for very long. If workers have access to the |
| People love downloading music through iTunes, | | | | Internet at their job, they are more than likely to |
| shopping at Amazon, or just reading the headlines at | | | | check their MySpace account at least once a day, |
| MSNBC or CNN. Because there is so much on the | | | | possibly more often for new bulletins, emails, or just |
| Internet today, many people are using work time to | | | | searching for new and interesting friends. |
| surf the Internet for personal reasons. | | | | However, workers spending time on the Internet can |
| People seem to love the sites that contain humor. | | | | decrease productivity. While it may be okay with a |
| Humor is becoming more prevalent in certain | | | | company for workers to surf on their own time, |
| workplaces today, offering the employees as way to | | | | such as breaks or lunch, they do not want the |
| blow off a little steam from a hard day of work. | | | | workers surfing for personal reasons during work |
| Humorous sites that offer funny videos such as have | | | | hours. Some people argue that surfing the Internet is |
| become very popular lately. You can see such | | | | equivalent to chatting at the water cooler or while in |
| amazing and bizarre videos as people launching a huge | | | | the hallway, but most employers feel differently, |
| water bottle rocket, a building implosion in the middle | | | | feeling that it decreases their production. To help |
| of a crowded city, even an anaconda snake biting a | | | | prevent this, up to 80% of all employers are |
| policeman. Co-workers love to run into the next | | | | monitoring work computers. This means they have |
| office to share the latest funny video they found | | | | the potential to view all emails you send and receive, |
| while surfing the Internet. In fact, people love these | | | | as well as know all the sites you surf and at what |
| funny videos so much, VH1 created a whole show | | | | times you were surfing. |
| devoted to them called Web Junk 20 that highlights | | | | During baseball season alone, baseball fans who surf |
| the best of the best. | | | | the Internet during work hours can cost companies a |
| Many people use funny pictures on their web pages, | | | | total of $10 billion in lost productivity. This is not just |
| in their emails, and other places. Web sites, such as | | | | an American phenomenon - a study by a software |
| that offer funny pictures have become very popular | | | | company in Australia showed that the Australian |
| with Internet surfers. These pages offer hilarious real | | | | economy loses approximately $644 million a year in |
| and slightly doctored photos that are so funny, | | | | lost productivity due to Internet surfing. |
| people are becoming addicted to looking at them. | | | | Some employers have started limiting access to |
| You can view funny pictures such as that of | | | | certain web sites for all employees in an attempt to |
| President Bush on CNN (where CNN ran the headline | | | | curtail surfing. If you are caught surfing the Internet |
| the Hurricane Katrina headline: "Bush: One of the | | | | at work for personal reasons such as looking at |
| Worst Disasters to Hit the U.S."), an image of how to | | | | funny videos, funny pictures, or checking your |
| cheat at poker (with a little help), and the kids that | | | | MySpace account, your employer may penalize you |
| decided to do a little painting (and covered the living | | | | by suspending your Internet privileges or you could |
| room in white paint). | | | | even be fined. |
| There is so much information for which one can surf | | | | Surfing the Internet is fun and everyone does it, but |
| on the Internet and one of the newest inventions is | | | | to protect yourself, ask your boss about any surfing |
| social networking websites such as MySpace. | | | | while working policies they have and keep your |
| MySpace is the 4th most popular web site in English | | | | surfing restricted to lunch and break times. |