I am wondering how much time do we really spend surfing the net? When I search the net for topics on this, the first page is about "how much time wasted on socializing in the net" or "I do only my surfing after office hours", and it gives me negative vibes and a feeling it is being controlled. On the other hand, it seems it is so common doing it at work that our employers find it unproductive.

Is it really unproductive? How do we define the use of the internet during office hours to be overly excessive that it catches their attention? Isn't it the internet is a resource, and information we gather here should add to our knowledge? Even if we our into the social sites like Facebook and Twitter, we tend to bond with others in our industry, and even spot marketing moves our competitors are implementing. Surfiing may not at all be detrimental to our production but may somehow be a concern.

As people, we always are to be connected to others whether physically or in the internet. It is basic and natural for us to do so. I couldn't imagine that a good worker is just alone in a cubicle or a corner in the office trying to write and aswer the mail, and believe that it is "just enough to be who you are" at the moment. Learning is a lifelong process, and it is prudent we get hold of all information we could grab to improve our skills.

So why are we regulating the use of the internet during work hours? This somehow touches on ethical issues that most of the companies are creating controls on or is setting an environment of "do's and don't's" hoping they can limit exploitation of the technology. Some of them approach it by time-use surfing, that in my opinion is too lame to be a control point and also unnecessary. In fact, there is a study on the effects of technology in connection to the risk of ethical and illegal practices in the workplace and the numbers are interesting. (http://ansteadsue.tripod.com/technology_ethics.html)

In the final analysis, what is "wrong to do" in surfing the internet is dependent on how the user has applied this technology in himself and his work in accordance with the Laws such as Intellectual Property Rights, Copyrights, etc. It is the responsibility of each of us to know which one is "right or wrong" based on our judgement, and our companies set the guidance on how we use the internet on our jobs in relation to those assets - physical or intellectual in class.