NEW YORK (AP) — It’s no secret that people sneak in some personal e-mail and Web surfing when they’re supposed to be working.

Installing filters to block access to Web sites and e-mail services could backfire, the study says.

A new study attempts to shatter perceptions that these Web surfers are just slackers trying to avoid work.

In fact, it turns out everyone does it, from senior managers to entry-level employees — and researchers figure that means management attempts to clamp down on Internet use may be missing the mark.

Many legitimate reasons may be at play, speculates R. Kelly Garrett, one of the study’s authors and a communications professor at Ohio State University.

For instance, people may use the Web at work to help balance job and life responsibilities; with the personal matters taken care of from work, they can focus on the task at hand.

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Mr Internet Marketing John Chow has a contest up on this blog. He is giving away a goodie bag complete with a $200 amex card, Flip Camera and a USB Pen, all from Market Leverage. Head on over and submit a comment to enter!

I have been using freshbooks for a couple of years now to do billing for my clients. It is a simple, very professional way to do invoicing.

Well they decided to go to the HOW design conference and do a trade show booth. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a fancy booth they did the one thing that most people wouldn’t think you would have at a design conference… an art project!

Check it out here

Ever wondered what Gawker’s office look like?

Now we know!

Can you spy Blakeley?

John Chow is giving away a really awesome looking 2 Gig USB Pen. To sign up for the contest all you have to do is leave a comment. It’s the easiest contest EVER!

Techcrunch seems to think so…

Hmm, Seems like web 2.0’s “Gem” of a framework may not be all that the zealots what you to think it is.

[Via TechnologyThree]

We have been using what we called “Scrum” for a couple of years now and I am curious as to how other organizations implement it. For us it is basically a daily staff meeting that lasts 10 minutes and you say what you did the previous 24 hours and what you are doing in the next 24 hours. We then move resources as the daily needs progress.

So my question is “What does scrum look like you to?” How do you do it? What do you use? Are you all in an office or do you have remote workers that you have to deal with.

Comment below…

SvN just did a post called: Why I love working with family people

I wrote this as a comment but I thought i would post it here:

I am 29 with a wife and 3 kids and do web development and work at home. I started out as a 20 year old that would work for hours on end and I have been able to refine my process.

Really what this boils down to is 2 things.

1. Family people tend to be older and more mature. Kids do something to you and your maturity level skyrockets (usually). I always say that a guy is never ready to have kids and will never be ready until he HAS kids.

2. This is exactly what the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss is talking about. The idea of if you have something ELSE you HAVE to get done then you will work more diligently and more focused to get it done.

Thoughts?

If you are in Moldova hit me up either in the comments or the contact me link above. My church has a non-profit called Justice and Mercy International that works with kids in Moldova. They are starting a transitional living home for girls 16-20 y/o that are transitioning out of the orphanage and into the real world in hopes of keeping them from the sex trade.

I have been given the duty to research internet options for the home in Chişinău and I of course have no idea where to begin… So please hit me up and let me know what the options are in the area and what some of the costs are and which ones to stay away from.

Thanks!

OfficeSnapShots just posted pics of the new Digg office… I need to get some Guinness for my office fridge!

http://www.officesnapshots.com/2008/04/21/the-diggcom-tour-office-snapshots/