Question:
Today, everyone found that all messaging software was blocked, along with websites related to them (i.e. myspace). Other websites blocked include web-based messaging sites and proxy sites.
There's nothing in our rules to say we aren't actually allowed to use these sites, they don't really mind us using the net and frankly, we work lots of unpaid hours and sometimes you want to chat to a mate whilst a task is going on in the background and you have to wait.
Soo.. short of setting up another box and VNCing into it.. does anyone know of another way into MSN Messanger? My gf thinks i'm ignoring her
Answers:
are you kidding? No wonder they have blocked it given you seem to rely on it!
Check you employee contract / IT poilcy agreement.... internet usage is a privilage and can be removed without warning or reason at any time.
-Law impies this and any agreement with employer is only offered as a reminder.
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try Trillian. In some places it works. It works fine at my place of work were msn and icq are blocked.
Dont forget to thank me if my coments help.
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I just noticed i put this on the wrong board, should have put it on Tech. My bad.
My firm regulally makes people on 40 hour contracts work more than 48 hours (I know of 90 hour weeks having occured).. They are pretty evil in that respect. The only time i've known them crack down on messenger clients is because of virus threats.
The hunt continues.. this is an IT firm, so someone will figure it out eventually
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this is an IT firm, so someone will figure it out eventually
Not a very good one by the sounds of it !!
While you guys are trying to figure it out, try the online alternative.
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I just noticed i put this on the wrong board, should have put it on Tech. My bad.
My firm regulally makes people on 40 hour contracts work more than 48 hours (I know of 90 hour weeks having occured).. They are pretty evil in that respect. The only time i've known them crack down on messenger clients is because of virus threats.
The hunt continues.. this is an IT firm, so someone will figure it out eventually
Depends how clever your IT team are.
I know for a fact that there is no way around it here.
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you can also try a http tunnel.
it is blocked at our work too.. we have got a way round it... using ssh and an external linux box running a dns server, if you set the ssh port to be 443 then they wont block that port.
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He said all web-based messenger sites are blocked, and proxy sites... ouch!
I don't know what to suggest really, kill the admin and hyjack his P.C hehe.
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appears to be blocked by the Corporate Firewall of Doom.
Trillian appears to be blocked.. looks like the ports are blocked.
I guess the http tunnel approach is the only way, plus I've got a mate with a linux box running a DNS server.. this looks like a plan, i just need instructions
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If you are working for a lot of unpaid hours go and get a job elsewhere!
Why would you stay and work for free?
Either ask for a payrise to compensate it, ask for overtime or get a job elsewhere. I don't think being allowed to chat on MSN is a viable source of payment.
It might be a perk of your job but surely it shouldn't be instead of being paid for doing the work.
What sort of money saver are you????
Hang your head in shame
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If you are working for a lot of unpaid hours go and get a job elsewhere!
Why would you stay and work for free?
Either ask for a payrise to compensate it, ask for overtime or get a job elsewhere. I don't think being allowed to chat on MSN is a viable source of payment.
It might be a perk of your job but surely it shouldn't be instead of being paid for doing the work.
What sort of money saver are you????
Hang your head in shame
Think that is a bit harsh.. there might be lots of reasons.
I do my contracted hours and then some, no overtime for me either.
But.. I get to leave the office at 4 every day so i can spend time with my kids (worth more than overtime) before working some more after they have gone to bed... work from home a few days a week. In fact i have worked at home for the last 2 months as i knackered my cruciates.
so yes i could get more else where, but if that entailed no working at home and longer office hours why would i want to?
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On the plus side, I've spent about 10k on expenses in the last year on flights/expensive hotels/rather nice meals. I too can work at home sometimes.
Don't get me started on my hours, i got an email at 5.40pm last night (don't tend to leave till 6pm) saying that if we didn't fix an issue, a project would fail to go live. I knew it was an idle threat so I just went home. I actually have a thread with me !!!!!ing about my lousy payrise (5.4%, yet i average 16% unpaid overtime)
Only been in the job a year, got to wait till i hit junior management before I jump ship or i'll set myself back. I've got a long term plan.. it's just not a very good one and involves lots of hard work
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be thankful you got a payrise..
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From what you've written, you don't sound happy with your work or loyal to the company. Maybe you should consider a move?
There's great debate about whether personal messaging should be allowed, in cases where I have installed firewalls and routers I have at the request of the company nearly always blocked messengers.
In my new role, I use messenger to communicate with other employees around the world, so it does have it's purpose. It's still logged though, so misuse could result in a warning.
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Companies are far too concerned about messenger and internet usage etc.
People are not robots, and as OP said, sometimes will use messenger whilst waiting for a background task to complete. It's good for morale to allow staff some slack. Full time abusers will be spotted as those who never get anything done.
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I actually use it mostly either to talk to people on the otherside of the building, or people working from home. That's not to say I don't message my brother etc... but it's still a form of communication I use and need at work.
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We use Microsoft Office Communicator for internal messaging (it's the corporate MSN messenger). Yes, you're right, i don't especially like my company and I am considering a move, but it'll take another year of experience before I can move were I want to
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thank yourself lucky thats the only things that are blocked..our company has blocked any .mov .rm etc from playing, bbc radio station and any bbc video. Java and flash interactive webpages.
Makes trying to do any decent research (especially for my OU as their tutorials use java) virtually impossible. Let alone playing around on the net
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My company encourages IM use as an alternative to email & telephone. I have AOL and Skype turned on all the time so colleagues (and sometimes friends) can get hold of me whenever I am sat at my desk. IM is a great business tool if used correctly. Companies that block it are either uneducated or shortsighted.
Mike
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Companies that block it are either uneducated or shortsighted.
Or concerned about the number of worms spreading through IM software. I was reading an article only yesterday about hackers using worms to exploit bugs in IM software to install spyware and spam-mailing software on remote machines: not something I'd want inside my company network.