So you were caught red-handed. Your boss called you in and gave you the “I saw you were twitter-tweeting at your desk the other day, and I think it’s time to put a stop to this.” Or maybe your boss got all Sherlock Holmes on you and noticed that those Facebook updates, Flickr uploads, and LinkedIn connections were being sent and posted during work hours. Damn timestamps. Ugh.

Well what can you do? For those of you that love to dance in the clouds let me be very clear from the get go—your boss taking away your rights to sign into social platforms during work hours in NO WAY obstructs your first amendment rights. No matter how you spin it people, your boss and company’s management does have the right to restrict what sites you visit during work hours. Their case grows stronger if you are using computers, PDA’s and other tech toys that they own. So put your picket sign down.

I know it's unfair, but it happened. So the question becomes, what can you do? Before you start updating your resume or stomp in there with your soapbox and “Consider this my two week notice” speech all dialed up…perhaps you could consider an alternative solution. What if you made a case for using social media in the workplace? Crazy I know…talking it out, being logical, and all that other silly grown-up stuff.

But seriously, there are a number of ways that an employee who is active on social networks can benefit the company as a whole. Here are just a few bullet points to get you started…

• Establishing a presence for your company with a new audience. If your boss is saying no to social media in the office chances are your marketing team is still fighting to jump into the social media arena as well. So why not make the case that you can be a test case for future initiatives. Let your boss know that you would like to spend a few minutes every day on some sites, seeing who you can connect with in your industry and spreading your company’s mission statement.

• Competitor espionage. You can laugh, but I have made this case more times than I can count with clients. The truth is your company’s competitors are on these sites with groups, fan pages, and personal accounts. By partaking in the communities you can keep a pulse of your competitor’s giveaways, promotions, and announcements.
   
• Get feedback. This one is a bit more risky, because you don’t want to step on the marketing team’s toes, but let your boss know that you will be using the time you spend on these networks to hear what people have to say about your company. Let your boss know that you will take any bigger ideas or complaints to the appropriate departments for consideration.
   
• Lastly—Because everyone else is doing it. Ha, I know I know…it sounds weird. But there is a legit argument in saying to your boss, “we have always been an innovative and forward thinking company, and this is not the time to ignore emerging technologies and communities.” You will be surprised how strong that argument can be, especially when upper management is facing an economic climate like this one.
   

Okay so those are a few points you can make when having this conversation with your boss. Remember, no matter how good your argument is, this policy will not change overnight, but if you keep after it and give them the space they need to evaluate the pros and cons you may just be tweeting from your cubicle sooner rather than later.

As the technologies we use at work continue to evolve, it’s important to keep finding new ways to lace them into our everyday goals. It’s up to you to find ways to use these networks for positive branding messages, company expansion, and bottom-line growth. Because, {cough} {cough}, clearly your boss isn’t up to the challenge. As a generation of movers and shakers we are used to this skepticism. It’s how you handle it and move forward that separates you from the others.