At  New Media conference in Melbourne today lawyer Michael Park of Deaconsdiscusses the legal issues surrounding social media. Many workplaces are blocking Facebook as it drains server capacity and blurs the line between personal and professional behaviour.

Like the Christmas party we’re to use common sense. Yet for some organisations it’s led to legal issues when employees use it for harassment or discrimination or exclusion.

“The same rules that applied to old media apply to new media,” said Park. He told a story of setting Internet policy a decade back when executive questioned why employees would need email. But like the phone the new media was regulated like the old.

In short when you’re at work you’re on the company’s server. Use it like any company property.