What's the best technique to use when caught web surfing at work?

December 12, 2003 3:02 PM

What's the best technique to use when caught web surfing at work?

I tend to think the "quick click" technique can make you look like you've got something to hide. Sometimes, just leaving Yahoo!, MeFi or your Movable Type login page on the screen seems less shady than a mad-dash click back to an empty word doc. It brazenly says, "Yeah, I'm not working right now...which means I've got time to answer your question!"

What's YOUR technique?

posted by arielmeadow to work & money (22 comments total)

The "duh" answer would be to not surf (non-work) sites at work...but failing that, the alt-tab trick is usually good...just be sure to keep a legit application/file open while surfing.
posted by davidmsc at 3:05 PM on December 12, 2003

Use the web browser inside Outlook, a quick click goes to the inbox, so you can pretend you're checking your work email.
posted by riffola at 3:06 PM on December 12, 2003

Depends on your operating system and platform of choice, but I suggest one of two things:

1. Hone your Alt+Tab-fu. Hitting Alt+Tab in Windows (and sometimes, in OSX) sounds and looks like any other keystroke, but can instantly take you to an "appropriate" window. This is much easier if you use a tabbed browser like Mozilla or Safari, such that you don't accidentally switch to another "inappropriate" window.

2. If you use Windows, nstall Ghostzilla and browse whatever you want inside whatever application you want. Heh.
posted by Danelope at 3:24 PM on December 12, 2003

Thankfully, ensuring Internet connectivity is part of my job description.

God, I love my job.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:55 PM on December 12, 2003

for one thing, modify your MeFi template to use the white-background version. It's significantly more generic, and less suspicious looking, IMO.
posted by scarabic at 3:58 PM on December 12, 2003

I usually very quickly hide the tissue and hand lotion and explain to my manager that it's just a mayonnaise stain from lunch.
posted by eyeballkid at 4:01 PM on December 12, 2003

Depending on the web site and work situation, Lynx, Links, or another text-based browser might be good to use.
posted by gluechunk at 4:22 PM on December 12, 2003

lofi.mefi looks a lot less suspicious than the blue.
posted by fuzz at 4:51 PM on December 12, 2003

Personally, I surf in a non-maximized window with whatever Excel File/Word doc/Whatever behind it. And when I'm actually reading something, I keep the cursor on the behind thing. If I hear someone approach, it's one quick click back to whatever I was doing. It's not fail-proof, but it seems to work. And yes, the white background is much better for MeFi. Now if only we can get it for ask.mefi. I'm awaiting the inevitable "what's that green site you're always on?" question.
posted by Ufez Jones at 5:20 PM on December 12, 2003

"An online knowedgebase," and then immediately go into an explanation of similar sites like the MSKB and their usefulness to the tech-oriented employee.
posted by Danelope at 5:46 PM on December 12, 2003

Freelance.
posted by ook at 6:27 PM on December 12, 2003

nyah nyah
posted by ook at 6:28 PM on December 12, 2003

I sit facing the door to my office, so nobody can see what's on the display unless they walk around me. If you're in a cube, this might be tough to do, but a little creative furniture reshuffling can make it more difficult for someone to see what you're browsing.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:31 PM on December 12, 2003

Classic military tactical doctrine would suggest that you plant a 'distraction' - all the prior advice is relevant and worthy of course, but your 'distraction' - it could be anything as long as it is suitably jarring to your employer or superior - is your ace-in-the-hole. It is your panic-button to be used only under extreme duress.
posted by troutfishing at 7:44 PM on December 12, 2003

run screaming from the building
posted by adampsyche at 7:51 PM on December 12, 2003

I always explain I'm just having a 5 minute break to keep my mind fresh. Which is usually the case anyway.
posted by sebas at 1:24 AM on December 13, 2003

Ghostzilla sounds great, though I imagine most people aren't allowed to install software on their work computers, and, probably, being caught using methods that are clearly intended to obfuscate the fact that you are surfing is more dangerous than just being caught surfing.

As long as we are being strategic, though (a la troutfishing), I would say that best defense is a good offense: can you find a way of bringing articles like this one to the attention of your managers? According to this, most people who surf at work spend even more time using the internet at home for work purposes, which sounds perfectly logical to me. Even back before the internet, I did the majority of my best work at home, but would often take three-hour lunches or leave work early (to go on "appointments"). All-in-all, I definitely worked much more than 40 hours...

If 85% percent of workers are surfing at work, then it would definitely behoove managers to find out what this really does mean in terms of productivity. Maybe it's up to the more computer-savvy to publicize this sort of information as much as possible.
posted by taz at 1:35 AM on December 13, 2003

Also, this: "A new book argues that, contrary to employers' beliefs, letting workers surf on the Web can yield some beneficial side effects".
posted by taz at 1:42 AM on December 13, 2003

I tend to think the "quick click" technique can make you look like you've got something to hide. Sometimes, just leaving Yahoo!, MeFi or your Movable Type login page on the screen seems less shady than a mad-dash click back to an empty word doc.

I can second this. Years of working in a computer lab unfortunately gave me the "quick click" syndrome, which of course looks terribly suspicious when I'm at work. I've been trying to get in the habit of just leaving whatever I'm looking at up so that they realize I'm just screwing around, not surfing Monster.com.
posted by oissubke at 9:12 AM on December 13, 2003

Giving you an unfiltered Internet connection and a Web browser and then banning you from surfing should be considered sadism.
posted by kindall at 9:44 AM on December 13, 2003

I always explain I'm just having a 5 minute break to keep my mind fresh. Which is usually the case anyway.

Unless you're getting caught frequently (or your company's policy is so draconian as to make this not ok), this is the way to go. Much less suspicious than alt-tab or quick-clicking to another window.
posted by juv3nal at 5:25 PM on December 13, 2003

This may have been what Danelope was getting at, but:

Post a work-related question to AskMetafilter - now you have license in perpetuity to be surfing this site - who knows when a new answer might pop up, right?

posted by soyjoy at 8:36 PM on December 13, 2003