7 January 2010

are our work places un-Australian blocking sport on the internet

| dr phil
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So I am at work, I should be working I know BUT! the cricket is on, so I go to my trusted news site and see that Australia has fought back and we have won the test, I then go to click into the story and the work internet filter has blocked the site. (sport)

Does any one else in Canberra have the same problem?

This is sport, the Australian way of life, our main point of conversation.

Are our work places un-Australian blocking sport on the internet?

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Q: Are our work places un-Australian blocking sport on the internet?

A: No

Follow-up: Do you work for the Public Service?

The Australian thing to do would be to find a way to circumvent the block.
As already mentioned, you could get mobile internet – I use a HTC Hero on 3 with an $8/month data plan that gives me 500mb of data (on top of my $29 voice call cap)
Alternately, what I used to do when my workplace was blocking sites was to find an open proxy (essentially a website you can visit and enter the website you want to see) – just don’t login to anything via an open proxy – e.g. facebook, email, banking, as the connection is untrusted.

dvaey said :

Grrrr said :

Can’t get your sport at work? Assuming you don’t already have one, go get a nice mobile phone with a web browser in it – Eg Nokia 6220c @ $250. Then fork out $10-20/month (or a bit more if you use Telstra) for a 3G data plan.

If you really want to stream video of cricket at work, then just get a mobile broadband module, and pay for it yourself. Why should us tax payers not only pay you per hour to watch sport, but also pay for the medium you watch it on?

Um, why are you quoting me? I don’t want to watch cricket at work. The OP wants to check the scores – though he didn’t say anything about streaming video. I already told him to acquire and pay for 3G mobile Internet .. and through a separate device to his work PC.

Holden Caulfield12:06 pm 08 Jan 10

crazyfish said :

Sadly, I’ve found in my workplaces, where there has generally been numerous computers, that the AM signal is poor to the extent of being unusable.
Fortunatley at the moment I get to stream the ABC commentary on the PC available to me!

Yes, well, one day (I’m not holding my breath) I’m sure we’ll be able to get digital radio in little old Canberra, at which point (hopefully), your reception troubles will be a relic of the past.

Perhaps it’s not the actual sport site that the filter is blocking, the site might have added a betting part which the filter recognises and blocks..

Grrrr said :

Can’t get your sport at work? Assuming you don’t already have one, go get a nice mobile phone with a web browser in it – Eg Nokia 6220c @ $250. Then fork out $10-20/month (or a bit more if you use Telstra) for a 3G data plan.

If you really want to stream video of cricket at work, then just get a mobile broadband module, and pay for it yourself. Why should us tax payers not only pay you per hour to watch sport, but also pay for the medium you watch it on?

You mean to say your IT team doesn’t replace the Parliament TV streaming on the work Intranet with the Channel nine cricket coverage?

It’s not particularly good karma for your employer, but it’s a bit much to invoke the U-word!

I’ll second the vote for radio at work! Let them try filtering *that* out.

Re:

Observing said :

I think there is this new technology AM Radio which has not only live scores but commentary. I hear it also costs less than $20 per month and you can use it anywhere there are radio waves.

Sadly, I’ve found in my workplaces, where there has generally been numerous computers, that the AM signal is poor to the extent of being unusable.
Fortunatley at the moment I get to stream the ABC commentary on the PC available to me!

colourful sydney racing identity1:09 pm 07 Jan 10

*cough* *cough* riotact at work *cough*

I think there is this new technology AM Radio which has not only live scores but commentary. I hear it also costs less than $20 per month and you can use it anywhere there are radio waves.

Pommy bastard12:55 pm 07 Jan 10

It’s counter productive blocking such sites. It’s better to have a happy work, force keeping up to date with the things they enjoy during quiet times at work, than a miserable bunch of workers, bored stupid due to big brother killjoy bosses.

troll-sniffer11:40 am 07 Jan 10

sniffing the air, sniffing… aha lock-on! Found one.

“This is sport, the Australian way of life, our main point of conversation”

Geez, get a life!

Aah, “un-Australian” – a meaningless attempt at nationalistic sensationalism. Even worse, you admit that you’re doing the wrong thing and are trying to find a way to justify it!

Have you asked your proxy administrators to allow the site? (Good luck!)

Can’t get your sport at work? Assuming you don’t already have one, go get a nice mobile phone with a web browser in it – Eg Nokia 6220c @ $250. Then fork out $10-20/month (or a bit more if you use Telstra) for a 3G data plan. Then you can check the scores anywhere, any time you want.

eyeLikeCarrots10:40 am 07 Jan 10

Its Conroy’s censorship!!! (only joking)

I dont know where you work, but here at my work sport and news site are accessible. Content that could be found offensive (lets not start that arguement here) is blocked.

IMHO, blocking sports sites is pretty overboard.. your admins must be a pack of card carrying commies. But there are a few reasons why they might do it (bandwidth, availability, history of lost productivity etc etc etc). Funnily enough, you can access sites like RA so my guess would be the bandwidth consumed by sports sites (streaming media can make the web slow for other users)…

And I strongly disagree with the generalisation that sport is our main talking point… people seem to be more concerned with Paris’s latest outfit or the newest apdoted Africian kid that Brad and his plastic missus got

If sport is your main point of conversation, I hope to never be stuck next to you at a party.

Majority of things are blocked my work, no access to facebook, some charity sites, videos and images. Although I can access news. I think it depends on what people are looking at most in your workplace and what uses the most downloads.

It’s annoying, because I think if it’s not a productivity issue then it shouldn’t be a problem. So long as all your work is done you should be able to look at whatever you want.

do you get paid to visit sport sites and read articles, view streamed games, and generally live on these sites?

I didn’t think so.

It isn’t unaustralian, it is is a fact of life as companies and departments try to combat blowouts in internet costs. You may think it is your right to view sport sites on “your” work pc. it is the right of the department or company to block these sites, if they think they are counterproductive.

I can view a sport site whenever I want. but then, I am running my own home notebook with a nextG card in the office. i don’t use the work pc for non business sites, including the RA, and there is nothing work can do to stop me…

I’ll take this as an obvious troll….

You work for the APS dont you?
Get back to work, lazy pube!

(PS: My workplace does not filter anything, it’s great. 😛 )

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