THEY BLOCKED GMAIL AT WORK.
ugggghhhh_disaster
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No thanks!
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28 commentsReplies
erica said, (94 days ago)
SERIOUSLY. It's so annoying. Everyone on this site does nothing at work all day except post stupid shit on the internet. I have actual shit to do, and when I have a few minutes of down time before and after school, I just really like being able to check my personal email. I would look forward to it every day. THEY'VE TAKEN AWAY EVERYTHING I HAVE!
Okay, I still have my computer. And youtube. FOR NOW.
erica said, (94 days ago)
Oh, they blocked hotmail and yahoo years ago. I was actually kind of wondering how they missed gmail. And since the people are not really tech-ignorant, I feel as though this is just controlling.
erica said, (94 days ago)
@oom - The ONLY reason I can think of that I can agree with, somewhat, is that they don't allow 3rd party email sites because then (theoretically) students could be sending out threatening emails via the school servers and they have no control over it.
But...really, if kids want to cause trouble, they'll find ways to do it.
erica said, (94 days ago)
I'm sure there are loopholes, but honestly, I'd rather not bother. I mean, I do have things to do most of the time.
Centropomus said, (94 days ago)
If my employer started blocking web sites, half the company would quit.
Moose Elaine said, (94 days ago)
They did that at my last job. Something about how it's easier to spread viruses and the like. They blocked YouTube AGES before they found gmail, though. Interesting. Honestly, I'm surprised it's allowed here.
mooniker said, (94 days ago)
When I was teaching abroad, one of my attempted (failed) workshops was this article:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29601
slowpoke said, (94 days ago)
Yeah, I actually lost a job because of this shit. We had to have access to google to find solutions for the client, but they didn't want us accessing gmail. It was like, ok, you can go anywhere on the internet and download and install whatever you feel you need to, but not if it is personal to you. One day they walked in with these logs of internet activity and fired 6 of us. Made one hell of an example though. Many more quit soon after that and they've been struggling since.
erica said, (94 days ago)
@centro - I really can't complain or say anything, because then they would be all "You're not helping kids! They are failing because of YOU!" and etc.
@moosy mace - Really, I've been checking it for like 3 years now. It couldn't have taken them THIS long to figure it out.
@mooniker - Ah, I love that article.
@Slow Poke - Ah, that sucks. A lot. I feel like there needs to be some give and take - if you have a computer at work, and you also have times where you have breaks at work, shouldn't you be able to check personal stuff on breaks? I think that's what really bothers me - sometimes I'm at work from 7am until 5, and I'm only actually required to be there from 7:45 - 3. So what do they care if I want to check my email if they're not even paying me anymore?
Centropomus said, (94 days ago)
Nothing about my job requires gmail, but that's not the point. The point is that we are evaluated on our effectiveness at our jobs. If we're spending so much time on gmail that our performance suffers, that gets dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I don't know of anyone who has gotten in trouble for spending too much time on personal email. Video games are a whole different matter. Are they blocking flash game sites? If not, they have their priorities profoundly backwards.
kmon said, (94 days ago)
A friend of mine had an address at ekit. I don't know much about it, but it was very work friendly apparently.
erica said, (94 days ago)
@centro - I don't think you get it - I work at a SCHOOL. I really don't have time during most of the day to check any extraneous websites or play flash games. The only time I would check is during my prep period or before/after work, when I'm not supervising kids. I think this is fair, but it's harder to control from their (the tech people's) end - therefore, block it all together.
Centropomus said, (94 days ago)
@erica: I spend about 1 minute a day on gmail at work. It's not a time sink, it's a notification mechanism. It's a less intrusive alternative to taking personal phone calls at work when my girlfriend wants to remind me to pick something up on the way home from work, and other such brief notes. I don't play flash games either. There have been people who did, and they got fired, but that was considered a management problem, not a technology problem.
Roadrunner said, (94 days ago)
This sort of thing is the best case I've heard for having a smartphone.
erica said, (92 days ago)
@xop - OUCH. Okay, you win.
@chipmunk - I could look into it, certainly.
@roadrunner - I actually would really like an ipod touch, but I'd run into the same problems using their network.
Roadrunner said, (92 days ago)
@erica - Yes, but if you had an iPhone (or Blackberry), then you wouldn't be using their network!
erica said, (92 days ago)
I don't know. The funny thing about all of this is that I'm really not that important and hardly anyone emails me. I just like being able to have access to it.
emily said, (83 days ago)
We actually have gmail accounts in each classroom for the parents to e-mail us during the day, and we're supposed to leave it open and always be checking it. EASIER SAID THAN DONE when you have a class of 17 hyperactive five-year-olds.
I totally understand your wanting to have some access for personal computer time during the little downtime you have. We aren't really supposed to use our computers for personal stuff, but I do from time to time after school. They're anal about checking them now though because one of the janitors keeps getting online and looking at porn. I have NO IDEA how he still has a job because everyone knows that it's him and this is at a PRE-SCHOOL.
Anyway... I'm sorry you lost your g-mail. I completely understand what it's like to want to just have a couple of minutes of ME-time to check e-mail at school.
erica said, (83 days ago)
God, just fire the porn guy already!
And I found a work around for the time being. I just log in from google. Are they seriously that dumb?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO