Articles
1. Do you consider social media sites such as LinkedIn a useful business tool for engineers?
Yes: 55%
No: 32%
Don't Know: 13%
Even those who keep their social media usage to a minimum said they use it for networking and recruitment. It has become a necessary part of doing business for most but many question its accuracy and feel its usefulness is often exaggerated.
2. Do you use social media networking for work-related activities such as collaboration on technology development projects?
Yes: 15%
No: 85%
Beyond some intranet company websites and niche bulletin boards and forums, PE readers don’t see social media as having any specific usefulness to engineers apart from the normal business-related activities.
3. Are you aware of any guidelines or rules your company or organisation has concerning employee use of social media?
Yes: 68%
No: 26%
Don't Know: 6%
There is a high level of awareness among respondents about the risks of revealing sensitive company data and reputational issues, and accordingly a high level of adherence to corporate rules in this area.
4. Do you keep separate social media profiles or sites for work and personal life?
Yes: 66%
No: 31%
Don't Know: 3%
Two thirds of readers keep their private lives separate from their professional activities online. Leaving work behind you when you close the office door is increasingly difficult, but having separate social media accounts helps to draw boundaries.
5. Are you comfortable with the amount of data companies such as Google, Microsoft or Facebook may possess about you?
Yes: 24%
No: 69%
Don't Know: 7%
A clear majority of PE readers are concerned that, once out of their hands, even data they may have unwittingly revealed about themselves is open to use in ways that were not originally intended.
6. Do you worry that personal data, such as financial information, is not adequately protected from hackers by companies and governments?
Yes: 81%
No: 15%
Don't Know: 4%
Again, an overwhelming majority of readers do not trust the people who hold such important data to keep it secure. Some call for stronger statutory measures to ensure security.
7. Do you consider yourself careful about the data that you reveal about yourself online?
Yes: 95%
No: 3%
Don't Know: 2%
Engineers consider themselves aware and informed about the risks and employ a common-sense approach to data protection – only reveal information about yourself that you would be prepared to shout from the rooftops. When this isn’t possible, most use the highest recommended security measures.
8. Do you feel that the benefits of sharing information, such as your location, professional background or interests, outweigh the risks?
Yes: 44%
No: 43%
Don't Know: 13%
The balance here shows the wide variance in readers’ views on the usefulness of social media. Some do not engage in it at all, while others could not do their jobs without it. Overall, social media is seen as a necessary part of life, that you should engage with on your own terms as much as possible.