It is probably an uncomfortable question many others have faced after becoming members on one of the larger social networking sites. What do you do when someone from your past whom you did not particularly want to keep in touch with finds you on the network and wants to join your social space as a "friend"?

This is a weird situation. I neither like nor dislike the person. I just do not want them on my network reading stuff I and my family exchange among us. Or put another way, how would you feel if a friend rejected a request by you to join their social network? That is the ultimate 'diss'.

Since I was only recently forced on to Facebook by my sisters in Canada I do not yet know if there is a way of corralling off people into a limited view of my exchanges. Perhaps a reader can help me out here?

What is with this Facebook anyway? Everybody and their monkey seem to be on it, exchanging virtual bunny hugs and gifts, playing a form of Scrabble, and generally communicating. I do not even try to keep up. Where do all these people find the time?

Over the past week, I have received four hugs, and did not have one returned. I found out that my sisters have sent each another virtual shakeable water globes, hatching eggs, play beer money and other such silly things. I was also asked to take a quiz on whether I am sexy or not (I did not even try). I also found out that I missed my father and sister's birthdays. Ouch!

All of this social networking is costing businesses something. According to a survey by UK firms Global Secure Systems (GSS) and Infosecurity Europe 2008 social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo cost UK corporations about £6.5 billion annually in lost productivity and bandwidth use.

The poll was carried out on 776 office workers, who admitted to spending at least 30 minutes a day visiting social networking sites while at work. Two respondents who were so hooked that they admitted spending three hours a day visiting such sites.

Many businesses estimate that social networking sites eat up between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of their current bandwidth. However, while IT directors would like to ban such sites, human resources departments want to encourage their use.

David Hobson, GSS' managing director, noted that social networking sites are now integral to the way that many of the latest and youngest recruits into the workforce communicate and work. For some sectors social networking sites may have a part to play in terms of competitive advantage or used for research or as a marketing tool, he notes. The strategy then is on how to manage such employees.

"It comes down to a fine balancing act - and mostly a case of introducing a 'reasonable use' policy," said Mr. Hobson.

GSS itself claims to have saved thousands of dollars a year by limiting access to Facebook and other social networking sites on its company network with Internet filtering software. The decision was made after analysing traffic patterns and realising that about 25 per cent of the company's web usage was for social networking sites such as Facebook.

There is a lesson for teachers as well. In a separate study Global Secure Systems also surveyed 500 school children, aged between 13 and 17, and found 51 per cent confessed to checking their social network profiles during lessons. About one quarter admitted to sneaking in over 30 minutes per day to check their space.

Other commentators have noted that one way teachers can cut down on that time, is to incorporate social networking sites as much as possible in their lessons. Although, I guess teachers will have to be aware that students are now sharing their homework assignments through sites like Facebook.

In Toronto, Canada, a first-year student at Ryerson University narrowly missed getting expelled after he was discovered by his teacher to be running a study group on Facebook. The teacher and the university said the study group constituted cheating.

However the Ryerson University's faculty appeals committee decided not to expel him, but just require that he take a course on academic misconduct. A note on his transcript will say the 18-year-old was disciplined.

Chris Avenir will also get a zero on an assignment his chemistry professor has asked him and the other students to complete independently. Once discovered Avenir and the students' union argued that the Facebook group, Dungeons/Mastering Chemistry Solutions, was an exchange of academic ideas in line with such practices as tutoring and mentoring.

It sounds to me as if Avenir and the student union should appeal this case, which they are considering. Being online is not different from holding meetings as a library study group or taking part in peer tutoring.

Ryerson and teachers everywhere will have to decide to treat such online groups, as they are not going to disappear. Obviously, if a site is giving away the answers, then that situation should be considered independently.

Send any comments to elamin.ahmed@gmail.com