I have never been a fan of the business practice of blocking employee access to online content (as you know if you read this blog). I believe the practice kills trust and prevents employee engagement. Prospective employees see it as a big sign that says, “Don’t work here.” The issues that lead companies to block access are better addressed by strong supervision and effective management instead of technical restrictions. Much of the content that is blocked is valuable from a business standpoint; that value just hasn’t been recognized by those who make the kneejerk decision to block. The arguments that support blocking are based on flawed calculations and distorted reporting. And the investment required to block access can better be invested in anything from customer service to corporate social responsibility initiatives.

I have finally decided to do more than just gripe about blocking practices on my blog and podcast. Effective today, I have launched a blog and wiki as the foundation of a campaign to educate the business world about the arguments against wholesale blocking of online content. These arguments don’t get a lot of publicity; they’re not as sensational as “studies” from organizations that benefit from the fear they produce with headlines like “$5 billion in lost productivity attributed to Facebook.” It is my hope that the “Stop Blocking” campaign will serve as a resource to those who want to make a business case supporting open access.

The blog—which serves as the campaign home page—will report on goings-on in the blocking realm. The wiki, though, is the heart of the effort, where anyone interested in participating can contribute arguments, evidence, case studies, research, links to articles, anything that helps make the case that the benefits of open access far outweigh the risks, and that there are better ways to address the prospect of employees who abuse the privilege. In order to manage wiki spam, I’ve set up the MediaWiki to require you to register in order to contribute or edit content. I encourage you to take the minute or so required to create an account so you can become part of the movement.

There’s also a petition associated with the campaign. Your signature is appreciated. I won’t link to it here in the hopes that you’ll visit the campaign site in order to find it.

I’m also interested in anyone who can produce better graphics for the badges than I have (I’m no designer), as well as WordPress and MediaWiki talent who can improve the design and functionality of these tools.

And, of course, since this is a new site, I’d be grateful for any reports of anything that doesn’t work right. (It’s my very first experience using the MediaWiki platform.)

So please visit the site, contribute to the wiki, display one of the badges (linking to the Stop Blocking campaign) on your blog, and do what you can to take advantage of social media and word-of-mouth to spread the Stop Blocking message that the mainstream media has been ignoring. I am grateful for your support and anxious to see where this goes.