Is Flock a Productivity Killer?

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

In my online circles, there's been a lot of discussion recently about Flock, the "social web browser for people who like to be connected".  Since Flock is powered by Mozilla, and my favorite browser for quite some time has been Firefox, I decided this weekend to give Flock a spin and see what all the fuss is about.  I downloaded the "Eco-edition" version, with its soothing green palate and and promise to deliver fresh, globally-concerned content daily. 

Since I love Facebook and Twitter, I immediately opened the People Sidebar and was thrilled to access all of my online friends in the click of a button, right there on the side of my screen.  My weekend computer time is largely spent playing, enjoying, reading and getting caught up on email.  Most of my serious work happens Monday through Friday as I try to keep a regular set of work hours here in my home office. So on Saturday, in "play mode" I fell in love with Flock.

My perception changed a bit today, when I hit my Monday work routine fast and furious.  I found myself distracted by that same People Sidebar that had so enchanted me over the weekend.  I need a browser that enhances my productivity, not one that tempts me to stay up to date with every last Tweet - I will say that I'm still experimenting with the various tools of Flock, and discovering its many features.

For now, I've determined that I'm going to try continuing to use Firefox when I'm in "work" mode and allow myself to "play" with Flock when it's time to visit and network with friends.  I'd love to hear your impressions of Flock and have your tips on its best uses.

Best of the Blogs:
(recent posts related to today's topic of Working @ Home)

• Do You Have Too Much Paper Clutter in Your Home Office?
• To-Do Times Two
• Google Reader iPhone Beta Launches
• 10 Misconceptions the Self-Employed Deal with Daily

Home-work for Today:

• Assess your online tools.  Are they working for you?  Does your online calendar help you master your schedule?  Does your feed reader save you time?  Does your browser enhance your personal productivity or detract from it?  If something's not working or decreases your productivity, don't be afraid to stop using it even if everyone else loves it.

Comments

[blargumentor]

I agree that its tempting, but I just close the people sidebar and my stumbleupon bar and I can usually get stuff done.

I cant wait until they integrate firefox 3 into it, its gonna be even sweeter.

[blargumentor]

I agree that its tempting, but I just close the people sidebar and my stumbleupon bar and I can usually get stuff done.

I cant wait until they integrate firefox 3 into it, its gonna be even sweeter.

[Lisa Hendey]

Chris,
I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for taking time to comment here - I'm subscribing to your blog and hope to find you here again soon.
Lisa

Junior,
I agree that Flock is totally cool - I will definitely be using it, just not when I need to get work done.
Lisa

[Chris Vance]

http://woosta.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/flock-profiles-and-productivity/

Lisa,

I wrote a lengthy comment on this which I turned into a full blog post. You can read it above. Good luck finding the right mix of productivity and technology.

[junior]

I like the YouTube and Flickr integration. No other browser has anything like it. When the "My World" tab is open I can see who recently uploaded or favourited what.