Facebook's a waste of time - get used to it

On top of all this, I've helped market Bob Dylan's new album, added my thoughts to the "kick out illegal immagrants [sic]" debate and sent Geraldine a venus fly trap. In between I've poked a few mates, despatched a couple of superlatives and been involved in a food fight. Oh, and I've asked over a million people on the London network: Should bosses ban Facebook?

Frankly, it's been an exhausting five hours. What must it be like for the majority of Facebook junkies with an average of 150 "friends" each who apparently spend hours every day surfing the UK's fastest-growing social utility network?

After three weeks on the site, I've amassed 29 of my own, many of whom I'd lost touch with for reasons of overwork and complacency. As one of them messaged me yesterday, "friends who live on the other side of the world somehow don't seem so far away when you know they've had a cream cheese bagel for breakfast".

But that is the upside of Facebook. The downside is the cost to the economy, estimated at £150 million every single day. It's no surprise managers are rubbing their hands at the thought of cutting off our connection to Facebook. Of the skiving rats who replied to my question, all but one said bosses should butt out, that work's miserable enough without being barred from online partying. The renegade, ironically, was a boss himself. "Yes, it should be bloody banned!," he writes. "I need weaning off because it's so addictive."

If my own job had more scope for slacking, I'm sure I'd be helping to bring the economy to a standstill. There is something very attractive about joining the hugely popular I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back Of The Head group. Because, along with virtual flirting (a third of Facebook users are single), that's what we're doing for 233 million hours every month.

Regular users know Facebook becomes dormant at evenings and weekends - because everyone's off meeting the people they've spent the (working) day arranging drinks with. No one I've contacted denies they overuse it, yet all say they don't abuse it. I'm not sure their bosses would be happy with the distinction but still, should Facebook really be banned?

As I sign off, Anna is already "looking-alluring in one of the seven new tops", Emma is "loving the autumn sunshine" and I've just noticed tomorrow is Stella's birthday.

When work dominates our lives and erodes our ability to keep relationships fresh we all need these postcards from the real world. Perhaps if our bosses signed up to Facebook, they'd realise that too.