MappingTheWeb //

Have you ever been so bored at work that you wanted to poke yourself in the eye with a pen? Did slamming your head into a desk seem like an attractive option? Well then, you may be thanking me by the end of this post.

Now, put down that pen and stop staring at that desk…

With such lame job duties and a vast ocean of Internet information goodness at your fingertips, it seems very easy and seductive to slip into ‘the trap’. Once you hit Digg, Wikipedia, or other such shiny objects (also known as websites), it is very easy to lose track of time and eclipse 0% productivity levels. Then, along comes your boss, and KAPOW… you get chewed out.

Sound familiar? I bet it does. It’s never happened to me though… well… there was this one time…

The problem here is that your boss can easily spot such obvious websites from over shoulder.

Now what if you could browse all your favourite websites, in text, in a Microsoft Word document… or a look-alike document.

The solution is workFRIENDLY. Just visit the site, type in the URL of your favourite site, and the system spits out a text version in what looks like a Word document. Then you can read up on the latest news, info, and posts from your favourite sites without putting your ass on the line.

Try it out. Then use it at work.

This brought me to a lucrative potential business idea. What if someone created a similar interface, but for an embedded IM client like MSN Messenger or AIM? I bet millions of people would exploit this service and chat from within their ‘Word’ document. These chats would maintain worker morale and keep the boss seemingly happy. Say goodbye to productivity. Slap on Google AdSense and there is a business model to be had.

I can’t wait to get hate mail from bosses and managers. Let the games begin.