Computer savvy? Take this quiz

If you're like many public employees, you spend a huge amount of your work day at your computer. You may even feel like your computer is an extension of your brain.

So it's yours to use, like your brain, right? Maybe not. Test your computer savvy by taking this quiz:

At work, I use my computer for:
A. Reading e-mail jokes from friends and forwarding them on to other friends.

B. Christmas shopping online.

C. Making a contribution to the charity of my choice.

D. Registering for an online dating service.

E. Checking the stock market, the deals on e-Bay, or the bridge cam on my parents' 50th anniversary cruise.

F. Working.

If you answered anything but "F" you could be headed for trouble.

Despite the close relationship you may have with your work computer, it does not belong to you. It belongs to your employer. You should check your employer's computer use policy to make sure you are following it. Many employers will require employees to sign a computer use policy.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Nothing on your computer is confidential. Your employer owns not only the computer itself, but everything on it and everything that passes through it.

• The web sites you visit and e-mails you send are easily trackable. Deleting something doesn't make it disappear. Look what happened to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

• Public employees are held to an even higher standard than private sector employees.

• If you open, view, or forward a questionable e-mail message, you've got problems.

• Remember that lots of e-mail messages carry viruses. Many also contain "cookies" that can bombard you with all kinds of junk as soon as you open the e-mail.

• Never send or forward political materials.

Again, check your employer's computer policy and make sure you follow it.

Remember, inappropriate use of your work computer can crash the computer--or your job.