How to Get Around Work and School Website Restrictions

If there's one things nearly all workplaces and schools do, it's restrict Internet use. Every system administrators biggest problem is all the users infecting their machines, causing perpetual work and data loss. So, the websites get blocked. What do you do? You find ways to get around that. Sure, it could lead to getting you fired, or at the least, screamed at, but you're bored out of your mind, so you do it anyway. How do you get around website blocks at work? There are several methods. If you system administrator assumes you're all idiots, you're in luck, because the blocks will be easier to get around. If the sysadmin is a skeptic by nature and likes things secure, it's going to be a lot harder. One thing to know is that the IT guys will know that you're surfing restricted websites, and may report you. Are you okay with that risk? If so, proceed with the following instructions.

Method 1: IP Addresses

Usually, the the websites URL will be blocked, not the IP address. If you want to try accessing a website that is blocked, use the IP address. For example, if you want to get on MySpace and it's blocked, try searching IP address 63.135.80.57 - if it works, you'll found the easiest method.

Go to this website - http://www.selfseo.com/find_ip_address_of_a_website.php - and enter the URL, without slashes or http: and it will give you the IP address for it.

Simple, right? But if it doesn't work, use...

Method 2: An Internet Proxy

This is the second best method, and is as easy as using an IP address. The only difference is that a website won't always render correctly, so it may look a little odd. A proxy is a website that works as the middle man in a workplace or school. It works by accessing a website on your behalf, downloading it, and displaying it for you. This way, it's irrelevant whether or not the site is blocked, because the company or school's servers aren't accessing it, the proxy is.

Some good proxies include: Rock the Prox, Internet Unblock, and The Unblock.

The only downside to this is that some companies block these proxy sites. If that's the case, you'll need to find a different one that is not blocked.