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Social networks are more robust than their critics think, though not every site will prosper, and that social-networking technologies are creating considerable benefits for the businesses that embrace them, whatever their size, according to the Economist special report on social networking. The report contends that this is just the beginning of an exciting new era of global interconnectedness that will spread ideas and innovations around the world faster than ever before.
But, while “fans claim that new social-networking offerings now being developed for the corporate world will create huge benefits for businesses’, many companies remain skeptical “There is plenty of doubt about the benefits of online social networking in the office. A survey of 1,400 chief information officers found that the executives’ biggest concern was that social networking would lead to social notworking, with employees using the sites to chat with friends instead of doing their jobs. Some bosses also fretted that the sites would be used to leak sensitive corporate information.’
The Economist special report examines these issues in detail.
Articles in the Special Report
- A world of connections – Online social networks are changing the way people communicate, work and play, and mostly for the better
- Global swap shops – Why social networks have grown so fast and how Facebook has become so dominant
- Twitter’ s transmitters – The magic of 140 characters
- Profiting from friendship – Social networks have a better chance of making money than their critics think
- A peach of an opportunity – Small businesses are using networks to become bigger
- Yammering away at the office – A distraction or a bonus?
- Social contracts – The smart way to hire workers
- Privacy 2.0 – Give a little, take a little
- Towards a socialised state – The joy of unlimited communication
Source
The Economist: A special report on social networking (PDF file)
Via Irving Wladawsky-Berger blog