It’s odd that it’s taken so long for social software to make inroads in the business world. Social networking has a natural home in the enterprise because the relationships there have a purpose.

Gordon uses Facebook. My wife hung out on MySpace for a while. I never joined any particular network, because I just didn’t see the point. It’s just a bunch of folks hanging out, after all. I’d much rather do that in person.

I eventually signed up for LinkedIn, because it was a good way of staying in touch with former coworkers. It’s also a great resource for finding a new job, and it sure beats carrying around a stack of paper resumes. But I only check in occasionally.

I think it’s inside the firewall that the social networks really come into their own. Rands explains the importance of the corporate social network by contrasting the official organization chart with the culture chart. The boxes and arrows on the org chart barely scratch the surface of what’s going on within most companies. Knowing who’s connected with whom, what they do and how they do it… now that’s valuable insight.

Related posts

1. What is Social Software?
2. Twitter as Social Computer
3. Social Media for the Shy
4. A Social Object
5. It’s not what you know…