Sweet Tweets: Gaining Business Advantage from Social Networking

by Mary J. Culnan

Participants in a recent Cutter Benchmark Review survey who indicated that their organizations are not using or testing social networks cite a lack of perceived business value as the main reason (see, "Unlocking the Organizational Potential of Social Networking," Vol. 9, No. 5). What can organizations do to make sure their investments in social networking applications pay off? First, organizations need to make sure that their social networking applications are aligned with their corporate strategy. Starbucks provides an instructive example.