Social Tools: Ready for the Enterprise?

by Stowe Boyd

We have all heard the old saw "It's not what you know but who you know," which is an indication of the power of social capital. The emergence of a new form of software -- social tools -- is leveraging social capital and changing the way people communicate and collaborate, illuminating the invisible and impalpable links that connect people into groups, communities, and networks. Digital analogs of reputation, trust, and proximity are central constructs of these software systems, and they focus on the creation and application of social capital: increasing and harnessing the value of the social networks in which we are embedded.