Social Networking in Business Today

by Brian J. Dooley

Web 2.0 and social networking sites are continuing to develop in response to user needs. They provide an important new form of communication and social interaction with numerous repercussions in the world outside, as reflected in recent stories about Facebook and YouTube celebrity and use in the 2008 US presidential campaigns. Social networking provides an evolution of Web-based communication formats, which had already supplanted older forms of communication, such as postal mail, community bulletin boards, and CB radio. Evolution has been swift, it's accelerating, and there's no immediate end in sight. The phenomenon of social networking is merging with messaging and collaboration -- and becoming increasingly international. In addition, niche products are coming into play.