Interesting piece in the Harvard Business Review this month on the social networking issue that Ian raised in October - he's always on the edge of the curve is our Ian. A readers comment to the article http://hbsp.ed10.net/t/SLOQJ/O3BKH/RF/TPZJ8W by Kelly A. Shaw, Ph.D. an analyst at Serena Software http://www.serena.com points to,
this odd mix of being detached and intimate at the same time, is the way society is evolving. Forrester recently published some data on Gen Y showing that these 18 - 27-year-olds expect immediate collaboration, instant communication, short sound-bites and constant interactions with their peers.
The conclusion of the article states, Don’t write off social networking sites as merely social playgrounds for the young. Your customers, prospects, and employees are exploring and extending their relationships there. Some of you will be bolder in creating business value in these networks while others will wait for the pioneers to carve out the paths. But ignore these new communities only if you believe your customers are not there – and there are few instances where this will be the case. Michael Pincher