Social networks, social software and blogging are the latest buzzwords in the Internet space and the IT industry.  We believe they are more than buzzwords.

Humans have always operated in social networks.  The ability to connect and create valuable, trusted relationships has never been more important. Business activities generally, and certainly much exchange of value, occurs in and through the use of social networks.  Our business culture operates on the currency of influence, authority and relationships.  As businesses and organizations have continued to adapt to the now-ubiquitous presence of the Internet and integrated software,  building customized business services based on influence, authority and relationships have become the eventual target of social networking software (SNS) and social software (SS).

The combined forces of continuous decentralized information flows and peoples’ need to be able to find and do business with sources they trust who are responsive, accurate and up-to-date is leading to new integrated uses of social networking software and various types of social software.  These forces are being reinforced by an ongoing drive to efficiency and outsourcing on the part of large organizations, which means that more and more independent knowledge professionals and small connected groups of experts are starting online knowledge-based commercial business services.

This means that a new business logic, new business models and adaptive responses have become necessary.  People want easy access to just-in-time knowledge and expertise.  And this dynamic is spreading rapidly, from the independents and small groups of professionals to work groups and internal markets for value-added information inside large organizations.  New accounts of examples are appearing almost every day.  Both within and external to large organizations, people who are working in and with the ongoing flow of information are more and more often functioning as units of one and/or linked together in various social and professional networks.

New forms of software applications have appeared to respond to these conditions over the past two years.  Today SNS is used primarily to create possible connections, find leads to jobs and find potential expertise that may be of use to net-workers.  Social Software (SS) to date consists primarily of collaboration-focused groupware and blogware – the first having more presence in the organizational world and the second more presence in the realm of the independent or small group of professionals. 

With respect to social networks people today are extremely time-constrained and increasingly carry out their net-working, and their business activities online.  Beginning with the runaway success of dating online, it has become clear that social networking software will continue to evolve to become a widespread way to introduce, connect and build business relationships online as well. As the increasing social and business uses of the Internet evolve, and business life continues to mature in the interconnected online world, increasingly simple AND sophisticated tools and applications are necessary.

But it’s not sufficient just to put up a profile on LinkedIn or Ryze or Friendster, and work the network.  This, or just having a weblog, or reading other peoples’ blogs, are only partial adaptations to the rapidly-emerging new conditions.  What we are also witnessing is the profound rise in importance of creating value – useful, actionable knowledge - out of the continuous flow of information.  Constructing valuable knowledge – adding value to the flow of information - comes from stitching and linking together information micro-content, to create valuable perspective, voice, advice and professional services.

The first generation response by small to medium sized business to this challenge was to build websites and/or e-commerce portals.  However, we believe firmly that the always-on conditions of the information-based business world of the mid-2000’s will require that most business organizations and independent professionals  migrate to dynamic, regularly updated sites that both professional portfolios of expertise and influence and make it easier to connect and build relationships.

John Battelle, an influential tech and business journalist, recently wrote an article for Business 2.0 titled “Why Blogs Mean Business”.  In the article he outlines the various initiatives underway to make blogs more accessible, more easy to use, and more useful for business purposes in the online, interconnected information/knowledge environment in which all future business activities will unfold.