New InformationWeek Reports Research Finds Just 13% of IT Pros Call Their Internal Social Networking Systems a Great Success

37% cite pockets of usage but say email is still employees' primary communication method

Jan 12, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports (http://reports.informationweek.com), a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis, announced the release of its latest research report. "Rebooting the Antisocial Network" encompasses analysis of results from InformationWeek's recent 2012 Social Networking in the Enterprise Survey and guides readers in translating the success of consumer sites like Twitter and Facebook to internal systems. More than 450 business technology professionals responded to this poll.

Research Summary:

Our research shows that business-oriented social networking platforms aren't living up to their promise of better communication, collaboration and productivity, even though IT has these tools in place. For example, 61% have run team or company wikis for over a year; 29% have had these systems in place for three years or more. Most, 65%, host these systems internally.

Findings: 

  • 66% of survey respondents say their companies have an official or unofficial presence on Facebook.
  • 42% have failed to integrate email with internal social networking systems.
  • 22% of those monitoring discussion about their organizations or competition on public social networks have engaged an outside firm for this purpose.
  • 16% have more than five full-time employees focused on social media.

 

The report author, Michael Healey, serves as president of Yeoman Technology Group, an engineering and research firm focused on maximizing technology investments.

For full access to the research data, members can download now: http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/10/8596/Social+Networking-Collaboration/rebooting-the-antisocial-network.html

"Instead of complaining that employees use Facebook while internal sites sit idle, IT should take lessons from what public social networks do right," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. "If you can't beat them, copy them. Incorporate good ideas, like adding hooks to email and other content sources."

For more information:
Art Wittmann    
VP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports
415-947-6361
awittmann@techweb.com

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