The immense value of powerful social technologies has prompted many companies to jump on the bandwagon of enterprise social networking. From start-ups to large companies like Dell are all keen to adopt social networking for the workplace. A number of corporate software makers have grasped the opportunity and offer systems for their internal communication purpose.

Leverage the familiarity factor

Because of Twitter and Facebook, people are already accustomed to the idea of ‘following’ others. The social tools have reached critical mass, as a large number of professionals and laypeople online are ‘socially active’. This is significantly impacting younger employees in particular, who expect to engage meaningfully in workplace environ. However, connections in the business world either between colleagues or prospects are not personal; they are meant to be hardcore and to the point. The communications are expected to be more matter of fact, revolving around team projects, processes and production flaws.

Emphasize the benefits

Office colleagues in far-flung branches can use the internal social network to interact in a smooth way that would otherwise be difficult. One of the obvious advantages of social networks is faster response and a quick turnaround time. Instead of posting mass mailings, many employees send out messages or opt to collaborate within the service.
Employees spread across the offices contribute, seek advice and offer ideas. The ability to find domain experts or share specific expertise within the company itself can lead to faster dissemination of knowledge and best practices, translating into competitive advantage and greater business agility.

Build focused user groups

Though corporate social networks won’t fully replace many of the tools for collaborating such as Microsoft SharePoint and person-to-person meetings, they can come in handy for coordinating and promoting events to customers. Online groups formed for them help ensure that each individual involved gets an up-to-date information. Professionals can build a sizable following by creating a core group that dispenses tips. Team leaders can feel the pulse of the subordinates by posting a poll. Questions and answers can be accessible to everyone in the relevant group. They can also post videos on these ‘very Facebook-like’ services.

Keep conversation relevant

Keeping conversation relevant is critical to the success of networking within organizations. Employees can and should stop following those who make inane comments about their personal preferences, or leave groups in which they are not any longer involved. Although usually serious in tone, a few corporate social networks at times have a lighter touch. A feature on one popular platform lets employees appreciate colleagues by offering them a gold star, among other offbeat accolades.

Get multimedia-friendly

Social platforms and mobility does go hand in hand. Smartphones and tablets are where most of the social activity will occur both outside and within your company. Also, while devising a strategy, go beyond text, and get multimedia-friendly. However, do not try to do it all in one go! A full-fledged enterprise social network is an ambitious thought. You may begin with simple collaboration applications – both internal and external – to gradually and sequentially move into a more broad-based social conversing, measuring and monitoring.