The success of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace proves the business interaction case for using them at work, research has found.
Enterprise 2.0 company WorkLight, who commissioned the research, said 63% of online adults visited one of the ten most popular social networking sites during January – 21% higher than the 17m figure recorded last year.
Social networking has provoked debate in the business community. While some businesses welcome responsible use of websites such as Facebook, others say the sites are wasting company time.
David Lavenda, the company’s vice president of marketing, said the figures speak for themselves.
“Our research shows that social networking sites remain highly popular among UK internet users, which makes their use for internal corporate collaboration and professional networking an attractive and viable business tool,” he said.
“Social networking portals are becoming a real business platform for leveraging personal and professional connections to get work done. We’re seeing more and more companies opening up to the use of social networks.”
Lavenda added that it is essential that ‘enterprise-grade’ security is guaranteed.
“There are potentially major security ramifications for companies who use social networking sites without adequate safeguards,” he said.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
