social networking for work

Today at work, I attended a virtual meeting regarding choosing the right social networking tool. When I first had access to the IBM network while our company was being integrated, I was surprised, and overwhelmed, at the various social networking choices that were available within IBM.

I’ve heard all the reasons that people don’t like social networking, but my experience with the various “Web 2.0” tools have been positive ones. Working from home and homeschooling can be quite isolating. The social interactions, when not allowed to take over my day, help reduce the feeling of being stranded.

However, that’s not the power of social networking, especially when considering it as an integral part of my “ideal work environment.” Having a potentially large network of people who can offer advice and solutions is quite powerful. One person at today’s meeting said something akin to “Knowledge kep secret is not powerful; knowledge shared is.”

I hope that I will find ways to share my knowledge and encourage others to do the same. And I hope that the tools that would make this sharing easy and useful will be there to support me.