Cisco on Wednesday published the first part of a two-phased study to examine how businesses are using social networking tools to collaborate with the outside world. Based on the findings from the study, Cisco says business leaders need to get IT departments involved with the use of such tools, and put some parameters around how they are to be used.
Conducted between April and September of 2009, the study asked 105 participants about their use of social networking in corporate settings. It found that in marketing and communications departments social networking tools are already considered key forms of business communications, as companies move from a `broadcast' model of interaction with customers to a more ‘conversational' one. Respondents in small and medium-sized companies are also using social networking outlets to generate leads, although larger companies haven't yet picked up on this trend, the study says.
