CNET: Gartner warns against Social Networking hype

According to CNET, "Many companies are thinking about how they can take advantage of social-networking technology, but analysts at Gartner are warning against getting caught up in the hype." See here.

I thought they meant warning businesses against advertising or working with a Facebook or myspace. As I mentioned in my post about FaceBook, there is no solid business model in this space. The best they can do is Google Adsense.

But what Gartner really meant was "Businesses are advised to consider certain issues before investing in or developing internal social-networking tools."

Yes.. DEVELOPING internal social-networking tools. I guess in hopes of replacing the water cooler crowds, the photocopy pests, and the late lunch laggers? May be to help those busy bees find the right mate in their cubicle-land? Or find those colleagues that they haven't seen in 3 weeks? Will my yearly review depend on how much I corporate twittered since that is how my boss will keep up with what I do?

"But the Gartner report says the hype around social networking doesn't necessarily mean it's a mature enough technology to make it a critical business requirement... There is also little evidence that social networking will be as beneficial for businesses as other Web-based communications technology, such as instant messaging."

It takes a STUDY to find this out? Shouldn't the study look at how much productivity is WASTED on social networks. Whenever I log into Facebook (which is not often and usually during lunchtime only BTW), I see VPs, Directors, and Managing Directors "poke", "superpoke", playing "texas holdem poker", giving "gifts" or writing on "Funwalls"... all during business hours.

And since when did a social network become a "Web-based communications technology"? See the wikipedia definition of "communication" here. According to Wikipedia, key to communication is an exchange between the parties and "Exchange requires feedback." Instant messaging fits this definition, social networking does not. Even twitter does not. My Facebook "friends" answering "My questions" could almost be considered communication.. almost.

"The analysts recommend that IT departments think very carefully before committing to expensive 'social-networking white elephants.'"

Actually, don't think of it at all. Forget it completely. If you do, consider it a moment of madness... then forget it completely.