Why Social Networks Matter

Look around. Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, the SAP Developer Network (SDN), the Business Process Expert (BPX) Community, the Business Objects Community (BOC), or any number of other social networks, it's clear that social computing is here to stay. They're not just being used for social purposes, either; many companies have adopted social networking practices for real business value.

 
That's because, in addition to generating endless fresh ideas and engaging people from diverse fields and interests, social networks allow people to reach beyond traditional barriers. Moreover, social computing lets people connect with others to create innovative new technologies, consider new solutions to old problems, and help to build vibrant, expansive online communities.
So we've created this page to help you - our community members - participate in joint projects, discuss the implications of social networking, and learn from one another.  Check out the new blogs on the topic, or add your own! Read the latest article from BusinessWeek on the topic, or the University of Manchester Business School Master's thesis dissertation (blog|PDF) that discusses SAP Community Network as an example of effective social networking. And don't miss the analyst reports from firms like the Gilbane Group and Forrester that illuminate the big picture!

FEATURED PODCAST: "SAP's Web 2.0 Strategy Makes Way for Social Networking in Business Apps" SearchSAP.com sat down with Zia Yusuf, executive vice president of SAP's global ecosystem and partner group, and Mark Yolton, senior vice president of SAP community networks. In addition to managing strategy for SAP's social networking sites like the SAP Developer Network (SDN), the two men play a role in what social networking tools may be integrated into SAP's own software. In this podcast, Yusuf and Yolton talk about SAP's internal Web 2.0 strategy, including why sites like SDN have been successful and how SAP's employees are using tools like Jive and CubeTree in their daily tasks. In turn, they discuss possible business scenarios in which tools like Twitter and LinkedIn could be integrated into SAP software.   Social Networking Blogs Linking up, Social Media Style, in the SAP Community Network: How Our Communities Rise Above the Rest SAP Network Blog: Watch it Unfold: Shel Israel's Research on Global Social Media Trends SAP Network Blog: Want to know the power of social media? SAP Network Blog: SAP Salon: Social Media and Online Communities SAP Network Blog: docupedia - SAP's Help Library meets social media (1) SAP Network Blog: Facebook meet the Community, Community meet Facebook... SAP Network Blog: You Make a Big Impact on SAP... Thru SDN & BPX SAP Network Blog: Successful Collaboration is Like Jazz SAP Network Blog: The ESME Collaboration and what it tells us about Web 2.0 Enterprise Social Messaging Experiment (ESME) - Contributor Corner - SAP Community Network Wiki SAP Network Blog: SAP Developer Challenge Theme One: Social Computing  SAP Network Blog: Web 2.0 - the evolution   SAP Presentations Expert Communities: Co-Innovation Drives Business Value       Videos and Podcasts How LEGO Caught the ClueTrain The Conversation Group A Conversation with John Volkmann, Corporate VP Global Marketing at AMD Mashup Camp Brings Minds Together Social Media/Web 2.0 Interview with Ben Willis Interview with Simeon Margolis, co-founder of Utterz Eric Schmidt on the Future of Advertising Interview with David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR SAP Communities on YouTube (video collection)     Books 2008 Change 2.0 - Beyond Organizational Transformation, by Joachim Klewes and Ralf Langen (2008) On-line Marketing Heroes: Interviews with 25 Marketing Gurus, by Michael Miller (2008) (free ebook available) Customer Service, the Art of Listening and Engagement through Social Media, by Brian Solis (2008) Here Comes Everybody, by Clay Shirky (2008) Age of Conversation, by Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan (2008) 2007 The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media, by Paul Gillin (2007) Beyond Buzz, by Lois Kelly (2007) The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott (2007) 2006 Convergence Culture, by Henry Jenkins (2006) Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers, by Shel Israel and Robert Scoble (2006) Prior The Cluetrain Manifesto, by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger (2001) Net Gain - Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities, by John Hagel III and Arthur G. Armstrong (1997)     Popular Social Networks SAP Communities on YouTube SAP Network on Facebook SAP EcoHub on Facebook SAP TechEd '08 on Flickr SCN blogs on Twitter - (SAP Community Network) SAP EcoHub news on Twitter - (SAP EcoHub) SAP Affinity Group in Twitter - List of Twitter users related to SAP. Page is open for editing! (by zSAPping) SAP Groups on Linkedin     Social Networking Gurus Tim O'Reilly Jeremiah Owyang Guy Kawasaki Stowe Boyd Mack Collier Laura Fitton John Hagel III Sean O'Driscoll

Analyst and University Research The world's most valuable brands. Who's Most Engaged? Ranking the Top 100 Global Brands (Engagement db, Altimeter and Wet Paint) Collaboration and Social Media: Taking Stock of Today's Experiences and Tomorrow's Opportunities (Gilbane Group) Participation in Online Communities within Organizational Contexts: The Case of SAP's Community Network (Georgia Demetriou) Persuasion and Conversation Key to Surviving Recession (Forrester Research) Future of the Social Web - Roundtable Summary and Findings (Forrester Research)     In the Press How SAP Seeds Innovation (BusinessWeek) Social Media Will Change Your Business (KTVU) CIO Magazine article (Q&A) with Steve Mann of SAP Facebook on 60 Minutes: Part 1 and Part 2 Twitter (CBS)     Additional Articles All the top Social Media news, from Alltop (Guy Kawasaki's latest production) Fireworks vs. Glacier, by Maggie Fox (Social Media Group) You Store Your Money in the Cloud - Why Not Your Data?, by Maggie Fox (Social Media Group) Long Distance Jamming, by Kevin De Kock (Social Media Group) Clay Shirky and the Cognitive Surplus, by Maggie Fox (Social Media Group) Lies, Damn Lies, and a Large "Double Double", by Rob Clark (Social Media Group) We Over-Use and Under-Articulate the Word "Transparency", by Maggie Fox (Social Media Group) Burn Down the Obstacles, by Lois Kelly (Bloghound) The Debate over Association Use of Social Media Needs More Fear, by Ben Martin (Certified Association Executive) Bloggin' Bosses, by Frank Norton (The News & Observer) Assignment Organizational Use of Twitter, by Kaye Sweetser Do We Really Need to Know How to Have a Conversation?, by Carter F. Smith 7 Types of Comments That Matter, by Valeria Maltoni (Blog Herald) In Conversational Marketing, Comments Matter, by Valeria Maltoni (Blog Herald) Intranets and Web 2.0: Their Common Denominator, by Amy Rosenfield (Impressions Through Media) For Success, Facebook Marketing Requires Risk Tolerance, by Jeremiah Owyang (Web Strategy) A Week of Insights: Conversational Marketing is not about Online + Passion and Balance, by Rajesh Lalwani (Social Media Today) E-Commerce Link: Acqusition 2.0 - Experiential Marketing is Changing the Game, by Jeff G. Molander (Target Marketing) Is Demand Finding Supply?, by Jay Deragon (Social Commerce) Goodby Innovation Salon, by Tom O'Brien (A Human Voice) The Expectation Economy (Conversation Agency) The State of SM Marketing is More Than Just Digg, Links, and Widgets, by Michael Brito (Britopian) The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of Social Media, by Michael Brito (Britopian) Two Social Media Camps in the Enterprise, by Shel Israel (Global Neighbourhoods) What's Next for Open Source and Public Media?, by Doc Shearls (Pinoy Trip) Online and Offline Message Control, by Melanie Seasons (Fake Plastic Noodles) Taking the Social Media Plunge: 6 Pointers, by Rob Crumpler (Musical Entrepreneur) The Age of Engage: Reinventing Marketing for Today's Connected, Collaborative, and Hyperinteractive Culture, by Denise Shiffman Social Media is Not the Final Frontier of Marketing, by Brian Solis (PR 2.0) The Problem with Social Media Marketing, by Joshua Porter (Bokardo) Social Media - 2009 Conferences (a list with links) 2008 Tribalization Of Business Study  by  Francois Gossieaux  Forums Are So Much More Than Signature Links by Debra Mastaler    What Makes for a Good Blog?  by Merlin Mann  13 Tips From My First Year Of Blogging   by Dave Fleet   Examples of Corporate Social Media MyStarbucksIdea Nike+ , Online runner's community from Nike