Your post was well timed for me. This morning I made a pitch to our head of marketing and development (I work for a large non-profit) about how and why we need to move forward on this front. I was feeling some urgency about the project, and feeling more than a little behind the curve.

So while we may be behind the curve for nonprofits, I am reminded that a lot of large organizations and CIOs are struggling with how to manage and harness the power of 2.0 and social networking. thanks Abbie.

I totally agree with you. Collaboration of ideas and social networking is so important to bring out the best in your organization. I am however worried about the management & the way certain people use it. But with all good things there are people that will abuse the system. Great article. Thanks!

I've seen a lot of articles on CIO.com advocating the use of these sites, but no examples. If social networking is that big, give us examples of how it can be used in a business setting. Can I use it to get invoices from vendors? Can I use it to pay vendors? Can I use it to manage my employees? Can I use it to track sales?

Be a little more creative and demonstrative of HOW these sites can be of use.

I was trying to be ironic in the subject line of my comment because I think that some folks are missing a key attribute for these proudcts - demographic. Facebook "feels" like more of product for the high school and college years.

I am a big fan of LinkedIn but even it leads me to think of the commercial by TheLadders where EVERYONE has a swipe at the ball.

I can't speak for the other social networking sites, but LinkedIn seems more business focused. Another commentator here asked for business application. I think that this will happen once someone takes a moderated group on LinkedIn and actually organizes meetings and information sharing on a person-to-person level.

Web 2.0 is great, but it still can't beat Human 1.0 when it comes to sharing knowledge.

In response to a few posts here, I'd like to suggest some consulting expertise could help increase understanding. Perhaps CIO.com could do a better job educating its readership. I am amazed CIOs see a lack of business value for web 2.0/enterprise 2.0? It seems everyone (individuals, companies, campaigns) markets themselves on social networks these days -- building relationships, driving sales, increasing mind share. When similar tools are brought inside the firewall, look for personal branding, expertise location, knowledge sharing and person to person collaboration to bloom. Does this require a change in company culture? Most likely.
What is the cost of not moving forward with web 2.0/enterprise 2.0? Perhaps you'll realize you're missing out on young talent being attracted to your company; perhaps you'll realize how much corporate knowledge walks out your door everyday (up to 80%). As older employees retire, as employees leave for other companies, how do you manage the knowledge of your company not leaving with these employees? How do you build teams of experts quickly? How do you even find the experts in your company and the consultants who can help you? Web 2.0/enterprise 2.0 exposes a great deal of knowledge to all. I would argue, this also helps promote face to face or phone to phone interactions with people... give this a try, indeed!