Are Social Networks Dangerous As Business Tools?

So, a frequent topic of discussion is how should we think of social networking?  E.g. LinkedIn, FaceBook, et. al.

Now, remember, my job here is to harness this stuff for business purposes, and not rant about how cool all of this is.

And there are several observations that are making me very hesitant indeed.

Social Networks Are Difficult To Control

People who join a social network have a lot to say about how the tool is used.  They can invite anyone.  They can say anything.  The network reflects the diverse interests of those who join.

As a result, there are many, many examples where a social network morphed into something that wasn't envisioned, or downright dangerous.

Child predators on FaceBook.  LinkedIn becoming nothing more than a job hunting network.

In one sense, you're doing a bit of genetic engineering, and releasing your creation into the wild.

And, if you take a business view of all of this, there's risk written all over this.

Leveraging Existing Social Networks

Now, there's no reason why EMC can't exploit an existing social network, e.g. using LinkedIn for recruiting.  But beyond that, it's not clear to me.

But I have the odd thought here and there.

Building A Purpose-Built Social Network?

One intriguing thought is our EMC certified professionals.  A bit of context might help here.

If your an IT worker, you basically are your skills.  The more stuff you get certified on, or the deeper you get certified, the more marketable you become.

When you look at a resume from an IT worker, that much is obvious -- many paragraphs and pages of gibbberish acronyms and certification programs -- the more, the merrier.

So, as a result, EMC puts a lot of effort into certifying IT workers, and trying to reward them for it.

Now, in our part of the market (storage and related technologies), good expertise is very hard to find.  Our customers struggle to find trained, qualified people.  And, if you're good at this stuff, there's no excuse for you not having a cool job at a cool company.

Maybe there's an opportunity to create a social network for EMC "Proven" Professionals?

Just a concept so far, need to think about it a whole lot more.

But I'm not going to get started doing this unless I feel secure that we can define a legitimate business purpose for the social network, and we can keep it focused on the intended purpose with genetic mutations.