Enterprise Social Network

Enterprise Social Network

As the name implies, an enterprise social network (ESN) is an internal, private social network inside a company. ESNs grew out of the larger consumer social networking revolution of the early 2000s, with the goal of enabling faster, more fluid communication inside organizations and build stronger employee connections. The basic ESN functioned like a “virtual water cooler” – a place where company personnel could make new connections and quickly share information. Unfortunately, this type of pure ESN proved to better for casual back-and-forth and talking about work than it was for getting work done. Filled with unorganized conversations and noise, the typical ESN became a time sink, and many companies abandoned them. Others have relegated them to non-essential status,used mostly for social connection, not business-critical functions. Enterprise social network (ESN) is basically an internal, private social network, which companies often implement in an attempt to enable faster, more fluid communication and networking among employees. Growing out of the social networking revolution of the early 2000s, enterprise social networks filled a need in the corporate world for easier connection and communication — much as Facebook and Twitter did in our personal lives. ESNs’ rise in popularity was part of larger consumerization of IT tools, making enterprise software easier to use and more engaging — similar to everyday consumer apps. Proponents of enterprise social networking hoped it would break down silos and enable faster collaboration. But the results have been disappointing. After early enthusiasm propelled by “freemium” products like Yammer, ESN usage plateaued and then fell off. Many companies simply abandoned their enterprise social networks, while others have relegated them to non-essential status, used mostly for casual social connection, not business-critical functions.