I think this is a great idea. Otherwise people are just operating in the traditional way, which is a disadvantage.

Dan, thank you for joining the conversation. No doubt, in this instance, social networking tools offer a new way to communicate. I'd simply like to see some options given to Serena employees.

Paul,

I agree with everyone of your suggestions and with the premise behind them. However, I also like asking employees to network online during work hours. If I were the decision maker behind this effort, I would free-up an additional hour for employees to build relationships face-to-face with customers and potential customers. Why not do both?

Lewis, thank you for commenting. Perhaps I have indeed given you a false dichotomy. As you pointed out, I simply hope there is a choice of options for employees of the company in question, and other companies considering this idea.

Great article. I can't wait to see more companies working with relationship capital, instead of against it.

Paul,
I agree. To gain employee buyin, managers need to meet a variety of wants and needs by offering choices for building relationships and for doing good. Although I always give to United Way, I was offended when that was the one option my company offered for giving back. I hear you. Good post.

You are making the false assumption that Serena employees are only allowed one hour of online networking time each week. You can't be more wrong. It is not that we're limited or "required" to be using Facebook for an hour -- but rather encouraged to reach out to people who work around the world, but may have similar interests -- wheher on Facebook, Linkedin, Instant Messenger or any other social networking site/medium. Serena does lots of other things to encourage live interactions --but Facebook has been a convenient and fun way to make connections with friends, co-workers, customers and business partners around the world. (something you can't do by heading to the local Toastmasters meeting.) Besides, I'd think that as marketers, you'd all get that "Facebook Fridays" is an easy way to market the concept internally to employees -- not a prescription for what's expected.

Michaline, thanks for weighing in. The Business Week article did not specify other options for employees at Sererna -social networking or not.

That said, it makes sense there would/should be other alternatives and communication options offered and encouraged by companies to connect to customers, partners and employees on a local, national or global basis.

Paul,

Couldn't agree with this statement more: "I do believe, however, that when it comes to networking, recruiting, and connecting—especially building first-time relationships, there’s no substitute for in-person or at the very least—telephone meetings."

If a company is very large, I can see that there might be some value in encourgaging employees to use social networking. But then: what happens to face-to-face dialogues in small to mid-size companies? And if some employees get too involved in this and take more than an hour to social network here and there, what happens to productivity?

Michaline Todd who works for Serena said you're making a false assumption. Listen to her.

They have choices, and they are very much grounded in reality - which nowadays includes social networking online.

There's a huge problem with using Facebook at work: Facebook is set up to allow teenagers to expose their social lives to each other.

I don't need to know what movies people I do business with like, which movie star they're most like or what song they lost their virginity to. I don't need them to bite me as a Vampire or match their musical tastes to mine.

They're people I work with. Not my friends.

http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/2007/11/facebook-and-case-of-unnatural-degree.html

LinkedIn is how I connect with people I work with. Precisely because it doesn't force me to interact with them and limits the amount of personal information that's exchanged.

Ted, you raise an interesting point about productivity and it got me thinking.

I'd like to pose another question to the MP community. I have some ideas, but still chewing on it for a complete answer.

Let's assume the concept of social networking Friday's are a good idea. Let's also assume we limit our one hour to interacting on social networking sites only. Let's also assume a 40 hour workweek. Essentially then, we are taking one or more hours from the workweek to spend on relationship building "online". Those hour/s, of course, could be spent on other activities—assuming again, those activities are also creating business value.

With these assumptions, how does one measure the "business value" of social networking Friday's? Intrinsically, it appears there would be value. So how does one measure it? Or can it be measured? Should it be measured?

TT, thank you for commenting. Perhaps, among other reasons, this is why a recent poll of 600 employees by security vendor Sophos PLC showed 43 percent saying that their company was blocking access to Facebook.

TToad, you have a way with words! Perfectly said.

@Paul: If only.
The sort of workplace fascism you point out has nothing to do with the inherent value of Facebook (or lack thereof) as it does with employers foolishly treating their workers like children. Foolishly, because said workers will not perform.

Check out this post from WheresMyJetpack about life in one such corporation:

http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/2007/10/your-employee-is-not-your-enemy.html

@Neil: THank you. I try.

TToad can land a punch! I respect that.

Give people objectives and the freedom to meet them. Judge them on results. Who cares if they go on Facebook or not?

This is a great concept and idea. Sometimes great concepts and ideas just aren't appropriate for all business models. All marketing efforts are only successful if there are measurement metrics defined before execution. Once the metrics are defined the workforce now is allowed to use their imagination and skills within the boundaries of expectations.

Chris, thank you for commenting. I think you have it right that social networking Friday's are not appropriate for every company. For example, I worked at an IT company with a long and storied history of a button up, suit culture. This "idea" would never fly there.

Like you, I'd also love to see what metrics, could/should be applied to measure the success or failure of this idea...