People who believe that social networking sites are purely an online communication tool for kids might be made to think otherwise by a recent study.A survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (ic4p) has revealed that 65 per cent of business professionals are connecting through personal and professional social networking sites.
Jay Jamrog from ic4p said he expected to see many people using social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook for "personal reasons" but was intrigued by the high number of people using the sites for "professional purposes".
"In an age where more and more employees work remotely and people frequently change companies, it makes sense that the business community would turn to the web to stay connected."
The study revealed that LinkedIn was the most popular social networking site for professional use, followed by Yahoo!360 and MySpace.
It also showed that staff are using the sites for traditional business practices, with 52 per cent suggesting they kept internal staff and remote employees connected through social networking sites.
Another 47 per cent used the sites to connect with potential clients, while 35 per cent revealed they used the sites to find work.
"Companies and employees have often gravitated to trade associations and shows for one primary benefit: community," added Jamrog.
"Social networks have opened a new dynamic in bringing that community online, and the ability to share what's working and what isn't in real time is invaluable to many employees today."
