Unlike Facebook, Enterprise Social Networking (ESN) is an internal, private network that allows employees to collaborate, organize, and communicate in new and efficient ways.
1. 24%29%31%31%
21% 20% 19% 12%
36%47%68%
45+35 - 5425 - 3418 - 24
PERSONAL EVENTS VS. TEAMS + PROJECTSFLUFF VS. FOCUSNEWS VS. PRODUCTIVITY
PHOTOS VS. DOCUMENTS/FILES
MARKETING VS. COMMUNICATION
& COLLABORATION
NoneResearching My
Company’s Competitors
Researching Job Candidates/
New Employees
Researching My
Own Company
Researching Clients’
Industries
Finding An Expert/Info
Within My Company
Communicating
With Vendors
Promoting A
Work-Related Initiative
Growing My
Professional Network
Communicating
With Clients
Sharing/Reviewing
Documents
Communicating
with Colleagues
...And among both genders:
ESNs help people
work more
effectively together.
OVERALL, 46% (nearly half!) of all users believe that ESN collaborative tools make them MORE productive workers.
However, for those who believe that ESNs are just like any other social network such as Facebook and Twitter, think
again. ESNs and traditional social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn definitely have similarities, yet there
are many significant differences.
Social media platforms such as Facebook
allow you to create events where you can
invite friends to attend
ESNs allow you to mobilize coworkers around
projects and work groups, promoting greater
collaboration and transparency amongst
team members
Social media sites like Facebook have a lot
of information that is more entertaining
than informative
ESNs allow you to work while connecting
with people to share ideas, news, and
information in a more human way
Social media news feeds tell you
what’s going on with your friends
ESNs tell you what’s going on in
your company and what your
coworkers are working on; keeping
you more informed and productive
Social media conversations typically revolve
around photos
With ESNs, files are the #1 thing people have
conversations about -- you can upload photos
and videos too in an ESN
PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKS
Social media for a company is used primarily
for marketing purposes
ESNs are private and focused on connecting
employers and employees, as well as people
who work with companies such as
consultants, vendors, and customers
Enterprise Social Networks act much like traditional social networks,
but allow for greater connections to people who are sharing the same work experience -- other
benefits are faster innovation, improved employee satisfaction and happier employees. If you don’t
have an ESN at your company, be sure to start or suggest one; you’ll be glad you did.
SOURCES: Microsoft, Information Week, Social Media Today, Oracle
ESN Centrism
According to a recent survey, 88% of those
surveyed with Enterprise Social Networks make
use of them in their daily work.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are now used by more than 66% of all
adult online users. Enterprise social networking brings the power of these social networks into the
workplace. Here we take a look at the rise of ESNs and the key differences that set apart your company’s
internal network from Facebook and Twitter.
What is the difference between
an ESN and Facebook?
50%
MALES FEMALES
69% 69% 67% 69%
Additionally, use of ESNs are almost exactly even among all age groups in the workforce:
66% 71%
ENTERPRISE SOCIAL NETWORKS (ESN)
The usefulness of ESNs as a primary source of communication is vast, with employees
using their own ESN for a plethora of reasons: