Matt “No Relation” Moore spotted Tom Davenport’s outburst in HBR Where’s the “Working” in Social Networking?
Tom says
A popular current myth is that social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are thriving with adults and companies because of their business applications… …But for what purpose do they use them? As far as I can tell it’s almost always social.
Tom makes his bipolar view of the world clear at the end:
Fun is fun, work is work. “Hooking up” does not have a business meaning.
Matt shoots some of the fish in Tom’s barrel, so I might as well join in.
I think it’s fairly daft to suggest that work is not an inherently social activity for most people. Some people seem to enjoy work, shockingly suggesting they may occasionally be having fun doing it.
And I get a lot of my work through my social networks. But maybe Tom only works for people he’s never met or socialised with?
