Facebook Good For Businesses and Firms Says Thinktank

Social networking could be more than mere time wasters according to a highly-respected thinktank which thinks that they are essential to spread and evangelise ideas and thoughts.

In a research commissioned by mobile phone network Orange, Demos said that it will be unhelpful to restrict the way staff communicate as social networking activities help to build relationships within a company and across businesses as well.

Professional Social networking tools like Jigsaw, Linkedin or Pulse also encourage further interaction with potential customers and partners globally, which can help companies be more resilient in difficult economic times.

Peter Bradwell, Demos researcher and author of the report said that "Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counter intuitive, but it appears to create businesses more capable of maintaining stability."

He added that "Banning Facebook and the like goes against the grain of how people want to interact. Often people are friends with colleagues through these networks and it is how some develop their relationships".

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However, Demos was quick to point out that like any valuable tool, social networking websites should not be abused by the users although it discourages companies from policing their own networks.

Surprisingly, the study called for social networking to be coalesced with Professional networks in an attempt to limit any damage to an organisation's network capital.

Social Networking websites are said to be responsible for an estimated £6.5 billion tab as the indirect cost of lost productivity.