Interesting times. Heres the way I see it:

Based on the current market as well as the recent layoffs in the Social Networking space, social networking sites are redefining themselves and .... for many .... FINALLY looking at the bottom line.

Meanwhile, look at this. These are the companies jumping in to speak in Miami:

- Ford
- Verizon
- SAP
- Citigroup
- Dow Jones
- IBM

They are all Fortune 100 firms. SAP and IBM would have the biggest impact on Business social networking. They build applications that large businesses place in their back-end systems.

What if SAP included a social networking application in all their back end software they provide to their customers? How would many of the smaller intra-company social networking software sites compete? Or could they?

The trend is obvious to me. SN is being taken over by Fortune 500 companies. They are moving in to this market, as both customers of software and as providers. The impact this will have on small SN software firms can not be understated.

Certainly the social networking market is changing. We will all have a better feel for where it stands in Miami.

I am glad to some respect. It brings down the egos of some from interstellar heights to altitudes much closer to earth. It also allows us as an industry to focus on the one item that drives business overall....the bottom line.

Marc Lesnick
Conference Organizer
Social Networking Conference