…IBM’s announcement of a new product called Lotus Connections. It wraps five social networking technologies up into one integrated package—similar to what Microsoft’s Office does for traditional desktop productivity software such as Word and Excel. And, if IBM handles this right, its package could rapidly spread the use of so-called Web 2.0 applications in the business world. “While social computing software is perceived as being at the fringe of most large businesses, it’s actually moving to the center fast—because it’s about how the next generation of employees communicate, and create and share ideas,” says Franks Gens, senior vice-president for research at tech market research IDC.

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