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Socialtext Melds Media and Collaboration

Socialtext has released the latest version of its wiki platform -- Socialtext 3.0 -- that will allow users to better manage information and engage in more conversations and connections in an enterprise environment. Socialtext Dashboard and Socialtext People are the highlights of this release.

New Socialtext 3.0 Features

Socialtext 3.0, as previously promised, introduces two product innovations that are really the focus of the newest version: Socialtext Dashboard and Socialtext People. These two editions -- while still labeled as being in beta -- extend the platform in numerous ways.

Socialtext Dashboard

The Socialtext Dashboard is a completely customizable interface that the can be utilized with internal and external personalized widgets. After taking a look at Socialtext Dashboard, Netvibes or Pageflakes could instantly come to mind. And that is, in essence, what the Socialtext Dashboard is.

The Socialtext Dashboard view

However, Socialtext Dashboard is aimed at a business environment. Users can utilize the Socialtext Dashboard to stay on top of activity going on throughout an organization.

Adding widgets, which are focused primarily for enterprise and business use, is how the user fills their dashboard with useful information of all types. In addition, external widgets can be utilized for those times when external data is useful for the user. All widgets can be moved around to a location that is convenient to the user. Another interesting feature is the fact that Socialtext widgets can be used within iGoogle.

Administrators or users can also create dashboards that can be tailored to specific groups -- users are free to join these groups as well. This conveniently leads us to talking about Socialtext People.

Socialtext People

Socialtext People gives users the ability to interact with other users of the Socialtext platform -- simple enough. As other sites have referred to it as the "Facebook for enterprise," it is easy to see why.

The Socialtext People view

Socialtext People is essentially an interactive user directory. Users of Socialtext can view other user's profiles to find out more about that particular user. In addition, users can subscribe to another user's activity, so Socialtext People also includes an element from Twitter as well.

Users are given their own profiles, and that page can act as a virtual business card that is accessible by members of an organization. The members can tag another user's profile with relevant tags, and these tags are used for organizing projects, determining similar interests and much more. It pretty much acts as a completely open method to organizing people.

Socialtext's Solution-Specific Approach

Socialtext has been focused on solution-specific implementations to generate results instead of more traditional methods of doing business. The company has created four core "solution areas" that drive the company forward:

• Collaborative intelligence for marketing and sales
• Participatory knowledgebase for support and service
• Flexible client collaboration for professional services
• Business social networks for customers and partners

The company believes that taking this method to business allows for more adoption and faster implementation of developed products and services.

While Socialtext is making a stand in the enterprise environment for wiki-based solutions, other competition -- such as SamePage by eTouch-- is also looking forward to some action. For more information about Socialtext, check out their Web site.

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