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Jive has built links between its enterprise social networking (ESN) suite and Microsofts Office 365 to let users leverage Jive collaboration features with the cloud versions of Outlook, Office, SharePoint and OneDrive for Business.

ESN vendors like Jive realized years ago that for their products to gain adoption in workplaces, they have to be threaded into the third-party applications that workers use every day, like the ones for email, CRM, ERP, accounting and the like. That way, users can tap their third-party software from within the Jive interface, and vice versa.

ESN software that is isolated from the daily-use business software of a company is unlikely to gain traction among users, because it becomes yet another stand-alone inbox of sorts that they need to check and maintain. In that sense, ESN softwares adoption dynamics are different from the consumer market social media services its modeled after, like Facebook and Twitter, which are at the center of the universe of complementary apps built around them.

Most ESN software providers, then, build custom connectors for popular business software products. They also provide APIs (application programming interfaces) so that enterprise and commercial developers can create their own integrations. Jive has already developed connectors for products from a variety of other vendors, including Box, Cisco, Dropbox, Evernote, Google, Salesforce and, of course, Microsoft.

However, previously rolled out integrations for Microsoft products, including Outlook, Lync, Office and SharePoint, were for their on-premises versions. The connectors announced Tuesday focus on cloud software, to which Microsoft is shifting its strategy.

With the new toolsthe Jive Connector for Outlook Online, Jive Connector for Office Online, and Jive Connector for SharePoint Online and OneDrive for BusinessJive can position its ESN suite as able to assist Microsoft customers who are in increasingly common hybrid scenarios, meaning theyre running both on-premises and cloud versions of these products simultaneously.

Were where the users are, said Clara Liang [cq], Jives chief product officer. We let them work where they prefer.

As an example, Liang told of a hypothetical scenario where John from the marketing department gets an email on Outlook.com with a question he cant answer, so with the new connector, he transforms the message into a discussion thread in Jive, and also uploads the attachment to the ESN suite. Since Jive is integrated with Salesforce.com, sales rep Gina sees the new discussion started by John and, because it concerns one of her clients, she provides the information he needs, at which point John is able to reply to the original email.

Jive already had an integration with Yammer, the cloud ESN software which Microsoft acquired in mid-2012 and which it has been integrating with its Office family of products. However, a connector for Lync Online hasnt been developed yet.

Jive, whose customers include T-Mobile, GE Healthcare, Eli Lilly, Prudential, Genentech, Vodafone and Nike, is one of the few remaining pure play ESN vendors. Its rivals include IBMs Connections, Salesforce.coms Chatter and Communities, Microsofts Yammer and SharePoint, and Tibcos Tibbr.

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Jive adds Office 365 connectors for its enterprise social suite

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Virtual Think Tank is a digital series focusing on the emerging markets, covering their startups, the power of the middle classes on their economies and the macro environment.

(CNN) -- Go to any provincial city in China -- small hayseed towns where the population barely nudges three million people -- and you'd be forgiven for thinking the national youth pastimes, after smoking, are online gaming and flirting.

"I like the personality tests and I like chatting with people, but I haven't been brave enough to meet anyone yet," says Nolan Lee from Guiyang in China's central Guizhou province.

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Social apps taking China by storm

Today, almost three-quarters of U.S. adults on the internetuse social media. Take a moment to let that sink in. In just over a decade, social networks have sprung from nonexistence to the point where 74 percent of American adults with an internet connection have a social media profile. If three-quarters seems low to you, remember that this statistic is for adults on the internet; it includes grandmothers who use the internet solely to check email, but not their high school grandchildren who constantly Instagram their selfies.

However, for something so prevalent in our society, there is surprisingly little conclusive research on how social media affects our offline relationships. Yes, there have been articles proclaiming the downfall of personal relationshipsbecause of social media, but there have also been studies arguing that social networking leads to greater amounts of personal interaction.

So which is it? Unfortunately, I dont have the definitive answer, and I doubt well get it anytime soon. What I can say, though, is that I disagree with the notion that social media is negatively affects our personal relationships and the way we interact with people offline. Instead, I view social media as a supplement: an online way to enhance our offline relationships.

A common argument against social media is that we like and retweet instead of picking up the phone and calling. Sure, social media helps us keep in contact with our friend or family member who is thousands of miles away. But what if theyre right around the corner? This is where social media seems to get a bad rap and is blamed for hurting relationships.

Lets be clear: Its up to each individual to decide whether or not theyll make the effort to meet with someone in person, and then whether theyll choose to engage or just spend time on their phone. But social networks dont have to be the bad guy. Aside from facilitating contact prior to the meeting, social networks and the information hosted there provide an all-important touch point during a meeting, even a casual one.

When meeting a friend for a quick drink, for example, a good part of the conversation is dedicated to catching up: whats new, where have you been, how are your friends, etc. Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks, though, you might have already seen the basics and want to get down to the specifics, like asking about a specific trip or how the new baby is doing. Because people populate their profiles with just such information, social media provides a bridge between online and offline and helps you find common ground faster.

After all, you dont really remember the small talk after meeting someone: you remember the common ground you discovered, like shared interests, mutual friends and common experiences. Small talk the weather, the basic catch up questions was the bridge before social media. Now, social media can give you insight into that common ground before you even get to the meeting, saving the initial awkwardness of not knowing what to say and preparing you to make more meaningful and immediate connections.

The case for using social media as a supplement to real-life social situations extends from quick get-togethers to professional contexts. Finding shared interests and making meaningful connections are the reason that deals are signed on the golf course, not just the boardroom.

A scenario: A sales professional takes a potential client out for a round of golf. On the third hole, they find out they went to the same high school, hit it off, and by the eighteenth hole theyre negotiating a contract. It was always a stroke of luck when you discovered that common ground and were able to make that connection. These moments dont have to be based on luck anymore. Their Facebook page can give you all the insights you need for a few good conversation starters like discovering youre both fans of the same football team.

All this being said, theres still a chance that someone will choose to connect via Facebook Messenger instead of talking in person and thats OK. The popularity of social media is not an indication that the era of face-to-face contact is coming to an end. It simply provides another tool to get to know each other, and can even make that in-person meeting all the more meaningful.

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Relationships 2.0: The New Role of the Web in Offline Relationships

A new social networking site bills itself as the online country club for people with more money than time. The Daily Mail has a more succinct description: Facebook for the rich.

Netropolitan, as the site is called, costs $9,000 (U.S.) to join. The initiation fee is $6,000, plus a $3,000 annual fee.

New York-based composer James Touchi-Peters came up with the idea when he realized he and his well-heeled friends needed somewhere to discuss their (rich-person) problems without the typical reactions they might get on traditional social networking sites. "I saw a need for an environment where you could talk about the finer things in life without backlash - an environment where people could share similar likes and experiences," he told CNN.

Netropolitan is designed to be the place to talk about your last European vacation or new car without the backlash, messaging specialist Michelle Lawless told the Los Angeles Times.

Netropolitan includes features you have come to expect from a modern online social network, and a few that you may not, it says on the sites About page. Once you are a Netropolitan member, you have access to status updates and discussion rooms with all other members. You can create groups, have conversations about everything from fine wines to classic cars to vacation recommendations.

Of course, you can do all those things on Facebook, which is free. So what is the selling point here?

The site boasts unlimited cloud storage and no advertising. As well, it is completely inaccessible to the public, with the exception of the login screen (which includes the About section and also FAQs). Otherwise, it sounds a lot like Facebook.

Is that worth $9,000? Not to me, but Im not rich.

Perhaps if you are rich there might be sufficient appeal in the sites exclusivity.

In one wonderful segment of Netropolitans About page, the site seems to be on guard against entitled expectations of the one per cent.

Go here to read the rest:
Facebook for the rich costs $9,000 to join

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

China's crowded social media space

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Virtual Think Tank is a digital series focusing on the emerging markets, covering their startups, the power of the middle classes on their economies and the macro environment.

(CNN) -- Go to any provincial city in China -- small hayseed towns where the population barely nudges three million people -- and you'd be forgiven for thinking the national youth pastimes, after smoking, are online gaming and flirting.

"I like the personality tests and I like chatting with people, but I haven't been brave enough to meet anyone yet," says Nolan Lee from Guiyang in China's central Guizhou province.

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The social apps taking China by storm