Independent research company 20 percent of workers will use social networks as their primary vehicle for business communications by 2014. According to Gartner, greater availability of social networking services, along with changing demographics and work styles, are responsible for the business move toward social networking services.

As more workers with social networking skills enter businesses, there will be a profound effect on the old business standby--email.

"The rigid distinction between email and social networks will erode," said Monica Basso, research vice president at Gartner, "Email will take on many social attributes, such as contract brokering, while social networks will develop richer email capabilities."

Gartner predicts that social networks will begin to invade corporate email platforms. Microsoft, IBM, and others will inside their email clients and on email servers. Contacts, calendars and tasks will be shared across both email and social networking platforms. Gartner predicts that by 2012 all contact lists, calendar items, and messaging clients on all smartphones will be "socially enabled applications."

Social networking is important to mobile collaboration and mobile collaboration is important to .