Goguen envisions a time when private enterprise-oriented social networks will evolve to the point where users will follow things like products and events in addition to people. So if a company receives a complaint about a particular product via its customer service department, the product manager could follow the entire sequence, from the initial complaint to bug-reporting-stages and the eventual resolution, by "following" his product or service on the company social network.

"For many people, social networking tools are already part of their jobs," Goguen says. "It's not always about 'tweeting' either, but about finding relevant information or feedback from Friends and followers. Social networks can be another 'arrow in your quiver,' to [help] do your job better."

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