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The Enterprise Social Software Report 2008 looks at... End-user interface in Traction TeamPage

"The ability to slice and dice information in various ways, comment on it, tag it, and build collaborative knowledgebases is very powerful. But this very feature-richness also makes the platform a bit daunting, especially because its somewhat dated interface doesn't always work as effectively as most competitors' to simplify your options."

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Below we list Enterprise Social Software solutions. These are not the "best" Enterprise Social Software tools, simply -- in our judgment -- the most significant today.

You can find a longer discussion of these categories -- along with comparative evaluations of these tools -- in The Enterprise Social Software Report 2008.

Platform Vendors

These are behemoth software vendors who arrived belatedly but with some force to the Social Software landscape. With the exception of Google, they are also among the pricier offerings.

• Google - Google Sites
  - HQ: Mountain View, CA, US -- Mentions: 2
• Microsoft - Sharepoint
  - HQ: Redmond, WA, USA -- Mentions: 14
• IBM - Connections / Quickr
  - HQ: White Plains, NY, USA -- Mentions: 3
• Oracle - AquaLogic Pages / Pathways
  - HQ: Redwood Shores, CA, USA -- Mentions: 1

Social Software Suites

Smaller, privately-held vendors that offer an array of different Social Software services, but individually, they come to this space with a particular background in one application or another, which typically remains their core strength and orientation.

• Drupal - Drupal
  - HQ: Global -- Mentions: 3
• Awareness - Awareness Platform
  - HQ: Waltham, MA, US
• Connectbeam - Social Software Appliance
  - HQ: Mountain View, CA, US -- Mentions: 1
• Jive Software - Clearspace
  - HQ: Portland, OR, US -- Mentions: 2
• Traction Software - TeamPage
  - HQ: Providence, RI, US -- Mentions: 2

Wiki Software

These are standalone wiki software packages. Nearly all the other vendors in the tiers above offer some sort of wiki services, but they generally pale in comparison to what you would find in these dedicated wiki tools

• Atlassian - Confluence
  - HQ: Sydney, Australia -- Mentions: 1
• MediaWiki - MediaWiki
  - HQ: St Petersburg, FL, US -- Mentions: 2
• Socialtext - Socialtext
  - HQ: Palo Alto, CA, US -- Mentions: 3

Blog Software

Although all these vendors have ambitions about expanding to become more full-fledged Web Content Management and Social Software offerings, the core of each of these platforms is its blogging service.

• Six Apart - Movable Type
  - HQ: San Francisco, CA, US -- Mentions: 4
• Automattic - WordPress
  - HQ: -- Mentions: 4
• Google - Google Blogger
  - HQ: Mountain View, CA, US -- Mentions: 3

White-label Community Services

These are hosted suites of Social Software services that an enterprise can private-label to create their own branded, public offerings.

• Ning - Ning
  - HQ: Palo Alto, CA, US -- Mentions: 2
• Pluck - SiteLife
  - HQ: Austin, TX, US -- Mentions: 2
• Lithium - InterActive
  - HQ: Emeryville, CA, US -- Mentions: 2

Public Networks

These are public networking sites catering to individuals, but with the opportunity to create groups and networks that can be leveraged within and beyond the enterprise.

• LinkedIn - LinkedIn
  - HQ: Mountain View, CA, US -- Mentions: 2
• Facebook - Facebook
  - HQ: Palo Alto, CA, US -- Mentions: 2

Wondering how we compile these lists? Review our criteria.