IBM announced the next wave of social networking tools for business. <A HREF="http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/24423.wss">Lotus Connections 2.0 and IBM Atlas for Lotus Connections</A> feature a mix of new capabilities that blend IBM's expertise in business software with the Web 2.0 capabilities popular in consumer social networking Web sites.

The newest version of IBM Lotus Connections--successor to the fastest growing new IBM software product--is taking a cue from public social networks. Now people can quickly grow their professional network of contacts by adding colleagues. This business equivalent of "friending" helps people effectively manage their network and find expertise.

The new home page streams feeds from various components of Lotus Connections and shows people what is happening within their network. Widgets let people customize the main page and add links to external communities such as Facebook or custom business applications used within the organization.