Below is a list of three vendors that build or sell corporate social-networking platforms.

Mentor Scout

Mentor Scout, from the Nobscot Corp., is designed to encourage accelerated knowledge transfer among all employees. Mentor Scout Talent Networking Edition uses personal profiles and interactive information exchange as a way to facilitate employee communication, self-expression, collaboration, knowledge sharing and recognition. It allows employees, a la Facebook, MySpace and similar sites, to create personal profiles related to their professional and personal lives and connect with other employees and potential mentors.

The online system is divided into tabbed sections that allow for the exchange of specific types of information, such as current or future work projects; recognition from colleagues or supervisors; the dissemination of questions throughout the organization; and the arranging of meetings and social gatherings. Phone: (808) 263-3800

SelectMinds

Select Minds builds proprietary social-network platforms for corporate clients that are customized to their respective needs and organizational structures. The networks can include features that let employees create their own personal networks, user controls that give organizations control over communications and data privacy, and searchable directory and browsable profiles.

SelectMinds will configure a social-networking platform tailored to clients' particular needs and strategy. Specifications can be based on program objectives, member characteristics, functionality requirements, content and data. Phone: (877) 276-3978

Visible Path

Visible Path builds algorithm-based software that can plug into an employee's Microsoft Outlook file and examine contact cards, e-mails and calendar appointments. From there, the program can filter out spam and other unimportant information, identify the people the employee deals with and rate the "strength" of those relationships. Visible Path also provides tools for building corporate social-networking platforms that are designed to help employees sell, market and recruit more effectively.

The tools are designed to help clients build networks quickly, analyze the strength of the network and integrate the network into other business applications. Phone: (877) VIS-PATH

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