Cisco Reveals Latest Social Networking Venture

The details of an unusual agreement have been released to rest of the technological world, as industry analysts learned that networking equipment manufacturers, Cisco Systems, are in the final stages of acquiring technology from social networking minnows, Tribe.net.

Cisco Systems specializes in producing networking equipment for telecommunication providers and other large corporations. Currently, 55,000 people are employed by Cisco.

Tribe.net provides social networking services that have been continually rejected by consumers, in favor of other immensely popular social networking alternatives, such as MySpace and Facebook. Currently, only 8 people are employed by Tribe.net. (Source: tuscaloosanews.com)

To the average consumer, the deal seemingly benefits Tribe, who will be getting an influx of money from their successful new partner.

But some experts disagree, saying that Cisco will benefit extensively from the deal, when the company pairs the technology of Tribe and applies it to the tools attained from the social networking design firm, Five Across; another company that has been recently purchased by Cisco. (Source: nytimes.com)

Through the combination of Tribe technology and Five Across design structures, Cisco is now able to offer network services that will bring their customers closer together.

According to Cisco, all major corporations will eventually provide their customers with some form of social networking service. Cisco goes on to prophesize that corporate social networks will soon be as readily accessible as common websites.

Cisco is currently focusing on creating networking tools that allow everyone from the average consumer to company executives, to tailor their own social networks that will attract friends, customers and employees from every walk of life. (Source: tuscaloosanews.com)

While a number of companies already use social networks for these very things, Cisco deems some of them "too restrictive". Cisco's new social networking venture promises more flexibility and easy control.

The only foreseeable challenge for Cisco would be to get users to join these networks when there are only a few other members.

Representatives from both Cisco and Tribe declined to speak extensively about the terms of their partnership, but those close to the situation agree that Tribe.net will remain an independent site, while most of its underlying technology will go directly to Cisco. (Source: nytimes.com)