Gartner said that Social Network Interaction is where leading-edge companies will make their mark and wield their influence. It advised CIOs and IT leaders to:

• Expose your trickiest business and technology challenges to open forums and learn how to identify real contributors.
• Solicit and respond to customers' input, feedback and new service ideas through communities of customers.
• Use social network analysis software to map out how information and ideas flow among your people across regions, continents and business entities.
• Pilot interesting new market concepts that encourage consumers, buyers and employees to trade "virtual shares" in promising ideas and innovations — prediction markets, for one.