We've posted my review of IBM's LotusLive Engage application -- a service I recommend as a nice collaboration and live meeting technology. The review speaks for itself, but there are some additional issues that should get people thinking and planning:

- The business reality of collaborating with partners inside and outside a company can't be ignored any longer. Companies hire consultants and contractors, and those consultants and contractors need a lot of information and intellectual property to get their jobs done. But they don't need all of a company's information and intellectual property. Applications and solutions need to give businesses the flexibility to share what they want and secure what they need, while providing maximum teamwork and collaboration.

- Social media is changing use patterns, and technology will have to address that. It doesn't matter whether you think Twitter and Facebook are a waste of time. Solutions and technologies that don't factor in those use patterns won't succeed. Having a contact's Rolodex information isn't enough. Seeing their photo, maintaining presence awareness, being able to contact them immediately by phone, e-mail, instant message or SMS is essential. Making yourself available that way is also essential.

- Businesses that don't reach maximum collaboration will lose out to businesses that do. If I can get six contractors into a meeting on 20 minutes notice, share updated blueprints and project specs, and work around problems at a construction site but my competitor can't, there's a good chance I'll win a lot more bids than my competitor.

New technologies and services are addressing this, and quickly.  Do you think it's time to move past the question over whether or not social networking has value, and start building value around it as a business practice?