Socialtext enters Twitter for the enterprise sweepstakes

Socialtext, a company looking to take social networking to the enterprise, has launched its Socialtext 3.0, a suite of social networking applications complete with a wiki and dashboard to manage relationships.

Technically, Socialtext 3.0 consists of People, the social networking app; Workspace, the wiki; and Dashboard, which has custom home pages that let each worker filter information. Socialtext's big idea is to integrate its social features with other enterprise applications.

But the biggest part of the Socialtext 3.0 announcement (Techmeme)  is something it calls Signals, which is billed as "an integrated Twitter for the enterprise" that "blends into the flow of real work."

Dennis Howlett: How SocialText is breaking the collaboration mold

Ross Mayfield, co-founder of Socialtext, writes on his blog:

Socialtext Signals is social messaging for the enterprise connected with context. With the rise of Twitter, more people are learning the benefits of microblogging as a medium for conversations and sharing each day. Socialtext developed a standalone version six months ago. Using it internally we've learned how different usage is from Twitter, not just because it is more private, but because it is in the context of a company. The social patterns of what people say and share has taught us a lot about potential use cases. Now in private beta with Socialtext customers, Socialtext Signals will provide an integrated user experience across Socialtext Workspace, Socialtext Dashboard and Socialtext People.

That context point from Mayfield is huge and could be what separates Signals from efforts like Yammer and Present.ly, two startups working on the same theme. The problem with Twitter for me is one of noise. There's a lot of it. Some folks love it, but frankly I need more filters and less noise. In fact, some peace and quiet is kind of nice once in a while. Ever notice how much work you can get done when you're not connected to everyone?

Also see: Feeds: And in this corner… Present.ly packs a solid punch against Yammer

• Webware: Socialtext co-founder: Enterprise Twitter isn't enough
• Oracle: CRM software demand bubbly; Social networking meets enterprise data
• Oracle CRM: spot the disconnect

Mayfield notes that the goal with Signals is to find information and people in a company. In a nutshell, Socialtext wants to tap collective intelligence. Think of it as a knowledge management and relationship system.

Sounds great, but will enterprises bite? For all the talk about Twitter's enterprise potential the fact remains that CIO eyes glaze over--if you're lucky--when you ask about micromessaging. In fact, I'll be lucky if this post doesn't lose page views. The interest in Twitter just isn't there yet.

That doesn't mean micromessaging isn't important. In fact, it could be a big deal inside a business. But it could also be a mere feature to be integrated later by the likes of Oracle and SAP. Is Socialtext a groundbreaking, but way too early company in your enterprise?