A Beginner's Guide to Web 2.0 Tools for Business Part 1

Here is a basic guide as a starting point to help you identify Web 2.0 services that might prove useful inside your company.

Finance

Spreadsheets and other essential tools for finance professionals are moving on to the Web, and as they do, they're acquiring new functionality to facilitate seamless collaboration and data exchange.

Google Docs and Spreadsheets Google's Web-based word processing and spreadsheet applications are great for collaboration, and they're compatible with their Microsoft Office equivalents.

Zoho Sheet An online spreadsheet service that's compatible with all Excel documents. An application programming interface (API) is available for enabling seamless integration with many other software tools.

SalesBoom This hosted service started out as a customer relationship management product; today it has expanded to include commission and expense management. Limited customization options, but well-suited for smaller companies.

Human Resources

Instead of just posting forms and directories online, hoping users will find them, Web 2.0 services make it easier for workers to help themselves and find one another. They also provide tools to identify networks of people who are most influential within an organization.

Workday Human Capital Management Founded by the former CEO of PeopleSoft, Workday is a flexible, Web-based enterprise resources planning tool for human resources professionals.

Cogenz Finds the best-informed or best-connected people by looking at whose bookmarks on a subject are most popular.

To browse a more comprehensive directory, visit All Things Web 2.0 or Go2Web20.