How can Facebook use for improve the performance of a company staff?

[Anushka]

Can modern augmented trend of online social media usage convert in to a beneficial way to improve the performance of a university or a research institute?

[epicfail2011]

Uh, maybe.

Some people are already using it to create 'groups' or 'forums' centered on different and specific topics. I'm interested in a few of them, but, so far, my opinion is that they tend to get too 'chatty'. Only little bits of useful information/data coming out of them - and one has to 'wade through' a LOT of meaningless chatter sometimes to find the relevant parts.

My opinion is that the current, DEDICATED, forums are much better. People on those tend to stay 'on topic'. Socializing and research don't seem to be a good mix, to me at least.