Jive Software brings apps, algorithms to internal comms

It seems that everywhere you go on the Web in the last few years, you get recommendations. Amazon suggests stuff for you to buy. Facebook provides lists of people you may know. iTunes shows you songs and artists you might like.

Jive Software brings that type of “if you like this, maybe you’ll like this” functionality internal with its set of enterprise social media tools. Plus, users can install apps, much in the way you can install plug-ins to your WordPress blog, to help them share and collaborate.

“What people are now used to outside of work is sharing and learning in a very different way,” says Adam Mertz, senior product marketing manager for Jive. “They don’t necessarily send emails. They don’t do things they would do at work to locate information and find answers to questions.”

The tools

Companies have the option of customizing the home page in Jive’s suite of social media tools to include some traits of a traditional intranet, such as news or other featured content. But the stars of the show are the different areas in which people can find what they need, Mertz says. “There’s a lot of different places in this platform where people can go to get work done,” he says.