MySpace. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. And the list goes on and on. Undoubtedly, social networking online, or social computing for short, is becoming more prevalent in all of our lives to one degree or another. I personally realized the impact it was having on me the first time I checked my Twitter feed before email during my first cup of coffee in the morning.

However, I would venture a guess that most people view social computing as a way to keep in touch with current friends and acquaintances and to reconnect with people from your past. In other words, it’s seen as a personal activity, something you do on your own time.

Smart businesses are beginning to leverage the power and momentum of social computing in the marketplace to build brand recognition and prestige, attract new customers and beneficially impact their bottom line. This is exactly the type of strategy that Bob Pearson, VP of Communities and Conversations at Dell Corporation, has been tasked to develop. I met Bob at the Strategic Architecture Forum in San Francisco last November and he was kind enough to sit down and talk to me about social computing. Our conversation is featured in this week’s episode of ARCast.tv.

Be sure to check out this episode and let us know what you think. Social Computing: Fad or Future?