IBM Offers Developers A Social Network Of Their Own

It's no secret software developers like to hang with other software developers. So IBM has added social networking and collaboration capabilities to its DeveloperWorks Web site for ISVs and other third-party developers.

IBM hopes the new My DeveloperWorks social network, based on IBM's own Lotus Connections social networking and collaboration application, will appeal to younger developers who already use such sites as Facebook and Twitter.

"We're going to drive social networking and all its power into the heart of IBM's No. 1 technical resource," said Jim Corgel, general manager of IBM ISV and developer relations.

DeveloperWorks has more than 8 million members, according to the company. A recent IBM survey of hundreds of development professionals found that nearly 75 percent already use forums, blogs, wikis and online newsletters to communicate with each other. Sixty-five percent wanted a social network such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace for developers.

My DeveloperWorks will help developers connect and collaborate with each other, share content and find information they need for work. In addition to finding like-minded peers, the network will provide key technology updates and help users find ways to upgrade their skills. Users can build profiles with contact information, preferred content and realtime feeds from forums, blogs and wikis, according to IBM.

"We think this is going to make [developers] incredibly more productive," Corgel said.