PHUKET, Thailand -- Rather than curtailing personal use of Web 2.0 tools such as social networking and instant messaging among employees, it could be the initial step toward realizing a "unified communications" scenario in the workplace.

The term Web 2.0 refers to applications available over the Internet that allows users to communicate and likewise “mash up” and share this content.

Shalini Verma, IDC Asia Pacific communications research manager, describes Web 2.0 as "less about technology and more about people wanting to use the Web to build a community."

Compared to the Internet's previous era, Web 2.0 now involves both downloading and uploading of content by users. The personal user experience on Web 2.0, though, is different from how it applies to businesses, Verma said.

"Enterprise companies are striving for balance between the two," Verma said. The IDC analyst discussed industry trends on Web 2.0 during IBM's LotusSphere summit here.

Verma talked about "screenagers" or people who are constantly using to Web 2.0 applications, whether on the PC or mobile devices.

"Businesses should identify what applications can take advantage of the talent available within this group," she said.

Meanwhile, the term unified communications (or unified comms) has been espoused by software vendors like IBM and Microsoft. It essentially applies the Web 2.0 concept to the workplace and points to collaboration between workers from different locations.

Verma said the use of such applications, like videoconferencing, for example, carries implications in the way companies operate and how they do business with customers.

"Based on our studies, though, webconferencing is used more for internal collaboration. In this region, there is still preference for face-to-face communication with customers," she said.

Adoption of Web 2.0 in the workplace may still be in its early stages. But Verma believes there will be a lot more innovation generated either in the form of new applications or combining existing apps, or referred to as "mash-ups."

So how can businesses begin to embrace Web 2.0? The task may fall into the hands of the human resource department.

"Talk to your HR manager and take a closer look at the profiles of your employees," Verma said, addressing IBM's regional customers present in the summit. "Do a survey who is using Facebook, for example."

"When combined with unified comms, harnessing the desire for self-expression should generate meaningful content for the business," she said.