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CRM 2.0: The Basics
A one-page guide to the important players and concepts
Next-generation customer relationship management brings together a variety of dierent programs: email, social networks,
and connector programs, as well as what has been traditionally considered CRM.
CRM
Customer Relationship Management systems aim to organize and share relevant information about customers, usually within a
single business organization. Major entrants include Oracle, Salesforce.com, SAP, SugarCRM
Online social networks
Online social networks attempt to link people online by means of various shared interests, both personal and professional.
Major entrants include Bebo, Facebook, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Orkut.
Facilitators
Facilitators add functionality to CRM systems and online systems or aim to provide that functionality elsewhere. Examples
include elsewhere.im, a way to share data across networks; Faceforce, which unites Facebook with salesforce.com; Plaxo, an
online address book that synchronizes across networks; and Xobni, a startup that adds rudimentary CRM features to email.
The key technologies
OAuth permits secure API authentication via an open protocol. The idea is to let individuals disseminate particular information
across sites in a secure manner—sharing what the user wants to share and keeping private what the user wants to remain private.
OAuth was started by Blaine Cook and ...