HooversConnect, a partnership between the business intelligence service Hoovers and the social networking developer Visible Path, is supposedly launching today, although at last check it was in private beta with an email submit form. What's interesting about HooversConnect is that it tries to address the issue of the modern workforce spending all their time at the desktop, rather than browsing the web. Users download a plugin for the Outlook email client that tracks how often they communicate with certain individuals - it will soon be extended to web-based services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail. The service then maps these connections and automatically builds a social network for you, determining the path of least resistance when you want to get in touch with, say, someone at Microsoft. Like LinkedIn, you can then send an invite through your connection to the person you want to reach. In fact, this automated network building is available to all of VisiblePath's customers.
Does this make sense for Hoovers? Maybe. They sell research products and services, and adding a social network is surely a way to make the site more "sticky", and hence drum up more business.
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