Louisville-based health insurer Humana created an enterprise social network for their employees to use as a replacement to conventional email. Humana saw advantages such as solving problems quickly and encouraging innovation as the immediate benefits of the social network.

Members of The Spectator Editorial Board agreed the social network is appealing but has too many issues which would kill effectiveness.

A member related the ESN to the use of the Microsoft Outlook chat feature and how unprofessional it felt.

“Informality may be affected by its social feel,” the member said.

One speaker said the biggest issue would be the instability of social networking in general.

“Social media hurts work efficiency already,” the speaker said. “Moving sensitive information through the network could lead Humana down a slippery slope.

Another member said it’s a good idea to try to be innovative. By creating the ESN, the company may be gaining leverage over their competitors as far as gaining employees goes.

One speaker said when a company is working on building their brand, it’s easy to become faceless.

“An expected amount of messing around will happen at work,” the speaker said. “So incorporating social networking is a good way to keep your company fun and relaxed.”

The board voted 1-6 on whether this new social network would be an effective replacement.

The staff editorial reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is written by the Op/Ed Editor. Columns, cartoons and letters are the opinion of the author/artist and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Spectator as a whole.