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When Toronto law firm Hicks Morley started its own internal social network in 2008, it was mainly to relieve lawyers of email overload so they could find important information more efficiently. But the firm found that by adopting several tools that mimic Facebook, Wikipedia and Twitter within the confines of a corporate firewall, collaboration between employees increased dramatically, and there was a marked increase in employee productivity.

Social media may be all the rage for building brands and connecting with customers, but what some entrepreneurs might not know is that many companies are using social networks for internal communication as well. These tools can help business owners align corporate goals, drive employee engagement and streamline operations.

Corporations in the US and Japan are participating in programs that allow employees time each week to work for a non-profit. They find that employees in the program become more motivated and productive in their regular jobs.

The Washington-based Medic Mobile non profit recently released a video promoting a test version of one of its new products called PatientView. Its aim is to give hospitals in rural African areas the ability to manage patient information through cell phones.

Google launched its most ambitious social-networking effort yet, broadening a battle with Facebook Inc. to grab the attention of Web users and future advertising dollars. The new service, a top priority for new Google Chief Executive Larry Page, is aimed at exploiting what has been considered a weakness of Facebook-that by default people using Facebook share all their information with a big group of friends. The new Google social network, called Google+, was released Tuesday in a "field trial period," meaning it is an invitation-only product and will be available more broadly later.