Salesforce to offer shared areas for MySpace-style meetings

AppSpace will be premium-priced supplement to Spring '07 release

Salesforce.com is taking another leaf out of the consumer web with the launch of AppSpace, a MySpace-like service aimed at bringing together business partners and customers in a shared area on the web.

In the past, Salesforce has acknowledged its debt to services such as iTunes, eBay and Amazon.com, and the AppSpace launch continues in that vein, with a service that lets users meet in a secure, branded environment to collaborate on documents, brainstorm, offer a customer self-service portal, or other tasks that tie into the Salesforce back-end.

“MySpace has done it for individuals but we asked 'what if you could bring together all your customers and partners and share spaces?',” said George Hu, Salesforce chief marketing officer. “This is going to reinvent the customer portal for business-to-business and business-to-consumer.”

AppSpace will be offered as a premium service from next month with general availability by October. It will cost £667 per month per space.

Salesforce also launched its Spring ’07 edition, just two months after pushing out the Winter release. The upgrade leans heavily on requests from users made on the IdeaStorm site and includes time-based workflow, customised search, email-based approvals, pop-up reminders and the ability to hover over recent items to discover their details.

Salesforce executive vice-president for technology Parker Harris rejected suggestions that Salesforce’s speed in getting out releases could leave customers confused.

“It’s important to get these products out there and have velocity,” Harris said.

“You can’t force change on people and that’s why we’re careful [with user interface design and changes]. You can’t even move a button. Move it to the right and people get upset.”

Separately, Harris said that the Apex development language is set to make its debut in the Summer release, due in three months.

However, Salesforce’s plans for a global network of incubated firms that can tap the company’s knowledge of on-demand selling, marketing and funding might take a little longer. It has filled out its first facility in San Mateo, California, but other locations might not be available this year.

“We’re six weeks old [in the San Mateo facility] so I want to make sure I have a formula that works,” said Rene Bonvanie, general manager of developer relations. Salesforce is “sizing” requirements for a location in London, he added.