LONDON, November 11 /PRNewswire/ --

- European Survey Reveals Germany Leads Adoption Rate as Great Britain Lags Behind

ATT Inc (NYSE: T) announced that the use of social networking tools as part of everyday working life has led to an increase in efficiency, according to an independent market report released by ATT. The pan-European survey of more than 2,500 people in five countries, conducted by Dynamic Markets, shows that of those employees using social networking tools in the workplace, 65% say that it has made them and/or their colleagues more efficient. In addition, 46% say that it has sparked ideas and creativity for them personally.

The top 5 social networking tools being used by organisations across Europe are:

1. Companies' own collaboration sites on intranets (39%)

2. Internal forums within the company (20%)

3. Company-produced video material shared on intranets (16%)

4. Online social networks, like LinkedIn, Facebook etc (15%)

5. External collaboration sites on the web and internal blogging sites (both 11%)

The study shows that 65% of employees surveyed in Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands say that their company has adopted social networking as part of their working culture. The research also reveals that the rate of adoption is most popular in Germany, leading the way at 72% while Great Britain lags behind with 59%.

The independent market research was commissioned by ATT in order to gain a greater understanding of how organisations are currently using social networking technologies.

When asked, 74% of European employees think there are benefits to using social networks and online communities in the workplace. Increasing an individual's knowledge and giving access to solutions to problems (both 38%) were the two main benefits highlighted. Harnessing the collective knowledge of employees, customers and suppliers (36%) and stimulating team building and better internal collaboration (32%) were also mentioned by those employees who have first-hand experience of using social networks at work on a daily basis.

In contrast, the research also highlights a number of challenges, with the two main negatives being that social networks are a distraction to employees (49%) and a source of company leaks of confidential information (45%). In addition, 24% of employees admit they are not sure how the return on investment (ROI) of internal sites could ever be measured.

The change is sociological rather than technological, thus is will be difficult to justify with traditional ROI models, says Martin Silman, executive director at ATT. Social networking is changing the way corporations communicate and if the corporate vision incorporates and builds upon the move to social networking and web 2.0, then the key performance indicators will easily follow.

The research shows that there is a clear trend across Europe for business users to embrace the benefits of 'web 2.0' technology to underpin collaboration, improve productivity and embrace business efficiency. It is clear that CIO's and their colleagues need to think about the implications this has for their own internal networking strategy and ensure that they are equipped to make the most of the opportunities created by social networking.

Find More Information Online:

Web Site Links: ATT Web Site (http://www.att.com/)

Related Media Kits: http://www.att.com/enterprise2-0

Related Releases: ATT Launches New Social Networking Application from Intercasting Corporation (http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=4800cdvn=newsnewsarticleid=26068)

Related Fact Sheets:

Technorati Tags: ATT (http://www.technorati.com/tag/att), Social Networks (http://www.technorati.com/tag/social+networks)

Research Methodology

The independent market research report is produced by Dynamic Markets Limited and details quantitative research with employees who use a computer at work in Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. A sample of 2510 interviews was collected with adult employees, aged 18+. Each country's sample includes a minimum of 500 respondents per country from small and medium enterprise (249 employees or fewer) to large organisations (250 or more employees). The interviews were conducted using GMI's global online research consumer panel between 17th September and 7th October 2008. Dynamic Markets is a UK-based research consultancy in its 9th year of trading. It serves blue-chip B2B and B2C clients across a wide variety of industry sectors. It strictly adheres to the UK Market Research Sociaty (MRS) Code of Conduct.

About ATT

ATT Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, ATT operating companies, are the providers of ATT services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, ATT is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the ATT brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, ATT is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, ATT again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about ATT Inc. and the products and services provided by ATT subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

(c) 2008 ATT Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. ATT, the ATT logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of ATT Intellectual Property and/or ATT affiliated companies.

Note: This ATT news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the ATT newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom

For more information, contact: Niall Hickey, ATT, Tel : +44(0)207-663-5076, E-mail: nhickey@emea.att.com; Gioconda Beekman, Fleishman-Hillard, Tel : +44(0)207-395-7068, E-mail: gioconda.beekman@fleishmaneurope.com