Something I've heard repeatedly from IT folks is that they'd like to see Web 2.0 applications delivered via a single, enterprise-ready package. That's what the latest offering from Socialtext promises -- blogging, wiki, and social networking functions all tied together, and tied to other enterprise apps. A Twitter-like messaging tool is in beta.

I walked through Socialtext 3.0 recently with Ross Mayfield, the company's co-founder, chairman, and president. I found the product intuitive and easy to use, especially with its dashboard feature (click here for a screenshot).

To create the product, Mayfield and CEO Eugene Lee returned to what Mayfield calls Socialtext's "founding insight", that technologies emerging on the consumer web have better social dynamics than enterprise apps. They set out to adapt the feel of consumer apps to the enterprise, while integrating their tools into existing directory systems for single sign-on usage, and allowing search and workflow across legacy applications and portals.

The ability to integrate email into the social system reminded me of Scoble's story about people cheering at the thought of changing email culture. The social networking features include means of discovering connections, formal and informal, with other workers across a company. The micromessaging service, known as Signals, shows what people "are doing and sharing, not just what they are saying," says Mayfield. Another application in beta is a social spreadsheet that Mayfield calls "the first natively-developed 2.0 app for the enterprise."

Early adoption of Socialtext 3.0 has been largely in jobs like marketing, sales, service and support (call centers), and professional services. The dashboard function, says Mayfield, is drawing interest for broader deployment in areas including HR, corporate communications, and IT.