I have been asked for an interview with Ulrike Reinhard - I am not sure when and where the interview is going to be published, but here are my answers:

1. Social software is booming. Why?
Because scoial software brings the internet back to it's roots. The user is not only a stupid consumer but a prosumer - producer and consumer within the same process. Personal publishing has enormous potential and the rich media context makes it even more interesting. But the consumer wave is just the first one - after that the corporates will follow. The Web2.0 consumer applications from today shape the expectations that the knowledge workers of tomorrow will have. Somebody who is worksing with google, flickr, blogr.com and youtube does not want to work with lotus notes - that's just natural.

2. Are companies already spending remarkable budgets for social software?
Currently media companies, telcos and big brands are leading the pack. So those companies who are in desperate need for loyalty, consumer generated content and attention. Other companies will follow - I personally expect the financial sector to follow. Financials is a peoples business, based on relationships - social software would make perfect sense there.

3. Whom are you talking to in the organization? Is it the communication department ....?
Currently we are talking to Managing Directors, to Heads of Corporate Communication, Head of Marketing or Head of Innovation. Everything depending on the size of the company and the real person behind the job description. Hard to reach are the "Kowledge Managers" inside - they are dealing with all the huge datagraves the created within the last ten years. Also interesting will be the HR Department...

4. How to make money with social software?
Everything that brings value to the client is worth some good money, this hasn't changed and won't do so. Currently we are facing a very young, dynamic, inmature and heterogenious market. So we are not in a product market yet. The time spent to create products is useless. Because as soon as they are done, they are outdated. This will change over the next two years. We will move from a "tailormade" market into solution business and end up in a product market. But I see a "SAP Modell" ot there - meaning that the services are always going to be an important factor in social media projects. In the end we are talking about social media and social processes need a thorough understanding.

5. What is the secret of gaining awareness with a blog?
Being real, being authentic, having something to say - and definitely blogging because you like it and not because you think you have to do it.

6. knallgrau - what a curious name. What is the story behind it, if there is any?
Well the name is great in the german language. For internationalisation it's not that great as we realise it, because it's very hard to explain. And to be honest as good as the name is - as bad is the story, because there is none. But basically grey is colour that can't shine ("knallgrau" translates into a very "shining, flashy grey") and we believe that we make things possible, that don't seem to work out in the first place.