customers and other interested parties to submit ideas about anything related to their business - packaging, design, marketing, engineering, etc. Businesses take part in the program in hopes of partnering with P&G. Individuals take part because they would like to see new products or because they would like to have a chance to influence a corporate giant. Connect + Develop has generated an impressive variety of product ideas, from new ways to apply Olay skin cream to new shapes for Pringles snack foods (sticks rather than chips).P&G says that external collaboration plays a key role in nearly 50 percent of its products. A.G. Lafely, chairman and CEO, states, "Our vision is simple. We want P&G to be known as the company that collaborates - inside and out - better than any other company in the world."Using Social Media to Solicit Ideas This interest in asking customers for ideas fits nicely with the growing popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook. When a company creates a page on Facebook, people who are interested in the company's products become "fans" rather than just customers. The idea behind this distinction is that fans feel a special affinity for a company and its products. They think of themselves almost as partners. This type of relationship makes it more likely that people will feel free to offer suggestions and other comments. And Facebook makes it easy for "fans" and businesses to interact.But a company does not need to use a social networking site to let customers know that is open to new ideas and eager to receive them. An online portal such as P&G's Connect + Develop can foster the sort of collaborative spirit that will lead people to think of themselves as partners in the process of innovation. Putting a Dollar Value on Ideas A new idea many sound promising, but will it actually lead to increased profits? That is the calculation that business managers have to make. In the case of a new product, this calculation can be fairly straightforward. A manager has to estimate two things: what it will cost to implement the innovation and how much the innovation will yield in new sales. If the expected benefits outweigh the costs significantly, a manager will probably give the innovation a green light, then monitor costs and sales figures to see if things turn out as expected.What about an idea that is expected to increase cu