EBay convinced thousands of employees to participate in its social network by offering free X-boxes

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA — If you want to build a strong social network inside your company, you need approval from top management, great development tools, and integration with popular websites such as Twitter and LinkedIn. But that’s not all. You also need about $5,000 worth of Xboxes and Starbucks gift cards, so you can bribe your employees to actually use the thing.

Alright, so maybe some companies are building their own social networks without resorting to bribery, but eBay’s Ramin Mobasseri f...