Avoiding Network Finger-Pointing; Using Social Media for Network Problems

Sometimes I know exactly what my next article is supposed to be about and how to cover it. This is not one of those times. The next two cover articles for Industrial Networking have thrown me for a loop, and I once again need needed help from any and all available networking experts. So, below are the main questions I’m trying to cover in my next two cover articles for Control Design in August and November. If you or anyone you know might have some expert commentary or end user examples, I would love to hear about them. Please e-mail me at [email protected] or call (620) 625-1125 or (847) 404-6658 to set up an interview in the next few weeks. Thanks ahead of time for your help.   

WHO'S MINDING THE NETWORK?—cover for August 2012 issue of Industrial Networking—need to interview in June
1. As industrial networks continue to evolve and multiply, what kinds of jurisdictional issues are they and their users running into?
2. Is the fact that many networking methods are coalescing around Ethernet causing them to step on each other's toes more often?
3. Have network managers overcome the traditional fingerpointing that used to happen when suppliers and integrators would only take responsibility for their part of a network?
4. How are users and integrators encouraging these different networking players to cooperate?
5. Do you have any examples or case studies of networking cooperation, lessons learned or best practices?
6. How are industrial networking jurisdiction issues likely to evolve in the future?  

INDUSTRIAL MEETS COMMERCIAL/SOCIAL—cover for Nov 2012 issue of Industrial Networking—need to interview in Sept or earlier.
1. Business-level networking tools have been getting down closer to plant-floor networks in recent years, so how much are they overlapping and perhaps integrating now?
2. Are social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and others being used to assist industrial networking users and applications? If so, how and where?
3. Many engineers already use smart phones and tablet PCs on the plant floor, so do you know of any specific examples of them using social media tools to perform their jobs?      
4. How are social media tools likely to emerge in industrial networks or in conjunction with them in the future?