Hmm, there’s also been some interesting discussion on this in the ICAEW’s IT Counts. Nice point that “we were in need of a wikified spreadsheet that had all of the utility of Google Docs without the datamining”.

PALO ALTO, CA – June 10, 2008 – Socialtext, the leading provider of enterprise wiki and social software solutions, today announced SocialCalc(R), a multi-user wiki-based spreadsheet program that simplifies version control, reduces errors and increases productivity. On the heels of its recent announcements — Socialtext Dashboard and Socialtext People and its four new solutions areas – the SocialCalc announcement underscores the company’s vision as the innovator and leader in business social software.

“SocialCalc is the next room in the Business Social Software house we are building on our enterprise wiki foundation,” remarks Socialtext CEO Eugene Lee. “This announcement is exciting because that the social spreadsheet effortlessly bridges the generations of the existing workforce and the upcoming workforce and does not require that individuals need to re-learn an existing application.”

“The timing of SocialCalc is perfect – we were in need of a wikified spreadsheet that had all of the utility of Google Docs without the datamining,” remarks Brandon Stafford, Principal Engineer at GreenMountain Engineering. “The SocialCalc interface is easy for anyone who knows spreadsheets. The automatic revision tracking eliminates the emailing of spreadsheets. That kind of simplification is crucial for our engineering consulting business.”