Information Discovery: Changing the way we work Lars-Olof Allerhed, Technical Director IBM

The people powered information revolution The world is saturated by information 161 billion gigabytes: the amount of email world-wide 6 billion gigabytes: person-to-person communications >60 million IBM intranet pages >160 million IBM documents (teamrooms and repos) Grassroots collaboration increases the amount of information (feeds, blogs, wikis) 57 million: the number of worldwide blogs 160 million: the number of users in social spaces >160K: number of IBMrs registered with WikiCentral >31K: number of registered IBM bloggers >90K: IBMrs registered with IBM Media Library Finding information is critical to how we make decisions that drive value across the company and how we respond to the industry

The world is saturated by information

161 billion gigabytes: the amount of email world-wide

6 billion gigabytes: person-to-person communications

>60 million IBM intranet pages

>160 million IBM documents (teamrooms and repos)

Grassroots collaboration increases the amount of information (feeds, blogs, wikis)

57 million: the number of worldwide blogs

160 million: the number of users in social spaces

>160K: number of IBMrs registered with WikiCentral

>31K: number of registered IBM bloggers

>90K: IBMrs registered with IBM Media Library

Information is generated quickly, and that means even more content needs to be organized and managed Top-down control over information and strict categorization of rapidly generated content is difficult and ineffective Content is being stored and distributed in silos even more today creating obstacles for accessing the right information Different internal brands and portals are all looking for our attention, creating fragmented information user experiences We are generating more content

Information is generated quickly, and that means even more content needs to be organized and managed

Top-down control over information and strict categorization of rapidly generated content is difficult and ineffective

Content is being stored and distributed in silos even more today creating obstacles for accessing the right information

Different internal brands and portals are all looking for our attention, creating fragmented information user experiences

Information Discovery: Definition & goals The Information Discovery Initiative is focused on improving an employees’ ability to find information by: Increasing the relevancy of search results Creating a user centered environment that aligns with how employees think and work Improving the quality and relevancy of content delivered to employees before they know or need to search for it Creating a participative environment in which employees help each other find what they need Result: Employees work more effectively, i.e., employees are more productive, find more innovative ways to work, perform at a higher level, and deliver more value to IBM.

The Information Discovery Initiative is focused on improving an employees’ ability to find information by:

Increasing the relevancy of search results

Creating a user centered environment that aligns with how employees think and work

Improving the quality and relevancy of content delivered to employees before they know or need to search for it

Creating a participative environment in which employees help each other find what they need

Who we are

Information Discovery: Evolution Information Management Intranet Technology-driven Search Relevancy ranking and algorithms Content management Metadata standards Taxonomy Findability Discrete experiences/UI Portals Collaborative Intranet End-user participation driven Democratizing classification Social tagging Folksonomy Democratizing content creation Blog and wikis Discoverability Architecture of participation Information hubs w3, ODW Social Intranet Behavior-driven model Social search Decision support Business intelligence Recommendations (versus personalization) Inference and data mining Predictability Contextual and adaptive User Experiences Semantic web Actionable & shared information spaces w3, ODWNext w3_Social Workplace (ODW x)

Information Management Intranet

Technology-driven

Search

Relevancy ranking and algorithms

Content management

Metadata standards

Taxonomy

Findability

Discrete experiences/UI

Portals

Collaborative Intranet

End-user participation driven

Democratizing classification

Social tagging

Folksonomy

Democratizing content creation

Blog and wikis

Discoverability

Architecture of participation

Information hubs

Social Intranet

Behavior-driven model

Social search

Decision support

Business intelligence

Recommendations (versus personalization)

Inference and data mining

Predictability

Contextual and adaptive User Experiences

Semantic web

Actionable & shared information spaces

Opportunities for the Workplace Increase employee communication via new collaboration tools Improve employee productivity Socially Networked Platform Harvesting emerging technology “piece-parts” and sew them together creating an end-to-end social networking experience for the intranet Social tagging to the next level Information aggregation system Wikis, blogs Reputation management (IBMr) Social Search Increase sellers productivity Pilot a role-enabled (sellers) workspace that connects people with information and people Evaluate emerging technology that is appropriate to solve this problem Think creatively about how and where we apply the solutions Design a real end-to-end process from innovation to production to market Integrate onto ODWNext as sandbox

Increase employee communication via new collaboration tools

Improve employee productivity

Socially Networked Platform

Harvesting emerging technology “piece-parts” and sew them together creating an end-to-end social networking experience for the intranet

Social tagging to the next level

Information aggregation system

Wikis, blogs

Reputation management (IBMr)

Social Search

Increase sellers productivity

Pilot a role-enabled (sellers) workspace that connects people with information and people

Evaluate emerging technology that is appropriate to solve this problem

Think creatively about how and where we apply the solutions

Design a real end-to-end process from innovation to production to market

Integrate onto ODWNext as sandbox

Information Discovery: Projects Smart user focused search experiences empower the user to improve search Quality of content and tagging is a huge contributor – it’s a fallacy to think the search engine will solve our problems Searching for information centers around the user – rich user defined experiences are in demand Search as a living thing Social tagging is the new way we communicate and connect Make people the center of the corporation and unleash their knowledge Rating, reputation and tagging can connect people based on skills and reputation Enhanced personalization capabilities People centric profiles emerge Topical content and knowledge is delivered to the employees who need it, and no one else Smart content recommendations Users identify content, people and communities of interest to subscribe to Rely on tag data and user profiles to recommend content (content, tags, communities & people) Information aggregation in a single view Information is organized by employees Employees organize how they receive content Share information found through shared content collections and social tagging spaces

Smart user focused search experiences empower the user to improve search

Quality of content and tagging is a huge contributor – it’s a fallacy to think the search engine will solve our problems

Searching for information centers around the user – rich user defined experiences are in demand

Search as a living thing

Social tagging is the new way we communicate and connect

Make people the center of the corporation and unleash their knowledge

Rating, reputation and tagging can connect people based on skills and reputation

Enhanced personalization capabilities

People centric profiles emerge

Topical content and knowledge is delivered to the employees who need it, and no one else

Smart content recommendations

Users identify content, people and communities of interest to subscribe to

Rely on tag data and user profiles to recommend content (content, tags, communities & people)

Information aggregation in a single view

Information is organized by employees

Employees organize how they receive content

Share information found through shared content collections and social tagging spaces

Search satisfaction is showing progress Overall search satisfaction rose to 52% Significant rise in satisfaction to 73% for those who were aware of new search release Specific enhancements showed statistically significant increases User feedback decreased From 37-118 a week to <17 a week Saved 2000+ hours per week increasing productivity Users time spent searching decreased by ~ 36 seconds Social tagging in search works “ Pages bookmarked by IBMers” receives 120,000+ clicks per month Users stopped searches on tagged pages at a substantially higher rate than “natural results”

Overall search satisfaction rose to 52%

Significant rise in satisfaction to 73% for those who were aware of new search release

Specific enhancements showed statistically significant increases

User feedback decreased

From 37-118 a week to <17 a week

Saved 2000+ hours per week increasing productivity

Users time spent searching decreased by ~ 36 seconds

Social tagging in search works

“ Pages bookmarked by IBMers” receives 120,000+ clicks per month

Users stopped searches on tagged pages at a substantially higher rate than “natural results”

Identify quick wins Listen to your colleagues complaints and investigate why search fails (e.g. IBM Global Account Europe Intranet) Refer to the w3 Search wiki View source and scrutinize the metatags Report anomalies through Feedbacks or through the Search Effectiveness Team Get clarification on what influences language specific searches and then document/promote. Ask IT Advocates or Teachers for the feedbacks they receive Leverage your network: ask them to search on their 10 top used sites and to give you unsuccessful searches, tag them and investigate the issue Promote tagging Report any outdated / broken link through the Feedback function and recommend your peers to do the same w3 Search - Let's improve it!

Listen to your colleagues complaints and investigate why search fails (e.g. IBM Global Account Europe Intranet)

Refer to the w3 Search wiki

View source and scrutinize the metatags

Report anomalies through Feedbacks or through the Search Effectiveness Team

Get clarification on what influences language specific searches and then document/promote.

Ask IT Advocates or Teachers for the feedbacks they receive

Leverage your network: ask them to search on their 10 top used sites and to give you unsuccessful searches, tag them and investigate the issue

Promote tagging

Report any outdated / broken link through the Feedback function and recommend your peers to do the same

Track progress Assign yourself challenges (search x urls / day, tag x urls 1 , identify suggested matches if applicable, contact x new persons, review x pages for outdated info) Assign others the same challenges and follow them through (e.g. I have weekly meetings with the BT&IT France Search Champions with checkpoints on actions) Follow-up/survey on demos, launch contests? Only 12 European Search Champions are using Dogear and o/w only 7 did tag since the kick-off (see here ): do you need any help?) w3 Search - Let's improve it! 1 but do not tag for the sake of tagging

Assign yourself challenges (search x urls / day, tag x urls 1 , identify suggested matches if applicable, contact x new persons, review x pages for outdated info)

Assign others the same challenges and follow them through (e.g. I have weekly meetings with the BT&IT France Search Champions with checkpoints on actions)

Follow-up/survey on demos, launch contests?

Only 12 European Search Champions are using Dogear and o/w only 7 did tag since the kick-off (see here ): do you need any help?)

Keep Interest Publish/reuse new hive5’s in Beehive Try and find videos, hints & tips to share E.g. Luis Suarez video on Dogear 2.0 Use the broadcast facility in Sametime for unformal chats… Use blogs, wikis Be sure to give answers on questions raised, follow-up if needed w3 Search - Let's improve it!

Publish/reuse new hive5’s in Beehive

Try and find videos, hints & tips to share

E.g. Luis Suarez video on Dogear 2.0

Use the broadcast facility in Sametime for unformal chats…

Use blogs, wikis

Be sure to give answers on questions raised, follow-up if needed

Showcase progress & people By asking people to search on the urls they use the most, you demonstrate that more and more searches are successful either on the left or right hand-side of the Search results panel Promote individuals’ progress in Beehive , assess individuals’ w3 search skill in IBMr when prompted Recognize contributors’ efforts. See my 2 Europe winners of the month Each of us should add w3 Search in our PBCs so that our Management line understand the importance of our contribution. By helping improve w3 search in general for the Company we not only contribute to the w3 search satisfaction index, we also: Increase our own productivity in locating the information we need to perform our job, Simplify our organization’s information discovery and knowledge management Help our sales forces to showcase our search experience and sell the services/products outside Can demonstrate outside the Company that Enterprise search can be improved and that we, as IBMers can contribute to it through the use of social tagging and other web 2.0 technologies w3 Search - Let's improve it!

By asking people to search on the urls they use the most, you demonstrate that more and more searches are successful either on the left or right hand-side of the Search results panel

Promote individuals’ progress in Beehive , assess individuals’ w3 search skill in IBMr when prompted

Recognize contributors’ efforts. See my 2 Europe winners of the month

Each of us should add w3 Search in our PBCs so that our Management line understand the importance of our contribution. By helping improve w3 search in general for the Company we not only contribute to the w3 search satisfaction index, we also:

Increase our own productivity in locating the information we need to perform our job,

Simplify our organization’s information discovery and knowledge management

Help our sales forces to showcase our search experience and sell the services/products outside

Can demonstrate outside the Company that Enterprise search can be improved and that we, as IBMers can contribute to it through the use of social tagging and other web 2.0 technologies

Search progress is constant when we focus on our users Social Search: Tagging Users actively describe and organize content Tagged artifacts create relationships between content and people Actively tagged content bubbles to the top - naturally – as information changes Tagging creates serendipitous discovery Freeing Information: ARKE Repositories are unlocked so information isn’t isolated A common user experience for searching disparate collections Content owners are exposing their data to broader audiences Living Search: Aware and Active Search results based on user’s feedback creates continuous cycle of change Search is personalized - language and geographically aware

Social Search: Tagging

Users actively describe and organize content

Tagged artifacts create relationships between content and people

Actively tagged content bubbles to the top - naturally – as information changes

Tagging creates serendipitous discovery

Freeing Information: ARKE

Repositories are unlocked so information isn’t isolated

A common user experience for searching disparate collections

Content owners are exposing their data to broader audiences

Living Search: Aware and Active

Search results based on user’s feedback creates continuous cycle of change

Search is personalized - language and geographically aware

Search interface is designed to be more interactive around user’s needs ARKE Personal tagged pages Personalized suggested matches User tags drive relevance Language controls

Search effectiveness is the way we progress Search effectiveness champions Drive best practices into their respective organizations Drive strong communications plan for end users and content owners with search teams Search value chain Partner and build relationships across IBM to come up with innovative solutions Collaborate with IBM Research teams to test new features Feedback loop to product teams Search effectiveness metrics program improvements Engage high-priority and low-sat stakeholders to rally support and help the cause Continue to move the needle with tactical improvements while driving search strategy

Search effectiveness champions

Drive best practices into their respective organizations

Drive strong communications plan for end users and content owners with search teams

Search value chain

Partner and build relationships across IBM to come up with innovative solutions

Collaborate with IBM Research teams to test new features

Feedback loop to product teams

Search effectiveness metrics program improvements

Engage high-priority and low-sat stakeholders to rally support and help the cause

Continue to move the needle with tactical improvements while driving search strategy

Search and tagging begin to create p eople centric profiles User activities will be drive how users consume content Snapshots of activity, opinions, relationships and more become profiles The profiles change based on social networks, giving us the vantage point for seeing the relationship between the collective and the individual Subscribe to people Evaluate Manage reputations and expertise Participate Share & Discover

Enabling enterprise social tagging In 2006, we released the Enterprise Tagging Service Designed, documented and deployed a common tagging user experience Simple, consistent framework for how people tag content Tagging widget that allows developers to easily integrate tagging into applications Designed and deployed Enterprise Tagging Service A common service for any application to publish and consume tag data (push and pull tags) Tag normalization bringing added intelligence to tags in ETS Repository for storing tags and all of their associations (tags to tags; tags to people; tags to content) for analytics

In 2006, we released the Enterprise Tagging Service

Designed, documented and deployed a common tagging user experience

Simple, consistent framework for how people tag content

Tagging widget that allows developers to easily integrate tagging into applications

Designed and deployed Enterprise Tagging Service

A common service for any application to publish and consume tag data (push and pull tags)

Tag normalization bringing added intelligence to tags in ETS

Repository for storing tags and all of their associations (tags to tags; tags to people; tags to content) for analytics

What are we doing with the tags from ETS? Meaningful relationships between information and people are captured These tags and associations are used in other contexts Content is surfaced regardless of the application – remixing experiences Surface social information, like: How other people think? What I need to check out? Who do I have something in common with? Use social metadata to improve relevancy of search results Recommend content based on a user information activity history (footprint)

Meaningful relationships between information and people are captured

These tags and associations are used in other contexts

Content is surfaced regardless of the application – remixing experiences

Surface social information, like:

How other people think?

What I need to check out?

Who do I have something in common with?

Use social metadata to improve relevancy of search results

Recommend content based on a user information activity history (footprint)

Today, tags create rich associations in multiple contexts Collaboration: Thinkplace Collaboration in Thinkplace is structured by tags Idea generators, readers and catalysts form communities helping discover ideas Tagging makes sharing ideas and collaboration simple Communication: w3 News News articles are being tagged by readers Readers actively describe content and what it means to them Related news, blogs, media and people are recommended based on user activity Sharing: MediaLibrary MediaLibrary is IBMs youtube – people share and find multimedia content Media is organized by authors and end-users Media is recommended to users based on participation, attention and activity Reputation: IBMr Exploration in peer feedback and expertise location Skills hierarchy as a base to define common skills Tags influence and further define skills by the people who know the skills

Collaboration: Thinkplace

Collaboration in Thinkplace is structured by tags

Idea generators, readers and catalysts form communities helping discover ideas

Tagging makes sharing ideas and collaboration simple

Communication: w3 News

News articles are being tagged by readers

Readers actively describe content and what it means to them

Related news, blogs, media and people are recommended based on user activity

Sharing: MediaLibrary

MediaLibrary is IBMs youtube – people share and find multimedia content

Media is organized by authors and end-users

Media is recommended to users based on participation, attention and activity

Reputation: IBMr

Exploration in peer feedback and expertise location

Skills hierarchy as a base to define common skills

Tags influence and further define skills by the people who know the skills

In 2008, we will enhance tagging by designing: Pervasive “tag it! rate it! and relate it!” widget for w3 Pervasive widget will Allow users to rate and tag content in any context on the intranet (via plug in or web widget) Allow users to receive related content dynamically in the context of a current activity Dedicated information “management” space Place where users can manage their tags Please where users can connect with other people and information through recommendations from a rich profile ODW profile joined with the tagging and rating activity) Place where users can view tag activity of other IBMrs Tags will be used as base for smart recommendation engine to deliver content Pervasive information delivery in the right context

In 2008, we will enhance tagging by designing:

Pervasive “tag it! rate it! and relate it!” widget for w3

Pervasive widget will

Allow users to rate and tag content in any context on the intranet (via plug in or web widget)

Allow users to receive related content dynamically in the context of a current activity

Dedicated information “management” space

Place where users can manage their tags

Please where users can connect with other people and information through recommendations from a rich profile

ODW profile joined with the tagging and rating activity)

Place where users can view tag activity of other IBMrs

Profiles and social networks create the next generation of smart systems: w3 recommendation engine Meaningful relationships between information are captured created by people We extrapolate a users’ interests through their past activities Rich relationships between information and people are derived from the local user and the collective user population Interests create the dynamic which are related to the w3 profile Recommendations are generated in real-time using memory-based scalable algorithms and sampling methods

Meaningful relationships between information are captured created by people

We extrapolate a users’ interests through their past activities

Rich relationships between information and people are derived from the local user and the collective user population

Interests create the dynamic which are related to the w3 profile

Recommendations are generated in real-time using memory-based scalable algorithms and sampling methods

How are we bringing all of this together to enable discovery? Why: Easy way to stay current on the latest news and information from variety of sources (content comes to you) Aggregates content into a single point of access (i.e., saves the trouble of visiting each blog/wiki/site/podcast one at a time) Content recommendations based on your active profile Subscription based model letting users decide and actively participate in their information experience.

Why:

Easy way to stay current on the latest news and information from variety of sources (content comes to you)

Aggregates content into a single point of access (i.e., saves the trouble of visiting each blog/wiki/site/podcast one at a time)

Content recommendations based on your active profile

What we’re doing to enable this work Design integrated end-to-end interaction model for search and tagging user experiences Designing a pervasive “tag it rate it and relate it” widget for w3 Designing people centric spaces for w3 Inventory internal reputation (IBMr), content authoring (blogs), social networking and information sharing solutions across organization Model how we bring these piece parts together to create holistic experiences Subscription models Interact with content, people and tags in the space Define how this space interacts with the rest of the intranet and other collaboration tools Working on ODWNext as a test platform for collaborative tools Success measurements program Define metrics to constantly show value of work Metrics program being established to show value of tagging

Design integrated end-to-end interaction model for search and tagging user experiences

Designing a pervasive “tag it rate it and relate it” widget for w3

Designing people centric spaces for w3

Inventory internal reputation (IBMr), content authoring (blogs), social networking and information sharing solutions across organization

Model how we bring these piece parts together to create holistic experiences

Subscription models

Interact with content, people and tags in the space

Define how this space interacts with the rest of the intranet and other collaboration tools

Working on ODWNext as a test platform for collaborative tools

Success measurements program

Define metrics to constantly show value of work

Metrics program being established to show value of tagging

Reality check: We now have more content to manage than when we started and it exists in many different locations

Any ideas, questions? w3 Search - Let's improve it! e-mail: lollo@se.ibm.com Personal blog: www.allerhed.com