®
Thinking out of the Inbox -
More Collaboration through less e-mail
Luis Suarez
Knowledge Manager, Community Builder & Social Computing Evangelist
http://elsua.net
http://twitter.com/elsua
BlueIQ
Friday, May 16, 2008 1

IBM Software Group
Who Am I?
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Luis Suarez has been working in IBM for over 11 years as a Knowledge Manager and Community Builder and the last five of
those years he has been working as well as a Social Computing Evangelist helping various different business units with their
rampant adoption of social software within the corporate firewall and beyond.
He is currently working for the IBM Software group where he is leading a community of Social Software Ambassadors helping
spread the message on the potential impact that social computing has within the areas of finding experts, finding information
and changing the knowledge sharing culture.
He currently maintains three different blogs, one internal and two external (http://elsua.net), where he gets to talk about
Knowledge Sharing, Collaboration, Communities and Social Computing as well as the place where he has lived in for the last
four years: Gran Canaria.

IBM Software Group
Agenda
 Session Description:
- This deck explores the social impact Web 2.0 technologies are creating for individuals and
organizations as well as its role as an enabler for collaboration and innovation
 Key Learning Points:
- The changing nature of collaboration
- The role of communities in helping accelerate the adoption of social computing
- Enterprise social software
- Examples of social software in the enterprise, its Web 2.0 characteristics and benefits vs.
traditional collaboration tools
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• As we’ve been discussing, the era of Web 2.0 is about connecting people and amplifying the power of people working together
–
• There is of course a technology foundation consisting of a number of maturing technologies and techniques (such as open
standards, Web services, and service oriented architecture) but fundamentally given the shifts in culture and behavior
occurring --- the real impact comes through when apply that technology to achieve the social aspects of Web 2.0 – the
people, the connections that they make and wish to make

IBM Software Group
Think about how you work.....the reality of the modern world is that
you just can't do it alone
Think about how often you
connect with someone to:
- Find information
- Get an answer to a question
- Ask for advice
- Bounce off an idea
- Get another opinion
If it is often, it is not a
surprise
The reality is that:
- There is too much information for
us to manage it by ourselves
- Information from people is richer
- We all need to connect and feel
connected
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• Are you smiling? Laughing out loud?
• The reason it may make us laugh is because the awful truth is that it’s terrible to be alone…
• And we just saw, our increasingly project-based work environments preclude this. You just can’t work that way.
• And yet too many of us feel that we have no good way to connect with others.
CLICK

IBM Software Group
Collaboration allows us to tap into the power of people: BTE2
“behind the eyes and between the ears”
We go to others because we want to:
 Hear the story behind the document
 Learn from an expert’s ideas and opinions
 Confirm what we think we know
 Decide what we should pay attention to
 Keep up with fast-changing information
 Feel connected to someone who has similar
interests and knowledge
BTE2
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BTE is a catchy, graphic way to describe the complex concept of tacit knowledge…
Information is a by-product – what we are looking for is to collaborate – to build the relationships and tap into the knowledge and
capabilities available via the relationship
CLICK

IBM Software Group
And why people connect centers on the same basic things…
People Places Things
\"I need someone to \"We need a \"I need to find
explain this to me\" place to information\"
collaborate\"
Tacit Context Explicit
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• We begin with the Explicit – “I need to find information” 
• Followed by Tacit – for the information I am seeking, “I need someone to explain this to me – who?” 
• Concluding with contextual – When I find who, “We need a place where we can meet and share’
For a number of years, IBM has been heavy with explicit knowledge (e.g., GBS KnowledgeView, GTS ICM AssetWeb),
nowadays, focus is shifting to tacit within a specific context --- how to make use of a tacit exchange to bring forward the explicit
in the correct context is key
CLICK

IBM Software Group
It’s all about people … and the communities in which they are
involved…
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• So – shall we concur?
• We’re in broad agreement that collaboration is about people! And not only people but also the communities [CLICK] in
which individual people are involved.
• People participate in many different types “communities\" – defined here as formal and informal – from structured and stable
(your co-workers for example)
• – to the other end of the spectrum with highly mobile, diverse networks and communities of interest… each grouping is a type
of community (yes, a team is a type of community)
• This concept of community is fundamental to Web 2.0 and social networking which we’ll get to in a few minutes.
CLICK

IBM Software Group
It’s all about people … and the communities in which they are
involved…
Labile
Communities of Interest
Membership stability
Communities of Practice
Local Users Group
Social Networks
Stable
Coworkers Peers
Same place Degree of Geographic Distribution Everywhere
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• So – shall we concur?
• We’re in broad agreement that collaboration is about people! And not only people but also the communities [CLICK] in
which individual people are involved.
• People participate in many different types “communities\" – defined here as formal and informal – from structured and stable
(your co-workers for example)
• – to the other end of the spectrum with highly mobile, diverse networks and communities of interest… each grouping is a type
of community (yes, a team is a type of community)
• This concept of community is fundamental to Web 2.0 and social networking which we’ll get to in a few minutes.
CLICK

IBM Software Group
… And the key capabilities and tools needed for communities of
people to collaborate
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• And as important as our recognition that collaboration is about people and the communities in which individual people are
involved…
• It’s also about the key capabilities or actions people take to ENABLE their collaboration with others [CLICK] or
• Looking through a different lens, its about the kinds of tools manifesting in the web today that are ENABLING greater
opportunities for collaboration and social networking to occur.
• See the connections building?
CLICK

IBM Software Group
… And the key capabilities and tools needed for communities of
people to collaborate
Search
ibrary
Document L Announcem
BLogs
Web Conferencing
Com
men
ents
eys Syn
Instant Messaging
ting ur v dicat
tio n ls /S ion
Rating M edia Po
l
Tod
Calendaring Web Links
Library Activities
o
s
Team D
Tagging iscu ssion
Memb
er Pro
files Forums
Wikis Team Blogs
ists
a ct L
C ont Social Bookmarks
Reputations
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• And as important as our recognition that collaboration is about people and the communities in which individual people are
involved…
• It’s also about the key capabilities or actions people take to ENABLE their collaboration with others [CLICK] or
• Looking through a different lens, its about the kinds of tools manifesting in the web today that are ENABLING greater
opportunities for collaboration and social networking to occur.
• See the connections building?
CLICK

IBM Software Group
So if people are the nodes, and the connections are their
relationships, what improves “bandwidth”?
 Trust is key to information sharing and collaboration
 Research* has identified two types of trust that are critical to
collaboration
- Benevolence based trust: what others have experienced of your
behavior and conduct -> can I work with you?
- Competence based trust: what others believe you know -> do
you know your stuff?
 Knowledge sharing doesn’t require a strong tie, but it requires trust*
- “people reported getting their most useful knowledge from trusted
weak ties”
* Source: Trust and knowledge sharing: A critical combination, IKO White Paper, 2002
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• Trust is key to information sharing and collaboration (one of the key reasons why information from people is preferable to
other sources)
• Research* has identified two types of trust that are critical to collaboration: benevolence-based trust and competence-based
trust.
 Benevolence based trust is based on what others have experienced of your behaviour and conduct
 Competence based trust is based on what others believe you know
• This research also identified that knowledge sharing did not require a strong tie, but rather that the trust was there **
 “people reported getting their most useful knowledge from trusted weak ties”
CLICK

IBM Software Group
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http://flickr.com/photos/rooreynolds/509145604/
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• Maybe this is your idea of social networking. You’d be right.
• It’s all those lulls and coffee breaks between presentations where you really get to connect with others.
• Too bad we can only attend conferences like these once year, twice if we’re really lucky…
CLICK

IBM Software Group
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• Finally, Maybe this is your idea of social networking (and an application of social software – more on that later). This is Second
Life, one of many virtual worlds…
• Again, it’s a place to meet people…
• But in reality, who has time to figure out how to use this software and make it part of their daily work behavior, other than folks
dedicated to this medium?
• something to think about… again
CLICK

IBM Software Group
http://flickr.com/photos/keithmuth/202810291/
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• Or, maybe this is your idea of social networking. Again, you’d be right!
• Who says you have to connect to your colleagues purely over business topics?
• Or conversely, how many ‘social’ situations have led to business discussions and opportunities?
CLICK

IBM Software Group
 Platform across  Social software:
Organizations are considering how they the enterprise  Blogs
will shift from private and controlled and beyond  Wikis
environments to public and dynamic  Online  Social bookmarks
reputation  Tagging
collaboration  RSS feeds  Voting
Public
 Virtual worlds  Podcasts and
videocasts
 Communities  Team rooms
 Websites and  Forums
portals  Web
 Online presence conferencing
and instant  Expertise
messaging profiles
 Individuals
 Books and journals  Taxonomies
 Data, information, and  Directories
documents in shared  Classrooms As new sources and
databases  Conferences
methods to share
 Telephone  Email
Private knowledge appear, none of
Time
Traditional Web1.0 Web2.0
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• Graphical message of Web 2.0 evolution from a collaboration pov
• So, it’s no surprise that organizations are trying to figure out what they need to do to make the shift themselves from the ‘old’ to
the ‘new’ way of working – of competing – of innovating – of thriving…
CLICK
Bottom – Point in time, private, content complete / Top – All the time, public, less perfect

IBM Software Group
Enterprise social software is about:
 Driving innovation into products faster
 Making the new generation more productive, more
knowledgeable, faster
 Harnessing the knowledge of the wise, before they
retire
 Being more responsive to customers, with knowledge
from subject experts you may or may not know
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• Enterprise social software is conceptually about being more responsive to customers, with subject expert’s knowledge.
• It’s also about making it really simple for people and communities to collaborate!
• So what is considered social software? Let’s take a look!
CLICK

IBM Software Group
The Way Collaboration Should Be
Source: Wikinomic’s “Wiki collaboration leads to happiness”
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IBM Software Group
From e-mail to Enterprise Social Software
Activities
- find expertise
- establish network Personal Blogs
- interest groups - Ad-hoc Workflows
- Experiences / Knowledge e.g. Briefings, Workshops, Actions
- increase social capital - Storytelling - Team ToDos, task forces
- Reuse Assets
RSS / Atom Client
Team Wikis
- Monitor Inside / Outside World
- Competition & Markets - Project Tasks - Newsletter
- Announcements
Quickr / Cattail - Technical Brainstorm
/ Media Library - Ad-hoc collaboration
- Wikis, Library, Media
- Protected information
- Open File Sharing Dogear
Bookmarks
Sametime
- FIND not search
- Awareness – Meet traveling peers - Expert Knowledge
- Ad-hoc Actions (e.g. CritSit) - Starting point for everything
Lotus Notes e-mail Podcasts Executive Blogs
- Reach out to Web 1.0 - Tailored Education
- Integrate old services - Strategy & Direction
- Expertise Sharing - Big picture
- Low cost production
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IBM Software Group
Summary – What does enterprise social software do?
 Breeds diverse social networks
 Promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking
 Enables non-disruptive expertise consumption
 Organizes the flow of ad hoc collaboration
Gartner describes social networks as “transformational” and “will result in
major shifts in industry dynamics” over the next few years
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• So – was that a firehose? Let’s review key take-aways…
• Enterprise social software breeds diverse social networks and communities that strengthen over time.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Employees and members across the ecosystem can tap the collective knowledge of an expanded and growing professional
network. Customer and partner relationships are strengthened.
• Enterprise social software promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Innovation occurs when you leverage the expertise of people you don’t normally collaborate with, in other words, the people you
normally email.
• Enterprise social software enables you not only to locate expertise, but to consume that expertise in a non-disruptive
way.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Research is faster using someone else’s pre-qualified bookmarks. Projects are staffed with the best people.
• Enterprise social software organizes and speeds the “flow” of collaboration.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Groups can access and execute task related information easily with simple tools. Duplicate tasks are avoided.
• Iagree with Gartner -- collaboration via social networks will result in major shifts in industry dynamics… CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – What does enterprise social software do?
 Breeds diverse social networks
“I found your profile…”
 Promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking
 Enables non-disruptive expertise consumption
 Organizes the flow of ad hoc collaboration
Gartner describes social networks as “transformational” and “will result in
major shifts in industry dynamics” over the next few years
17
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Friday, May 16, 2008 17
• So – was that a firehose? Let’s review key take-aways…
• Enterprise social software breeds diverse social networks and communities that strengthen over time.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Employees and members across the ecosystem can tap the collective knowledge of an expanded and growing professional
network. Customer and partner relationships are strengthened.
• Enterprise social software promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Innovation occurs when you leverage the expertise of people you don’t normally collaborate with, in other words, the people you
normally email.
• Enterprise social software enables you not only to locate expertise, but to consume that expertise in a non-disruptive
way.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Research is faster using someone else’s pre-qualified bookmarks. Projects are staffed with the best people.
• Enterprise social software organizes and speeds the “flow” of collaboration.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Groups can access and execute task related information easily with simple tools. Duplicate tasks are avoided.
• Iagree with Gartner -- collaboration via social networks will result in major shifts in industry dynamics… CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – What does enterprise social software do?
 Breeds diverse social networks
“I found your profile…”
 Promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking
“I just read this blog about a new idea…”
 Enables non-disruptive expertise consumption
 Organizes the flow of ad hoc collaboration
Gartner describes social networks as “transformational” and “will result in
major shifts in industry dynamics” over the next few years
17
17 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007
Friday, May 16, 2008 17
• So – was that a firehose? Let’s review key take-aways…
• Enterprise social software breeds diverse social networks and communities that strengthen over time.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Employees and members across the ecosystem can tap the collective knowledge of an expanded and growing professional
network. Customer and partner relationships are strengthened.
• Enterprise social software promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Innovation occurs when you leverage the expertise of people you don’t normally collaborate with, in other words, the people you
normally email.
• Enterprise social software enables you not only to locate expertise, but to consume that expertise in a non-disruptive
way.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Research is faster using someone else’s pre-qualified bookmarks. Projects are staffed with the best people.
• Enterprise social software organizes and speeds the “flow” of collaboration.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Groups can access and execute task related information easily with simple tools. Duplicate tasks are avoided.
• Iagree with Gartner -- collaboration via social networks will result in major shifts in industry dynamics… CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – What does enterprise social software do?
 Breeds diverse social networks
“I found your profile…”
 Promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking
“I just read this blog about a new idea…”
 Enables non-disruptive expertise consumption
“Wow, the answer is right here in her bookmarks!”
 Organizes the flow of ad hoc collaboration
Gartner describes social networks as “transformational” and “will result in
major shifts in industry dynamics” over the next few years
17
17 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007
Friday, May 16, 2008 17
• So – was that a firehose? Let’s review key take-aways…
• Enterprise social software breeds diverse social networks and communities that strengthen over time.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Employees and members across the ecosystem can tap the collective knowledge of an expanded and growing professional
network. Customer and partner relationships are strengthened.
• Enterprise social software promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Innovation occurs when you leverage the expertise of people you don’t normally collaborate with, in other words, the people you
normally email.
• Enterprise social software enables you not only to locate expertise, but to consume that expertise in a non-disruptive
way.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Research is faster using someone else’s pre-qualified bookmarks. Projects are staffed with the best people.
• Enterprise social software organizes and speeds the “flow” of collaboration.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Groups can access and execute task related information easily with simple tools. Duplicate tasks are avoided.
• Iagree with Gartner -- collaboration via social networks will result in major shifts in industry dynamics… CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – What does enterprise social software do?
 Breeds diverse social networks
“I found your profile…”
 Promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking
“I just read this blog about a new idea…”
 Enables non-disruptive expertise consumption
“Wow, the answer is right here in her bookmarks!”
 Organizes the flow of ad hoc collaboration
“I’m going to save this chat to our activity.”
Gartner describes social networks as “transformational” and “will result in
major shifts in industry dynamics” over the next few years
17
17 © Copyright IBM Corporation 2007
Friday, May 16, 2008 17
• So – was that a firehose? Let’s review key take-aways…
• Enterprise social software breeds diverse social networks and communities that strengthen over time.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Employees and members across the ecosystem can tap the collective knowledge of an expanded and growing professional
network. Customer and partner relationships are strengthened.
• Enterprise social software promotes out-of-your-inbox thinking.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Innovation occurs when you leverage the expertise of people you don’t normally collaborate with, in other words, the people you
normally email.
• Enterprise social software enables you not only to locate expertise, but to consume that expertise in a non-disruptive
way.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Research is faster using someone else’s pre-qualified bookmarks. Projects are staffed with the best people.
• Enterprise social software organizes and speeds the “flow” of collaboration.
CLICK (it’s a build slide for each point)]
• Groups can access and execute task related information easily with simple tools. Duplicate tasks are avoided.
• Iagree with Gartner -- collaboration via social networks will result in major shifts in industry dynamics… CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – What does it mean to Use Web 2.0?
1. Web 2.0 will replace Web 1.0 methods (not all, but many
investments need to be shifted) vs. simply added on top of
them
2. Web 2.0 is about allowing for the conversation to
happen, not publishing – have more people do the
publishing and communities will create themselves
3. Web 2.0 moves from hierarchy and navigation to finding
what you want through tagging and other capabilities to
guide you to what is interesting to you
4. Web 2.0 is no longer about storing in folders and
bookmarks, but about changing the way we organize data
by tagging and use technology to cut through the clutter
5. It is not about mass marketing – the form of communication
is ‘one to few’ – it’s about communicating to specific
audiences
Building a community ≠ Running a social networking tool
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• What It Means to Use Web 2.0 –
• Web 2.0 is part of the evolution of the web. Need to get from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and Web 2.0 before 3.0 - can’t skip any steps.
Simply implementing the technologies isn’t Web 2.0.
• Client Example: Dresdner Kleinwort and investment bank based in Germany, has replaced its email system with a wiki – its
allows people to set up pages for specific projects, and invites anyone to collaborate: edit text, add comments, hold
discussions, and link to other pages. In short, it removed the need to send e-mails. The company went so far as to issue an
edict: don't send e-mails, use the wiki.
CLICK

IBM Software Group
Summary – Biggest challenge for corporations moving through
Enterprise 2.0 is the needed paradigm shift
1. Cultural/behavioral shift is needed
2. May need to eliminate barriers between partners and end customers
3. Is there a generation gap or not?
4. Get everyone on board with similar agenda
5. Being more consistent across specific experimental platforms ….platforms
should reinforce each other rather than going off in different directions (see
#4)
6. Have to keep at it to make it work – this is not a tweak to existing things it’s a
step forward and have to continually work on it
7. Legal/Security/Ethics Challenges
- Defining what is and is not allowed to be released to the public and setting codes of conduct
for employees on the Web (already done in IBM with the Social Computing Guidelines)
\"Advice to the CEO: It's now a two-way conversation. Listen, respond, and talk
intelligently. Stop dictating to your customers [or partners]. It's your customers, not you,
that have the power.” – Forrester: Web 2.0 and the CEO, Aug. 6, 2007
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1. For example, many of the emails we send out to partners (that they seldom read) might be replaced by writing in blogs or
contributing to wikis, using email simply to alert partners where to go to for the information
 Can’t take a wait and see approach – we – need to demonstrate leadership here
 Allow others to drive the conversation – can’t control everything
 Can’t be too protective of ourselves
 Speak in a simpler language
2. …
3. …
4. Large companies with many people // Everyone has their own agenda and ideas  difficult for people to agree
5. ...
6. …
7. …
CLICK

IBM Software Group
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