Letting some Light in:
Challenges and Opportunities
for Mainstream Enterprise
Social Computing
(cc) Lee Bryant, Headshift, March 2008

www.headshift.com
headshift
is a social software consulting
and development group who apply
emerging tools and ideas to the
real-world needs of organisations:
consulting & engagement
prototyping and experimentation
development and integration

Social computing in
the IT mainstream:

“an architecture
of participation”

An introduction to the social ‘stack’
Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS
feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’
Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag,
vote or comment on useful links and news
Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS
feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’
Blogs and networks: some items or topics are
shared within networks and discussed in blogs
Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag,
vote or comment on useful links and news
Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS
feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’
Group collaboration: intimate groups/teams
organise knowledge in wikis and group systems
Blogs and networks: some items or topics are
shared within networks and discussed in blogs
Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag,
vote or comment on useful links and news
Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS
feeds based on subject, person, group or search

An introduction to the social ‘stack’
Personal tools: organise your ‘stuff’ by tags;
arrange in a portal; manage networks and feeds
Group collaboration: intimate groups/teams
organise knowledge in wikis and group systems
Blogs and networks: some items or topics are
shared within networks and discussed in blogs
Bookmarks and tags: people store, share, tag,
vote or comment on useful links and news
Public feeds & flows: internal and external RSS
feeds based on subject, person, group or search

Simpler, smarter, cheaper enterprise computing
• Enterprise IT is often over-engineered and too clunky for
people to use - many internal systems, e.g. Intranets, are
better served by lightweight, informal social tools

Better personal productivity
• Less email, more feeds and flows
• Our social network as an information filter
• Better findability of things we use

Network productivity and presence sharing : ‘flow’
• Time is a shared space: presence, signals and feeds
• “Network productivity trumps personal productivity”
http://www.stoweboyd.com/message/2007/06/flow_a_new_cons.html

Better informal collaboration and sharing
• Better awareness and peripheral vision
• Collaboration should be easy to do
• Create your own support networks

Collaboration and networking
• project co-ordination with multiple partners
• research/feedback from wider stakeholder groups
• network building among external users

Collaboration and networking
• project co-ordination with multiple partners
• research/feedback from wider stakeholder groups
• network building among external users

Collaboration and networking
• project co-ordination with multiple partners
• research/feedback from wider stakeholder groups
• network building among external users

Open innovation using social networks
• Using social networks to surface good ideas
• Social filtering and iteration of selected ideas
• “wisdom of crowds” applied to internal markets

Internal communications
• more interactive engagement with internal users
• combination of blog, wiki, podcast, videos, etc
• two-way communication, not just broadcast

Recruiting and retaining emerging talent
• Young people come into the workplace
expecting to participate, not just ‘consume’
• They are no less serious, capable or ambitious
than us, but they can be more self-reliant

In-context, continual informal learning
• Training and conventional e-learning are good for
teaching repetitive tasks, but social tools are
better for reflection and on the job learning

In-context, continual informal learning
• Training and conventional e-learning are good for
teaching repetitive tasks, but social tools are
better for reflection and on the job learning

Embracing business online social networking
• finding expertise, people and networks
• social networks as content filters
• engaging with new forms of online communication

Embracing business online social networking
• finding expertise, people and networks
• social networks as content filters
• engaging with new forms of online communication

Getting started...

Start with simple self-powered pilots
• Small, intimate groups, not open to all
• Low investment, low IT overhead
• Grow via invitation - demand-driven

Create conditions for shared meaning
• Sharing bookmarks and tags or ‘social
objects’ like photos or links is ultra
simple but often very useful

Some challenges
for traditional IT

Enterprise IT needs to change ... fast
• Social tools represent the biggest phase
change in IT adoption since e-mail
• Problem: IT are still centralising, whilst the
internet is about intelligence at the edges

IT Strategy and Policy
• Try to put IT in the hands of business users
• Support speed, diversity and innovation
• Moving from policing to supporting users

Moving from .doc + email to the wiki way:
• one space per client or project for collaboration
• total audit history for every page with rollback
• open, closed or anywhere in between

Iterative approach, agile development
• 3 month cycles, not 12-24
• Release early and often
• Driven by user feedback

Enterprise Information Architecture
• Personal tagging drives folksonomy
• Individual action >> collective benefit
• ‘Ambient Findability’, not heavy search

Make the most of Information Professionals
• They become key nodes in social networks
• Knowledge guides, not water carriers
• Managing feeds and flows, not objects

Make the most of Information Professionals
• They become key nodes in social networks
• Knowledge guides, not water carriers
• Managing feeds and flows, not objects

Encouraging pioneers...
• Let them share the risks and rewards
• Relax rules about ‘IT standards’
• Allow low-risk pilot projects

... whilst supporting 2nd wave adopters
• Use cases based on real needs
• Support lurking and light participation
• Create intimacy, not all-in debates

Using the Web as your innovation lab
• Exploiting external services and data
• Encouraging users to explore
• Building connected apps not ghettos

3 myths about
social computing

Social Networking is a waste of time?
• Recognise that people’s online life is distributed; don’t
make them cut it off when they walk through the door
• Go to where they congregate to have a conversation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/23390123
Social media poses new security risks?
• Majority of security risks are still human
• Bad IT leads to workarounds and more risks
• Security needs to evolve as tools evolve

http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20071116.html
Sharing is dangerous?
• We cannot stem the tide of sharing - it is
what the internet is ‘for’
• Teaching responsibility is more effective than
trying to block access and ‘police’ usage

The importance of real-world use cases

The importance of real-world use cases
Information & knowledge sharing External communication
Ad hoc conversations and Q&As Issue management
Competitive intelligence Participation via extranet / website
Employee to employee communication Recruitment
Sharing knowledge within groups Thought leadership
Storing and finding information
Working with contractors or partners Internal communications
Internal issue management
Team collaboration Intranet development/replacement
Creating and editing documents Leadership communication
Documenting and organising work Training and personal development
Project collaboration
Marketing and PR
Innovation and R&D Campaign management
Innovation networks Engaging with customers and media
Prediction markets Monitoring brands and markets
Rapid prototyping Promoting a product or service
Social newsreading and bookmarking Social networking

Thanks!
lee@headshift.com
http://www.headshift.com
Except where otherwise stated, photos courtesy of Flickr using
Creative Commons license. Thanks to the following photographers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dplanet/94442623/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/105123875/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kacey/252912749/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sgt_spanky/35811144/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/violator3/93589371/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianboulos/36957265/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/23390123/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/19490596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/86624586@N00/10190970/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddenloop/429289122/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glutnix/82935786/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ottonassar/1149873101/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/2127819/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wandering_angel/1702213953/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopzilla/1640551643/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/2073499871/