Evolution, the web, and social computing in business Matthew Hodgson ACT regional-lead, Web and Information Management 15 October 2007

Evolution

Internet (alpha) Email Telnet Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Kermit Newsgroups Multi-user Domains (MUDs)

Web 1.0 Lynx Browser Wars Microsoft FrontPage Sausage Software Mosaic Netscape Altavista ICQ Email Internet Explorer Dreamweaver HTML Adobe PDF

Web 2.0 What is it? AJAX RSS Atom XML XHTML Tagging Folksonomies Podcasting Vodcasting Wikis Blogs REST SOAP API CSS Microformats Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Tim O’Reilley on Web 2.0 “… the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform…”

“… the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform…”

Shocked about new social technology?

Web 2.0 “ Social Computing” AJAX RSS Atom XML XHTML Tagging Folksonomies Podcasting Vodcasting Wikis Blogs REST SOAP API CSS Microformats Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Sharing Collaboration User-centred Accessibility Joy of use Personlisation Networking Connecting Communicating Wisdom of Crowds

YouTube – sharing video Features Share video Tag video (folksonomic navigation) Who? Labor demands election campaign debates posted on YouTube Labor posted video on climate change, education, skills and training, and representation. Australian Democrats posted a video that mocks the new Australian citizenship test Anti-smoking academics are accusing tobacco companies of advertising on YouTube

Features

Share video

Tag video (folksonomic navigation)

Who?

Labor demands election campaign debates posted on YouTube

Labor posted video on climate change, education, skills and training, and representation.

Australian Democrats posted a video that mocks the new Australian citizenship test

Anti-smoking academics are accusing tobacco companies of advertising on YouTube

Flickr – sharing photos Features Upload photos Share photos Tag photos Who Photographers Some naughty companies

Features

Upload photos

Share photos

Tag photos

Who

Photographers

Some naughty companies

Del.icio.us – sharing bookmarks Features Post bookmarks Synchronise bookmarks rather than store them on one computer Share bookmarks Re-use bookmarks through the API on the company intranet Who SMS “mobile consultants” National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) in London

Features

Post bookmarks

Synchronise bookmarks rather than store them on one computer

Share bookmarks

Re-use bookmarks through the API on the company intranet

Who

SMS “mobile consultants”

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) in London

Facebook – building online communities Features Powerful social networking hub Good way to create ‘community’ and brand loyalty Share profiles and interests with friends and business associates Who Everyone from average Joe to big business Accenture, Amazon, Apple, EA, Gap, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft, Pepsi, PWC and Teach for America.

Features

Powerful social networking hub

Good way to create ‘community’ and brand loyalty

Share profiles and interests with friends and business associates

Who

Everyone from average Joe to big business

Accenture, Amazon, Apple, EA, Gap, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft, Pepsi, PWC and Teach for America.

SlideShare Features Share (PowerPoint) presentations Share podcasts Folksonomic (tagging) navigation Who Academics Conference presenters Clergy (online sermons!) Adult industry (PowerPoint porn)

Features

Share (PowerPoint) presentations

Share podcasts

Folksonomic (tagging) navigation

Who

Academics

Conference presenters

Clergy (online sermons!)

Adult industry (PowerPoint porn)

Wikis & Wikipedia Features Information collaboration Instant access to edit, update, comment & discuss Who AGIMO to share corporate policy and guidelines CIA to share intelligence (esp. on terrorism) Qld state govt to share information between departments

Features

Information collaboration

Instant access to edit, update, comment & discuss

Who

AGIMO to share corporate policy and guidelines

CIA to share intelligence (esp. on terrorism)

Qld state govt to share information between departments

What do these have in common? Technology Each uses different technology Folksonomies (tagging) seems to be a key component Support team work Support team interaction on tasks Share information Help classify information Support team interaction Support team interaction, communication and social cohesion Psych literature tells us that both task and social support are critical to a team’s long term survival

Technology

Each uses different technology

Folksonomies (tagging) seems to be a key component

Support team work

Support team interaction on tasks

Share information

Help classify information

Support team interaction

Support team interaction, communication and social cohesion

Psych literature tells us that both task and social support are critical to a team’s long term survival

Key messages When thinking about building systems: Understand and support team interaction on tasks Understand and support team interaction, communication and social cohesion It’s not about a technology-driven solution

When thinking about building systems:

Understand and support team interaction on tasks

Understand and support team interaction, communication and social cohesion

It’s not about a technology-driven solution

A case study The issues: Two different cultures Two different perspectives Interaction problems Need to: Share information

The issues:

Two different cultures

Two different perspectives

Interaction problems

Need to:

Share information

Goldilocks and Porridge

Three Bears and Porridge

Information disconnect

Govt. department and information disconnect

The problem “ How can you determine what’s in these reports so that one world view can inform the other?” “ How do you create business processes and tools that connects these two world views of information?” - Mark Allenby, SMS Consultant

“ How can you determine what’s in these reports so that one world view can inform the other?”

“ How do you create business processes and tools that connects these two world views of information?”

A typical approach Might meet the businesses needs Would it meet users’ needs?

Using a taxonomy? Issues Need to have a finite set of ‘things’ to build a good taxonomy Content of reports are not finite and change over time Doesn’t fit people’s personal view of information No one will use it (except for the experts) Extensibility Taxonomy needs to be redesigned to adapt to new information

Issues

Need to have a finite set of ‘things’ to build a good taxonomy

Content of reports are not finite and change over time

Doesn’t fit people’s personal view of information

No one will use it (except for the experts)

Extensibility

Taxonomy needs to be redesigned to adapt to new information

Issues Good as a ‘filing cabinet’ for documents Good for records managers Not designed to match the way users’ think about their own information (corporate way only) Not designed for other things like ‘sharing information’ Tower Software uses a wiki to share knowledge and information Using TRIM (recordkeeping system)?

Issues

Good as a ‘filing cabinet’ for documents

Good for records managers

Not designed to match the way users’ think about their own information (corporate way only)

Not designed for other things like ‘sharing information’

Tower Software uses a wiki to share knowledge and information

A tagging approach “… instead [of using a system], you may want to capture and communicate… the essence of what is talked about by using free text tagging (like they do with blogs and wikis)…” - Matt’s response

“… instead [of using a system], you may want to capture and communicate… the essence of what is talked about by using free text tagging (like they do with blogs and wikis)…”

Selling tagging Currently tracking over 8 million tags 5 years and millions of tags and users 8 years worth of tagged, public, online diary and information websites All user/self-classified information

Tagging = users’ view of information Benefits for users: Chosen by the user Not part of a formal taxonomy (my way, not the corporate way of thinking) Adapts easily to new information Flexible and easy to use Benefits for the business: People want to use it - high level of participation Information still gets classified Tag clouds show frequency of terms for reporting

Benefits for users:

Chosen by the user

Not part of a formal taxonomy (my way, not the corporate way of thinking)

Adapts easily to new information

Flexible and easy to use

Benefits for the business:

People want to use it - high level of participation

Information still gets classified

Tag clouds show frequency of terms for reporting

Applying Garrett’s User-Centred Design Methodology See also: http://www.jjg.net/ia/

Scope phase Big gaps in information and little communications between stakeholders and the Department due to different world-views Some documented process , but without documented workflow or governance No tools or supporting systems

Big gaps in information and little communications between stakeholders and the Department due to different world-views

Some documented process , but without documented workflow or governance

No tools or supporting systems

Solution Facilitate information storage & communication Create a place to share information and knowledge Invite and encourage stakeholders to participate Establish governance Document roles and responsibilities Document process Provide tools and systems Support business process Support the way people think about their own information If tools are usable they will be used Focus on connecting people, information and knowledge

Facilitate information storage & communication

Create a place to share information and knowledge

Invite and encourage stakeholders to participate

Establish governance

Document roles and responsibilities

Document process

Provide tools and systems

Support business process

Support the way people think about their own information

If tools are usable they will be used

Focus on connecting people, information and knowledge

Tagging and Topic Maps Topic maps = connected information

Wikis to store knowledge

Department’s term in their Corporate taxonomy Related tags users have Created and related to the term ‘policy’

Social computing tools in this case study Tagging Good for user classification of information Good for representing information based on the user’s own world-view Wikis Good for communication Good for sharing information and knowledge to reinforcing social cohesion between groups Easy to create and maintain content Easy and cheap to setup Topic Maps The glue that connects disconnected information

Tagging

Good for user classification of information

Good for representing information based on the user’s own world-view

Wikis

Good for communication

Good for sharing information and knowledge to reinforcing social cohesion between groups

Easy to create and maintain content

Easy and cheap to setup

Topic Maps

The glue that connects disconnected information

Key messages The more our computers are connected, the more we realise how disconnected our information is Social computing tools can connect people, information and knowledge Use social computing tools in “smart ways” to serve growing user demand to interact directly with government Remember to concentrate on the “social”-part, not the “computing” part

The more our computers are connected, the more we realise how disconnected our information is

Social computing tools can connect people, information and knowledge

Use social computing tools in “smart ways” to serve growing user demand to interact directly with government

Remember to concentrate on the “social”-part, not the “computing” part

… happily ever after Blog: magia3e.wordpress.com Email: mhodgson@smsmt.com Web: www.smsmt.com

Blog: magia3e.wordpress.com Email: mhodgson@smsmt.com Web: www.smsmt.com