Social software in a corporate context

Social software in a corporate context: the BT experience Ross Chestney Head of Communication Services ross.chestney@bt.com Richard Dennison Internal Programme Manager richard.dennison@bt.com

Agenda • About BT Today • The BT intranet story • Why is social media important to BT? • Potential impact in corporate environment • How we are using it • Impact on governance of BT Intranet • Lessons learnt • Web 2.0 challenges

About BT Today • BT’s Strategy: bold transformation (35% of revenues from new wave technologies) • BT in the global market (operate in 170 countries) – delivering networked IT services • Broadband – the UK leads the world, and there is more to come (BT Vision) • Mobility and Convergence (wireless world) – allowing communications wherever you are • The 21st Century Network (21CN – world’s first IP- based network) – essential investment for future prosperity

How we grew the BT Intranet • We started 10 years ago • Information vision, not technology • Decentralised ‘franchise’ model • Central control where necessary • Overall ROI not initially measured • 100% access • Symbiotic relationship to culture change • Business critical – unstoppable.

Information framework BEHAVIOUR & CULTURE Performance POOR i.e. how good are we at this? INFORMATION FLOW / MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EXCELLENT HIGH LOW Degree of control SHORT i.e. what can we influence? LONG Timespan Source: BT Group Communications

Where we are now • The Intranet is the life blood of BT • BT people are entirely at home online • BT has implemented best practice usability and accessibility through most “official” intranet sites • Evaluating early ‘social media’ applications • The BT Intranet has made huge organisational and financial contributions – but it’s now hard to measure

Intranet evolution PUBLISH INTERACT TRANSACT COLLABORATE PERSONALISATION Knowledge Culture New ways of Supports sharing cost change doing business reduction Online services -Usually tangible e.g. directory Includes ‘social benefits -Often intangible media’ benefits & knowledge mgt

Intranet Maturity Framework The Consolidated Workplace Interface High Digital Stage 6 Dashboards Enterprise Information Stage 5 Business Value Portals Collaboration- Stage 4 Driven Intranets Self-Service Communication Intranets Stage 3 & Information- Sharing Intranets Stage 2 Stage 1 Low Low Information Usage High Source: Avenue A Razorfish Inc. 2006

Why is social media important to BT? Social media is about: communications technology social networks …these are BT’s giving power to users global data business drivers! networks making technology simple building sustainable communities – from local to global

Potential impact in corporate environment perpetual Beta New way of doing things … succeed or fail fast! IT processes turned on head democratised publishing Loosing control of the message … ‘community’ editorial control mixing ‘personality’ with content anyone who ‘knows’ can publish ‘Real’ knowledge sharing user-controlled communities social tagging peer recognition and admonishment

How are we using it? … carefully!! no anonymous posting Key principles say what you like … but you will be held accountable! Examples: BTpedia MyPages Blogging Podcasting RSS powered news Project wikis

How are we using it? … carefully!! no anonymous posting Key principles say what you like … but you will be held accountable! Examples: building knowledge base BTpedia building communities Blogging Podcasting RSS powered news Project wikis

BTpedia

How are we using it? … carefully!! no anonymous posting Key principles say what you like … but you will be held accountable! Examples: BTpedia MyPages Blogging Podcasting user chooses Project wikis RSS powered news one source one truth

RSS powered news

Podcasting

How are we using it? … carefully!! no anonymous posting Key principles say what you like … but you will be held accountable! Examples: BTpedia First external blog: http://blog.btbroadbandoffice.com/ Blogging Leadership blogs Podcasting Blogs for all – internal & external RSS powered news Project wikis

First external blog

What the ‘blogosphere thinks!

Leadership blogs

Blogs for all

How are we using it? … carefully!! no anonymous posting Key principles say what you like … but you will be held accountable! Examples: BTpedia MyPages Blogging Podcasting Corporate wiki product to be launched soon internally RSS powered news Project wikis Trying out the technology

Experimental project wikis

MyPages

Impact on intranet governance New ‘class’ of user-generated content constantly changing unverified uncontrolled organic unbalanced immediate From 1,000 intranet publishers to 110,000 intranet publishers! impact on network cost and maintenance issues Unofficial software ‘seeping’ in … eg Opensource impact on ‘official’ content !! Regulatory issues !!

Lessons learnt • Focus on value not risk! • Start small and build slowly – users dictate direction and speed • Let users try as early as possible – ‘warts and all’ – succeed or fail quickly … and cheaply! • Engage legal/HR/security early … and emphasise evolution not revolution • Have realistic expectations … the intranet is not the internet! • Harness the enthusiasm of the enthusiastic … especially if senior!

Web 2.0 challenges • Few will go to websites to read news, but they may pick news up when they go to do something. • Portal world is user defined and controlled, we need to go to the audience, rather than expecting them to come to us. From sticky sites to ????? • The power to share information and knowledge will be in the hands of the audience themselves. • In a collaborative world, we may no longer control the radio tower – or there may be too many radio towers. • We need to be part of the conversations. • Notion of radical trust challenges the organisation • Home experience influences work expectation • Multimedia expectations challenge our budgets and processes • What happens when the MySpace generation goes out to work?

Thank you ross.chestney@bt.com richard.dennison@bt.com

Social software in a corporate context

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