Social Software in the Enterprise: Key Debates

Social Software in the Enterprise:

K D b tKey Debates

Twitter: @TonyByrne | @cmswatch | #e2conf-23

1Copyright © 2009 CMS Watch | www.cmswatch.com #e2conf-23 – Key Debates

"The Real Story""The Real Story"

•Impartial product evaluations for technology buyers rather than softwaretechnology buyers, rather than software vendors •Hard-hitting, critical analysis, debunking

k ti h i f f th t thmarketing hype in favor of the truth •Detailed insights and education based on real end-user experiences

Product evaluations, subscriptions, and online courses at cmswatch.com

2Copyright © 2009 CMS Watch | www.cmswatch.com Selecting Social Software

Agenda1. Can social software consistently bring real ROI?1. Can social software consistently bring real ROI?2. Are community managers responsible for ILM?3 T l Pl tf S it B t f B d?3. Tools: Platform vs. Suites vs. Best-of-Breed?4. Will the social s/w marketplace consolidate?5. Socialize existing tools or buy social software?6. Are we overexaggerating risks?gg g7. Blogging is passé – vive micro-blogging?8 Are social rating / ranking systems helpful?8. Are social rating / ranking systems helpful?9. Intranet have a community, or be a community?


10. Other?

Answer:Answer: “It Depends”


1) Can social software consistently bring real ROI?YESYES

• Collaboration and discussion save time… and time is money• Customer communities can reduce support costs and improve customer retention and • You can avoid expensive investments in heavyweight, enterprisey tools like portals

NO• Social Software systems bring d.

com

real, ongoing expenses

• Most ROI estimates rely on “M thi l M M th ”po

ke.ty

pepa

d

“Mythical Man Months”

• But….is this a fair question?

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2) Are Community Managers responsible for Info Lifecycle Mgmt?

YES• Over time, deleting is as important than

ti bilit fi d bilit li bilit

NO• Let the community vet

creating: usability, findability, liability, accuracy

• Someone has to do it and records and

• Community managers should nourish; Records managers can clean up• Someone has to do it, and records and

compliance managers don’t understand social

can clean up


Platforms ECM “Suites” Community

Wikis Blogs Niche Public

7Copyright © 2009 CMS Watch | www.cmswatch.com Selecting Social SoftwareSource: http://cmswatch.com/Social/Vendors/

4) Socialize existing applications or invest in Social Software?

S i liSocialize• Let people communicate and collaborate where they already work and hang outwork and hang out

• Don’t create new silos of informationinformation

Social SoftwareSAP t l k t i l• SAP et. al. suck at social

software

• People need clear “spaces” to• People need clear spaces to get social

• Serendipity factor


Serendipity factor

Will the Social Software marketplace “consolidate”

9Copyright © 2009 CMS Watch | www.cmswatch.com Rule & Tools – 6 April, 2009

5) Blogging is passé – vive Micro-blogging!


Blogging is passé?

YES• Tweeting is more spontaneous, easier• Character limits keep people “on point”

f• You can find intra-enterprise services• Most blogging is gratuitous anyway• Twitter is cool -- and cool is important…

NO• Blogging offers narratives….and narrative matters• Twitter can be just as gratuitous, masturbatory & lame as the worst blogsmasturbatory, & lame as the worst blogs• Blog conversations are more organized, feel more persistent• RSS is an effective filter


• RSS is an effective filter

6) Are social ratings/ranking helpful?YESYES

• All filtering is useful; Need to sort out what’s “best”• Evidence of real return on e-commerceEvidence of real return on e commerce and support sites• Options for passive / active inferencing –putting metrics to workp g• Voting brings democratic processes

NO• Requires a critical mass for statistical meaning• Known to get abused within and beyond the firewall• Is best for the crowd also best for you?• Systems that promoted “most” items create a self fulfilling prophecy


create a self-fulfilling prophecy

7) Should your Intranet have a community or be a community?

HHave• Community/social software not feature-complete for web publishingpublishing

• You need to be clear about what’s “formal” enterprise contentwhat s formal enterprise content and what isn’t

BeAll i ti i i l• All communication is social

• Don’t create new silos; integrate enterprise and social content andenterprise and social content and trust the community to know the difference


8) Does Age Really Matter in Social Computing?

Source: AIIM Enterprise 2.0 Market Intelligence, 2008

Key Issues

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Key Issues• Adoption vs. Enthusiasm

• Does consumer web

rce:

and

rew

m Does consumer web automatically cross over to enterprise?


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Social Software in the Enterprise: Key Debates