Enterprise Communication Meets the World of Warcraft

I'm working on my Enterprise Virtual Worlds presentation and was filling in some detail on communication in game-oriented virtual worlds that I would like to share here as well. 

Enterprises are wise to look to gaming from time to time due to trends in:

• Outside-in technology: how consumer technologies such as blogs and wikis increasingly find their way into enterprises
• Emergent gameplay: the use of gaming technology in ways the original designer hadn't intended
• User experience lessons: UE improvements tend to filter from the competitive gaming market to generalized applications.  Gaming is an optional activity, so UE has to be at a high level when you want the users to pay you to use their systems rather than the other way around.

Communication is interesting to explore since the number of communication channels that enterprises use (and every information worker must now attend to) has increased a great deal over the past five years to include instant messaging, presence, websites, and blogs.  Getting enterprises used to the idea of "channels" and how to manage and select between them has taken some time and some pain.

I was quite impressed when all the methods of communication in World of Warcraft (which was released in November of 2003) are laid out. WoW communication is strikingly similar (and maybe more efficient) than enterprise communication technology in many areas.

It includes:

• Channels: Players can subscribe to communication channels such as /trade to receive ongoing chat on the channel, or unsubscribe.  Another example is in EVE Online, which has a "newbie" channel that can put new players in touch with others taking their first steps, but can be turned off once the player is more confident.
• Chat modes (IM): The variety of built-in IM modes goes beyond most enterprise IM implementations which rely on groups.  They are: /say (vacinity), /party (your group only), /guild (your broader community), /yell (all in larger region), /whisper (one person)
• Presence: Friends can be selected and you are made aware when they come online/offline, and location is displayed (a feature still on the cutting edge in the enterprise)
• Mail: Consists of normal mail, packages, and COD packages. The inbox is visited at WoW Postal Service facilities, which has the pleasant effect of isolating the player trying to accomplish objectives from the stream of email since they only check it periodically when they visit town.  Also, since email costs money to send (a few copper pieces), there is practically no spam
• Emotes: There are over 100 emotes such as /wave, /thank, /cheer, /dance, etc. It is amazing how fluid the use of emotes gets in the real game, such that they do not feel like a conscious effort to be funny, but rather a natural way of expressing oneself in group situations. 

-Craig Roth

(note: this entry is cross-posted from the KnowledgeForward blog)

Introducing Enterprise³

For some time now you've probably noticed our linking to a new sister blog titled Enterprise³. As we've grown from our original event of Portals, Content and Collaboration, our partners and participants have helped us to realize the unique combination of disciplines and expertise within an organization as they develop and manage a strategy for these unique tools in the enterprise. Now that we've established this corresponding blog we want to officially invite you to join us and subscribe to our feed as we shut down this PCC blog.

We’re welcoming you to our new service, Enterprise³. Companies are currently in the stage where they are releasing the second round of tools to be used in their enterprise. In the past, there has been a lot of confusion about the reasons for such functionality and this has often lead business leaders to move slowly or incorrectly as they invest and adopt in these new capabilities within their organizations. Therefore, this is a new stage in the evolution to the PCC community focused on in-depth perspective into the world of portals and collaboration within the enterprise.

As members of PCC we were focused on bringing you:

Seminars on scripted language
Workshops for developers
Intranet building 101
Out of box versus customized
Taxonomy for Taxonomists
Case Studies addressing technical failures

Now with our new focus of Enterprise³, our goal is to expand beyond these offerings and bring you:

Collaborative workshops for business users and developers
Seminars for business uses about IT agility
Business user ad customer driven portal project plans
Helping IT get ‘the buy in’ from upper business management for new tools
Social media hot topics like Second Life and Virtual Worlds seminars an dhow they apply to business users and business needs
Creating dynamic content
Aligning technology with business strategy
Portal user interface and design
Breaking the communication code between IT and business

As you've already seen, we've been building up the Enterprise³ blog with the same quality content that you find here. Beginning today, this will be our last post on this blog but you can join us on the Enterprise³ blog, where we hope you'll join us there and continue to actively participate as you have here. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at Enterprise³.

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Subscribe to the feed here: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Enterprise3

Yahoo in serious talks with Time Warner

Earlier in the year, we reported about the possibilities that Yahoo approached Time Warner to become partners with AOL instead of being bought by Microsoft. According to a post at EWeek, that’s exactly what’s going on today. They reported that in the Wall Street Journal, the two companies were considering merging, and Yahoo would be folded into the AOL sector of Time Warner.

According to the Mercury News in the Silicon Valley, these talks have lead to the extension of time in which Yahoo is accepting nominations before the annual shareholder meeting.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

The Fear of the Unknown

At The Content Economy, they recently posted about the fear that accompanied emails when they first came into existence in enterprises. Back then, bosses feared that productivity would be lost when employees spent all day emailing their family and friends. But, now, we see a common oversaturation of emails. And we have to ask ourselves if that is the best way to communicate through out the enterprise.

So much of what we focus on in this blog could be a great alternative, such as: blogs, wikis, instant messaging, web conferencing and social software. These also bring up worries and concerns about improper use of these technologies. We ignore what these tools could be used for. As the Content Economy points out, what would have happened if bosses feared employees writing poems when the word processor first came out?

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Sharepoint Gets an Upgrade

Today, Microsoft is expected to announce that their new software services Search Server 2008 Express and the Silverlight Blueprint for Sharepoint are now available. This news came from EWeek.

Search Server 2008 is a new free service that will be available to download. The new software will include a new set of capabilities to help businesses connect wide ranges of information. Silverlight combines the interactivity of Silverlight with the next generation web applications development platforms. Silverlight BluePrint is described as:

It includes sample applications that combine Silverlight and SharePoint, detailed guidance and proven best practices, and new rich business data visualizations and interactivity.

The registered number of SharePoint users is 2,250, with many more expected to have used this software in the corporations that utilize this software. SharePoint has also crossed the $1 billion profit mark.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Eight Essential Components for Wiki Adoption

Earlier this week, Andrew McAfee and Dan Tapscott presented some of the key elements to adapting a wiki in the enterprise. Thy were summed up on this post at Wiki Patterns.

1. Tools are intuitive and easy to use – these are tools that are easy to use, this should be understood by the employees.
2. Tools are egalitarian and freeform – these tools are free to use and an outlet for work.
3. Borders seem appropriate to users – people will naturally understand the content that needs to be shared on the site, so the wealth of relevant information will be huge.
4. Patient and dedicated evangelists exist -- Experts are out there to help you easily adapt your wiki.
5. Effort has official and unofficial support from the top – Senior management will show their consideration by funding and understanding. Also, when they start contributing to the wiki.
6. Slack exists in the workweek -- Allow this time during the week for your employees to contribute to your wiki.
7. Top management accepts lateralization – Pure public content is being created by everyone, and it’s not edited first. It’s pure, whole valuable information being put out there for all your employees to gain a better understanding of work processes in your company.
8. There are lots of young people – This generation knows how to use the technology provided by the new age of internet and they won’t be afraid to use it. They’ll fully adopt the idea of the corporate wiki.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Move over SharePoint, Google’s got a challenge

The New York Times posted a blog today about Google’s latest venture. It was announced yesterday that Google has unveiled their own version of Enterprise 2.0 software. With the announcement of Google Sites, Google has unveiled a tool that incorporates email, calendars, excels, documents and presentation software. What should Microsoft be the most worried about? It can be free of charge. And who is the brains behind this project? Joe Kraus, who was behind the website Excite which experienced its peak a few years ago, is the developer of this software.

The problem that Google might face when it comes to the technologies is that the information stored within the program is not on companies personal servers. The software also has limitations and is not as precise as SharePoint, but, since the application is free, many companies can overlook that.

I think Google is targeting little businesses. Huge corporations can afford that millions and millions of dollars it costs to finance Microsoft products. They probably already have SharePoint and are using the product effectively. However, for the millions of start ups and tiny companies that cannot pay the fees associated with keeping the Microsoft Suite up to date, this is a decent alternative. I think these programs will grow slowing into a developing marketplace.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:
http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Enterprise Social Networking Goes Mobile

Tailored applications of Myspace and Facebook has been available on mobile phones like the iPhone, Blackberry, and Treo for months, but LinkedIn was still missing from the picture. The latest article on eWeek announces the launch of LinkedIn Mobile apps that is now available for the iPhone; versions for the Treo and Blackberry will soon follow.

What took LinkedIn so long to tap into mobile networking? Clearly, the majority of business executives live with their smartphones, and yet the social networking site tailored to the enterprise trailed Myspace and Facebook in the race to create mobile versions. The iPhone can no longer be considered a consumer gadget, but an enterprise mobile device. It’s making collaboration that much easier within organizations again…

There are a few things that come to mind when thinking about what is next for the enterprise in regards to mobile devices:

1. How long will it take for other enterprise apps to join the bandwagon and create tailored mobile versions?
2. How will this affect the usage of enterprise apps in the corporate office as more and more enterprise apps go mobile?

Access to information has been made that much simpler while on the go. This is an exciting time for enterprise 2.0…

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Need a new personal assistant?

There’s a new Web 2.0 tool that can now effectively help you get rid of all the clutter you have sitting around your desk. Remindo is a web 2.0 tool that can essentially become your personal assistant. It includes a variety of tools that will help you organize your work day.

The front page, which is called the work page, is customizable. You can change the layout to include whatever you want. Widgets are available; news feeds can be imported as well as other tools to help you organize your day.

The address book is kept up to date automatically, and you can also sort your contacts into groups and further organize it. The third tool the website mentions is messaging service. The mail service alleviates spam while also allowing you to send mail to however many people you choose at one time.

Check out Remindo’s blog here. Is this a tool you will use in the future? And if you’re already using it, let us know that you think about it.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Mobile Web 2.0 for the Enterprise

Nowadays it’s hard to turn off your blackberry for a split second, even while eating dinner with the family. This tells us that blackberries and mobile devices have become a popular commodity amongst business individuals. As enterprise executives spend less and less time in the office, how will Web 2.0 applications adapt to this? The latest post on the Open Gardens blog touches on the process of implementing Web 2.0 features on mobile devices.

According to Ajit Jaokar, Mobile Web 2.0 means “harnessing collective intelligence through restricted devices.” How does Web 2.0 work though? It works sort of like an iPod...You retrieve data from your mobile device through a web backbone, configuring the service through a PC. I think this diagram just about sums it up…

Mobile users are capable of retrieving simple data now, but when will executives be able to view the latest presentation on YouTube or Flickr accounts from their blackberries. We are still a long way from where we want to be in terms of mobile Web 2.0, but we are slowly getting there.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

The IMing Revolution

At Jimmahdigital.com, they wrote a recent post on instant messengers and their needed collaboration to stay in the game. Ten years ago, everyone used AIM. Over the years, a few more programs came along such as MSN, Yahoo and Google. The one problem most people have with the networks is that they can’t be combined. They all do the same thing, but no crossing of the networks. The reason for this is that originally each networked used a proprietary network that was closed.

So when Google came along, they started using Jabber, which is now the open protocol of XMPP. So this has motivated the networks to start banding together. Last month, Google Chat opened its doors and now collaborates with AIM. So, Yahoo, which is feeling pressure from many directions, is left standing and needs to join somewhere or it’ll get left behind.

Is all of this important for the enterprise? Communication is the key to making enterprise 2.0 works. So what if a company’s branch in Chicago uses AIM and the branch in Miami is using Yahoo? Well, there is potential that shows communication can soon be coming. It’s important that all of these software programs perform together, because as we’ve seen many times in the digital world, if you don’t keep up, it’s only a matter of months and you’re not in business anymore. Do you use the tools in a corporate setting? What’s your take on this?

The Big Chess Game: Microsoft and Yahoo

Yesterday, word came out that Yahoo went to the Securities and Exchange Commission and negotiated a severance package for all it’s employees who have a paid salary. The deal will be taken to the share holders, and then it will be voted on whether they want to cede to Microsoft. Since Yahoo is incorporated in Delaware, there are some laws that play into this. Yahoo legally cannot interfere with a vote by it’s share holders when they decide if they want to go to Microsoft.

The Deal Book at the New York Times lists several ways Yahoo can opt out of this situation, none of which are very easy.

1. Fight it out in a proxy contest – Yahoo can state that Microsoft is undervaluing it and aren’t willing to pay enough for it to sell. This would be very entertaining because the two companies would end up appealing to consumers by running a national ad war along with mass mailings to the share holders.
2. Severance and other change of control contracts – Just in case someone bought Yahoo!, employees then terminated would covered. However, this does not go into affect if you are fired by Yahoo.
3. 3rd Party Buyout -- Someone else can buy Yahoo! However, if more than one corporation was interested, the highest price is the winner.
4. Alliance or Acquisition -- The New York Times finds this to be the best option. This is when we look to AOL, however, this has been rumored for a while and nothing has panned out.
5. Crown Jewel Sale – Yahoo can sell a part of it’s company to make the buy less appealing.
6. Leveraged Recapitalization – Yahoo buys back stocks from the share holders at a premium price. This will be very expensive. Cost is not a problem for Yahoo, if they want the company, they will buy it. This will also make the whole thing more public than it already is. Share holders will know what is going on.

We don’t know the whole story to this point. Microsoft and Yahoo could be at the negotiating table right now. Whatever way this chess game ends, it’s been fun watching the ups and downs of two companies battling head to head to keep in the technology world.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Strive to make Enterprise 2.0 Fit, and It Can Make the Difference

Enterprise 2.0 presents a company with something new. And, as we know, organizations, just like humans, are not warm to new ways of working. So, that’s why many of today’s organizations are wondering why they need to learn about Enterprise 2.0 if they’re not going to use it. It’s simple, it’s the future. In this blog post by Bertrand Duperrin, he looks at the key factors that are essential to change when adapting enterprise 2.0 into an organization.

As he points out, organizations are built to repeat the same task endlessly. With this new software, we can work together and help each other adapting to tasks that are not usually repetitive.

The company’s intranet is usually one of the first things companies try to start with to adapt Enterprise 2.0. So they ask the experts whether they should adapt 1.0 web software or 2.0. Well, the answer truly is that the company has to find what works for them. This is usually a mix between 1.0 and 2.0.

Current organizations are built on a top down managerial model. The interaction that Enterprise 2.0 encourages makes the defined lines shift. As the next generation of workers enters the workplace, they will have a better idea of how the internet tools work. Collaboration between all can promote a fully successful Enterprise 2.0 atmosphere.

The last main topic Duperrin pulls on is brand and corporate culture. Your company has evolved over the years, and so has the way the business industry has been. It’s all about differentiation now, and that’s where you’re going to get the future talent to work for your company. Adapt to what is right for your company, and your talent will find you.

Look into the future, don’t be afraid to adapt to the coming revolution.

Enterprise Social Networking: It Has Value!

There is a constant battle sage brewing over the concept of including an enterprise social networking application within organizations. Top level executives have been arguing whether it has any real business value and IT departments claim it brings about too many security risks. As the new generation of young executives rise into power, social networking apps like Facebook, Plaxo, and Google will become increasingly popular collaboration tools in the enterprise.

I came across this article on ZdNet, which includes a thought from Harvard Business School professor Andrew McAfee. He explains why certain Enterprise tools are still not being accepted in organizations:

"We need to keep in mind that most E2.0 tools are new, and that their acceptance depends on shifts in perspective on the part of business leaders and decision makers, shifts for which the word ‘seismic’ might not be an overstatement. Enterprise 2.0 tools have no inherent respect for organizational boundaries, hierarchies, or job titles. They facilitate self-organization and emergent rather than imposed structure. They require line managers, compliance officers, and other stewards to trust that users will not deliberately or inadvertently use them inappropriately. They require these stewards to become comfortable with collaboration environments that “practice the philosophy of making it easy to correct mistakes, rather than making it difficult to make them” as Jimmy Wales has said. They require, in short, the re-examination and often the reversal of many longstanding assumptions and practices. It is not in the least disrespectful or contemptuous of today’s managers to say that it will take them some time to get used to this."

Out of all Web 2.0 tools, social networking still receives the most skepticism. In our previous post we discuss how companies like BEA have incorporated a Facebook-like social solution to ease collaboration and sharing of documents, and how Salesforce.com has launched its social networking platform Ideaforce to share ideas on product development. If companies like these can find value in enterprise networking, other businesses are missing out on its benefits. Clearly, organizations are slowly catching on, but not quick enough...

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Is bookmarking behind the Web 2.0 curve?

In a recent article at CNet, Gordon Haff ponders the subject of community book marking. He points out that there have really been no additions to this field since the start of the Enterprise 2.0 revolution. Yes, we have del.icio.us, but even that hasn’t changed format or updated recently. The parent company of del.icio.us is Yahoo!.

There is also no real social connection between people on the site. Yes, you can look at your friends’ bookmarked sites, but who takes much time to go through their websites? Another archaic feature to this is after things are bookmarked, you can’t rearrange them. Unless you bookmark a second time your page will forever be marked with the date you originally bookmarked it on. There is also the fact that one can only describe the webpage in so many words.

So where does that leave this application? It’s old fashioned and has failed to keep up with the Web 2.0 movement. Perhaps Microsoft, if it acquires Yahoo!, will remake del.icio.us into a more sophisticated business tool.
We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Liquid Planner makes project management easy

In a recent post at ReadWrite Web, they introduce us to the tool Liquid Planner. This is a tool for project management that allows users to host projects and have access to them no matter where they are in the world, as long as they have an internet connection. The tool focuses on three main things: task management, project scheduling, and collaboration.

The task management feature allows users to view their tasks and prioritize them. There is a timeline function as well as folders that can be further divided into sub folders.

The project scheduling function gives realistic time lines of when projects can be done. The Probabilistic Search Engine uses things such as math functions, ranged estimates and automated tracking to give proper times lines of when projects can be realistically finished.

The collaboration feature is very impressive. For each task, there is a wiki function that allows users to communicate, not only employees but anyone who needs to be given access to the project. There is also a place for documents to be uploaded.

Don Dedge gives a review in this blog post:

Liquid Planner has focused on a couple areas that strike that balance. Most project planning tools require you to declare a "single point" starting date and end date. The reality is that most times you aren't certain about the end date. So, Liquid Planner lets you enter a date range like 6 to 8 weeks. As the project goes along you can refine your estimates. They manage uncertainty with what they call Probabilistic Planning.


We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Let the Wars Begin

As fast as the news of the bid from Microsoft for Yahoo, so did the news that Yahoo! officially rejected the officer yesterday.

In this letter from Jerry Yang to his employees, he claims that the Yahoo! bid was unfair, and didn’t value what Yahoo! really was to the internet world. Here’s a part of the letter:

We believe Microsoft’s proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo! including our highly recognizable global brand, large worldwide audience, significant recent investments in advertising platforms, future growth prospects, our ability to generate free cash flow and our earnings potential as well as substantial unconsolidated investments (like alibaba and yahoo! Japan).

You deserve the credit for the tremendously valuable business we have built. all of us in management, as well as the members of the board, deeply appreciate and respect what you have done and continue to do in order to maintain and enhance yahoo!'s leadership position in the online world.

However, with all this said in his letter, there is word that there could be more layoffs in the future. In this article at the New York Times, Microsoft didn’t appreciate Yahoo!’s rejection of their bid and called it “unfortunate.” They want this deal, and are making indications that they’re not willing to stop until they have Yahoo! as their own. Sources also report that Microsoft would like to keep it friendly, and stay on good terms with Yahoo. In today’s New York Times, they state that stocks closed 2% higher yesterday at Yahoo because of the belief that Microsoft will increase the bid. The other thing speculated about the bid is that Microsoft will put an end date and have the offer expire.

I think the easiest way to take in this situation is to look at it from both sides. I’ll start with Yahoo. It’s understandable that Jerry Yang doesn’t want to sell his business. They are currently the leaders in many things on the internet, such as music, gaming, and personalized pages. They were the search engine to use a decade ago. However, they’ve fallen behind in the one thing they started out doing: the internet search. They can’t compete with Google in the search world. They’re also loosing money and laying off employees left and right.
Microsoft is clearly threatened by the surge of Google’s dominance in the Enterprise 2.0 world and their overall dominance of the internet market. Microsoft isn’t used to loosing when it comes to deals and world dominance on software. They buy Yahoo! and they have a whole new staff with knowledge that can help them attack Google and give them an official competitor.

However, Yahoo! does have other options. It’s come back into the news that they’ve resurrected talks to merge with AOL. I see no advantages into this. Although it’s probably not going to happen because its one last attempt to keep business going, two struggling companies in a desperate last minute merger has failure written all over it. Google has also offered to help out Yahoo! In this article, Yahoo would start running AdSense on its pages, but this would show that Yahoo! is defeated, because in a sense it’s working for its one true competitor. In a sense, Google will be the one winning everything here, they’ve gotten a signed letter of defeat from their relatively only major competitor. And they don’t have to worry about the biggest software vendor in the world starting to compete anytime soon in the majority of the realms they do work in.

I personally think Yahoo! did well by rejecting the first offer. They know Microsoft is serious about their bid. So, I believe that when Microsoft comes back with a higher bid price, Yahoo! should take it. Their business is suffering, they’ve lost dominance. I think giving in to Google is a bad idea and would kill all dignity this once powerful search engine has left. So, Yahoo!, let another big name company come in, buy and begin to watch what happens when the collaboration starts to take off for Microsoft and Yahoo!.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Why Internal Blogging Makes Sense

Ever wonder why it is beneficial for a company to maintain a blog? The truth of the matter is that organizations are just starting to warm up to the concepts of Web 2.0 technologies and do not see an attractive ROI just yet. I came across this slideshow by Benjamin Greenberg posted on Beth Kanter’s blog that highlights the purpose of having an internal blog, and it also gives us sort of an introductory training to its method. Folks, its 2008 already…Let’s start this year right. Enjoy!




We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Tiinker….soon to replace your Digg?

In a new article at Read Write Webb, they discuss the new Australian application that will rate web pages for you. Contrary to what Google is looking to work toward and what Digg does, Tiinker results are completely generated by A-I technology.

According to the news articles you rate, it will show you other articles that interest you. After you rate items, your account (or cookie, no need to log in), will begin recognizing what your preferences are. Emails and feeds are available to your data generated based on the articles you enjoy. There is even a new taste function which will give you new articles on topics you might enjoy.

The content is generated to your interest, and no one else has an influence. This appeals to me, because I find information based on organic searches that are influenced by what is in the document. It could be a great supplement to my Google Reader. Do you think that this is a good way to go about bookmarking and reading new articles? Although it isn’t social, it can lead you to find more sites you personally think are interesting. Does this have room in this quickly evolving technological world?
We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

The Forgotten Tool: Enterprise Mashups

Many times in this blog, we cover blogs and wikis as an important tool in order to create an Enterprise 2.0 environment in your workplace. In Ross Dawson’s recent post he points out not to forget one of the most important: the enterprise mashup. We must remember it’s definition in order to see the power it can hold as a tool in the enterprise:

Enterprise Mashup – A combination of different types of content or data, usually from different sources to create something new

When introduced to employees, they fully take the power. The employees can begin combining different tools such as sales, market research, transactions or other important data and keep it on the enterprise intranet. There is no need to have the IT department involved with many tools out there for the employee such as Yahoo Pipes, Microsoft’s Popfly and IBM’s QEDwiki or Lotus Mashups.

I think mashups will get your employees more involved in the adapting of the Enterprise 2.0 tools. It’s not like the wiki where they dump off a huge file for everyone to collaborate on. One employee may need to see the locations of the country that generate the most revenue for statistical purposes. So they create a mashup. Later, the sales team sees the hot areas and begins to research more in depth why these areas are hot spots. This could ultimately lead to seeing more opportunities for your company. It can also foster two key elements of the Enterprise 2.0 process: the tool (the Mashup) and collaboration. More collaboration means more productivity.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:
http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Can I “Poke” My Colleagues?

Social networking can be used in the enterprise if we take popular ideas from sites like Facebook and Myspace and incorporate them in a controlled environment where collaboration and shared distribution of business documents can be managed. The latest article from CMSWire shows us how the Ektron Intranet has done just that in order to bridge the gap between the corporate intranet and social networking.

Employees are able to create personalized information pages and search for business documents in a timely manner within this portal. Intranets are generally used for finding employee information, HR documents, and IT documents, but Ektron is taking it a step further by connecting various offices together and building a distinct corporate culture. William Rogers, CEO of Ektron Inc., shared his thoughts:

“The last place most managers are going to think to look for ideas on how to increase workforce productivity would be Internet sites like MySpace or Facebook. However, as deployed on the Ektron Intranet, the same tools that make employees want to spend their personal time on social networking sites, will get them interacting on your intranet in a way that they are comfortable with and that has real business value”

With the growing number of younger executives, corporate intranets will have to begin to shift into the new age in order to keep productivity at its maximum. Social networking and Web 2.0 is here to stay, let us start applying this into the business realm.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Social Applications can survive the pending recession

According to a new post out by Forrester, the current social revolution will survive the recession. Why? Forrester gave five reasons:

1. No tech bubble. This time, the recession may or may not have started because of the housing market. In addition, companies have smartly invested in technology (ie. No dot com crash).
2. Awareness ads loose effectiveness. Those Google Ad words on the side become much less effective once no one has any dispensable cash. They’re easily cut out of the budget. If they’re not going to be effective, why spend money on them?
3. Social applications are about consideration not awareness. In applications like this, the point is to connect with other people. So, with smart use, a little word of mouth advertising can go a long way.
4. It’s cheap. Social advertising is relatively free. Facebook, blogger, all things that can be used for no cost at all that can contribute to the social networking.
5. It’s measurable. As long as there is a way you can calculate how many leads your tool generates for you, or how much buzz you’ve created around the web, the social tools have done their job.

So what does this mean for the enterprise? With the impending recession, not only consumers will cut back spending, but large corporations will as well. So when they’re looking at all these new tools and ways to innovate in the enterprise, they’re look to web 2.0. Not only is it a way to promote collaboration among their employees, every employee in the enterprise can have access to the same information. In addition, companies have to invest very little money on training, because the majority of Enterprise 2.0 applications free for the taking are the ones that the business world knows how to use due employees personal use of the application.

This is just one more way to keep your enterprise innovating and staying ahead of the ball while money grows scarce. Have you seen an increase of these tools in your enterprise in the recent months?

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Google: Team Collaboration Within Its Grasp

Where does Google go after having the dominant market share in search and its hold on Enterprise collaboration growing by the day? The latest article from ZDNet came through my reader today and it highlights Google’s newest release of Google Apps Team Edition. Rajen Sheth, senior product manager for Google Apps, sums up how it works:

“In previous versions of Google Apps, Standard and Premier, the IT department had to get involved in verifying domains and centrally managing users. With the Team Edition a project group can use Google Docs on a project or the Calendar, and individuals on a team can sign up just using their email address.”

Projects in business enterprise environments are handled by teams, so any application that can ease collaboration between users without having to burden IT departments constantly are valuable. Now by simply entering their email addresses users are instantly able to share documents, calendar events, and form connections with other users.

Over the next couple of months we will see many users doubt the security of data sharing on Google’s portal, since most corporations out there are still using Office, but over time this trend will change. Sheth has mentioned that over 2,000 businesses sign up for Google Apps daily combined for a total of over 500,000 companies activated to date ranging from small, medium, and large organizations.

Google has found a way to reduce IT involvement in project management, but will Microsoft be releasing a similar application soon? We have an exciting couple of months ahead of us…

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Social Productivity: One Company’s Name for Enterprise 2.0

As we all know, this current “2.0” fad will eventually wear off. It won’t be hip, and we’ll begin to look for a word that can replace this collaboration revolution that’s going on in the business world.

The Go Big Always blog recently wrote about this fad. They set out to use a new name that wouldn’t be out of date come the mid-2010s. They believed adding “social” to the beginning of the word let it start off as an extremely negative word, because then it sounds like nothing is productive.

We saw this with the “e”s of the mid 1990s. Many of the words are familiar: email, e learning, e bay, e commerce, and so forth and so on.

However, they have begun to use a new term. “Social productivity” is now to them what “Enterprise 2.0” is to the rest of the world.


We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Enterprise 2.0: One View of Implementation

On this blog, we’ve written many articles about how to implement Web 2.0 to foster collaboration in your enterprise. However, I came across this article by Jay Cross, and he has taken time to interview many experts on Web 2.0, and has written an article detailing exactly how to get your enterprise to buy into the success of how Enterprise 2.0 works.

We all know that people produce better ideas and work when they work together, but getting top management to buy into this new strange system can be difficult. Web 2.0 leads to full email boxes and pages and pages of web browsers with a few paragraphs of relevant information.

To start off the implementation of social software, start small. Begin implementing the tools in a few small departments. Make sure participants will use the software for the same thing, that they see the benefits for themselves of using this software, and the use of the software here will prove that it will be beneficial in other places.

So what are the questions you need to ask in order to show the benefits of the new found collaboration tools?
· What is the goal of the collaboration?
· What’s the current situation?
· What do expect it to be after the project?
· How will this be accomplished?
· What is the business benefit? (In business terms.)
· Who’s going to take part?
· What might go wrong?
· Is this a one-time project or an on-going process?
· Do we have sponsorship high up?
· Who will participate on the team?
· If it’s a one-timer, when will it be completed? What is the kill date?
· Who is the project champion?
Show the answers to this on your new corporate wiki. Then begin to gather people face to face to explain the software. Many times, it is easier to collaborate with people if you know them on an individual basis, because people work better with people they know.
How can you keep the momentum flowing? These are just a few ways that Cross suggests:
· Make the goal and ground rules clear at the outset.
· Structure the initial framework to fit the task.
· Make the online environment attracting and inviting.
· Pre-load templates, background info, and defaults.

How do you find it best that Enterprise 2.0 is implemented? Do you agree or disagree with any of the procedures Jay Cross takes?


We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Organize Your Enterprise Wiki!

Why does the majority of wikis within organizations fail? The main point discussed in Michael Idinopulos's latest post on Transparent Office is that corporate wikis have become dumping grounds for research information, and have stepped away from its collaborative nature. Sure it provides somewhat useful information for employees, but this process eliminates connections and new insights shared between people. So how do we prevent the “dumping ground” phenomenon from occurring?

Michael’s advice is to change a wikis position from being supply-led to demand-led. As long as wikis are still driven by supply, an abundance of research information with no practical structure will continue to pour in. So here’s a simple four step process Michael provides us with to help organize corporate wikis:

1. Get a small group of core community members to whiteboard a high-level information architecture in the form of a few categories (not more than 4-8) and subcategories (not more than 1-2 levels deep)
2. Create a series of blank pages or "stubs" hyperlinked to reflect the category structure
3. Assign each category to an individual member of the group to flesh out
4. Reconvene in 1-2 weeks to review what everyone has done, share learnings, and revise the category structure

Follow these steps to ensure collaboration deprivation doesn’t happen to your enterprise wiki…

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Social Searching: Google’s New Goal

Aside from Google’s latest advancements to help Yahoo! stay out of the grasp of Microsoft, they are also looking into providing a social search engine. The details of this quest are at ReadWrite Web.

In a recent interview with Marissa Mayer, Google's VP of Search Products & User Experience, she details how Google is looking to make your social networks influence the way your searches on the web are helped out by what your “friends” are doing on the web. As always, they are looking to protect the privacy of their users, because this is always one of the main concerns of the users. But there are four main ways Google is looking to do this: Labeling, users like you, social network integration, and socially influenced page rank.

Labeling would consist of other labeling web pages, like tags, and then they would be stored in their profiles. When the words were searched, tags would be provided by what your contacts have been searching.

With the Users like you function, Google would display what others searched for.

The Social Network Integration function would show you what your friends had been searching for in one day. Third party Social Networks such as Facebook and MySpace would eventually be brought into the picture, but for now this would just be Google’s social network.

Finally the social influenced page rank would be considered. This is set up believing that you would much more prefer to visit pages your friends visit. The more authority (or friends you have visiting the site) a site has, the more likely you are to see it in your search.

Google sees this as the future. Why not incorporate what your personal profile says about you with the results you get in your search engine? I personally don’t agree with this. I don’t want to see pages because of what my friends searched for. I want to see naturally generated searches with results on exactly what I’m looking for. I want the influence of the actual webpage and its content to tell me why it’s at the top of the webpage, not because I had three friends visit the website in one day. I think Google is overstepping privacy boundaries here. I think this is the job of web pages like Del.icio.us, not Google. What do you feel?
We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Enterprise Social Media Apps and Beyond

Social media applications are plentiful, so which one is the right one for the enterprise? That seems to be the main theme in this latest article from eWeek. Most social media applications being used by the enterprise now originally came from the consumer side, for example Facebook. Even though applications like Facebook can be tailored and adapted to fit specific needs of the enterprise, an application that focuses solely on these needs should be built…

BEA plans to launch a Facebook-like enterprise social solution called AcquaLogic which will focus on these specific enterprise needs, especially around security and governance. AcquaLogic will allow enterprise users to do social networking within their own environment, have profile pages, and collaborate and share information easily on this platform.

Other companies like Salesforce.com seem to get it too. Their recent launch of Ideaforce provides users a platform where they can debate and new features and enhancements they most want included in future product releases. Anshu Sharma, senior director at Salesforce.com puts everything in perspective for us:

"The enterprise wants social media applications that allow them to connect information that can then be extracted and used in a meaningful way"

The enterprise must first decide which Web 2.0 tools are most vital to improving collaboration before launching social media platforms. The application that consolidates these tools and makes it useful for everyone within organizations will ultimately come out on top.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Microsoft sets out to take over Yahoo!

News out today tells us that Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid to take over Yahoo. The Enterprise 2.0 world has been wondering where Microsoft has been in this revolution, and now Microsoft has finally come to the party. In this blog, we’ve written several times about Microsoft’s lack of effort to match Google (Taking the lead in enterprise search, Future Product Releases for Google Apps, Whatcha Gonna do when Google Comes for You?) and their increasing interest in Office like software to help the revolution of collaboration online.

Now we see what Microsoft has been waiting on: the ideal time to buy Yahoo! This week in the New York Times, an article discussed Yahoo and its tough final quarter in 2007, and they are expected to lay off at least 1,000 people. It’s not hard to see why this is happening. At the end of 2007, Google had a 68.1% search engine market share, and Yahoo had 17% of the search engine market share. They were #2 on the list.

From an Enterprise 2.0 perspective, we automatically wonder what this merger means for the Google/Microsoft rivalry? Google has been trying to take the Internet market for the software they’ve been developing specifically for Internet collaboration in Google Docs. They’re one up on collaborative work essential to E2.0. Now Microsoft, with a few modifications to their software, can unleash a landslide on this market. We all know that people like to use what they are familiar with. When it comes to word processing, it’s defiantly Microsoft Word. If Microsoft can collaborate with Yahoo, and bring this technology to the web, it will take off.

From a commercial search standpoint, Yahoo now has a huge sponsor that is not willing to let its ship sink. Microsoft will take the proper actions to change what needs to be changed and update the Yahoo! Platform to something the people will use. They will be able to give consumers a choice again when it comes to Google.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Web 2.0: Being Adopted by a Company Near You

In a recent article at CIO, they address the new report by Forrester. Web 2.0 strategies are being slowly picked up by enterprises. Employees want to use them, too.

"A lot of CIOs and CEOs are starting to get the message that employees want these tools," says Oliver Young, the Forrester analyst who authored the report. "There also isn't a good way to stop them from using them."

According to CIO, out of 1000 companies, 18% of IT employees said that adapting Web 2.0 into their business would take priority.

One of the most commonly adapted tools will be RSS feeds and Enterprise Social Networks. Out of these companies 12% planned to adapt some type of an RSS feed, and an addition 15% would invest in the technology. As for social networks, 7% of enterprises would like to adapt them. Wikis and blogs, the other technologies at the heart of Enterprise 2.0, are also gaining speed. Sixteen percent of companies are considering pilots or initial investments into the growing technology.

As for the tools, traditional companies will most likely use Microsoft Sharepoint and IBM’s Lotus Connection. Companies looking to save some money will go with smaller names, such as Jive Software, Awareness and Atlassian.

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:
http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Xythos: Extending its Collaboration Efforts

In a recent news article Xythos announced its release of Xythos Enterprise Document Management and Digital Locker 7.0 Suites. Xythos is known for their collaboration software, but these new suites offer support for Web 2.0 features such as RSS feeds, content tagging, and Wikis.

We have seen major launches in enterprise social networking in this New Year, such as Moli and Plaxo Pulse, so it’s about time companies like Xythos offer a web based solution to support this trend. Joseph Cevetello, Director of Academic Technology at Loyola Marymount University comments:

"While it may be acceptable for to use Google or Facebook for casual collaboration or media exchange, we still want to manage the services employees use to conduct vital research or manage important business processes."

Sharing content within the Enterprise is essential for daily operations of a business. Not only does it allow for document collaboration through a common web interface, but it is cheaper than most ECM systems currently out there. Kevin Wiggen, CTO at Xythos mentions:

"With the new 7.0 product suites we wanted to make sure customers had the tools they needed to capture content at the point of collaboration, so that they could retain complete records of business processes and enhance knowledge sharing."

Finally companies are starting to embrace Web 2.0 capabilities in the enterprise, instead of trying to restrict it. Vendors still have a long way to go, but clearly Xythos seems to be on track…

We're getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Enterprise 2.0 and your workforce: Start offline

In a recent post by Scott Gavin, he discusses how to get your enterprise up and rolling along the Enterprise 2.0 front. After a lot of consulting with many companies, he decided you have to approach your employees in a form they already know. Here were his six suggestions on how to get your employees involved:

1. Give them business cards with tiny bits of information about what enterprise 2.0 is.
2. Print out signs that detail aspects of E 2.0 and place them in high traffic areas so employees begin to understand what it is.
3. Print out posters that give encouragement.
4. Start to pass out handouts that give guidelines on how to use the tools that your company is trying to adapt.
5. Bring experts into your workplace and have them give speeches and educate your staff.
6. Organize internal meetings such as “Lunch 2.0” when you can personally discuss with your staff what to do.

Now you have your employees interested. Keep them intrigued and by giving them more information. Your company is on the way to achieving Enterprise 2.0!

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Moli: The next big step in social networking

A recent article in EWeek discusses the launch of the new social networking site, Moli.

Christos Cotsakos, who was the CEO of E*Trade for six years, developed Moli to fully adapt to a social network for everyone. Moli is targeting engineers, architects, scientist and filmmakers. Cotsakos is targeting people in the age range of 25 to 55.

The focus of the website is to have more control over the information that is shared with other members. One account can have multiple profiles, and they can be set on settings of public, private or hidden. This technology is possible because of CoVibe. According to the article, CoVibe:
CoVibe, crafted from the open-source LAMP stack, analyzes aggregate member data and triggers targeted behavioral marketing while protecting the member's personal information.
Future plans include upgrading the network so it can be used on mobile phones.

Do you think that this service will surpass Facebook? Does it have the ability to LinkedIn? I think that this program could surpass Facebook, only after challenging a market that is very overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Would you adapt to a new platform if it allowed you to have two different profiles for all your contacts?

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:
http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Why Have One When You Can Have Them All!

Enterprise executives are constantly battling the question what social application should I keep? With so many business partners scattered across all of these applications, this can be a tough decision to make. Well, now there is a way to keep all social profiles while maintaining a constant watch eye.

Our recent post discusses Prologue’s new status update tool, but the last thing a business executive needs is another social network to add to the list. The latest post on Mashable highlights the newest feature of Plaxo Pulse, which is a two-way sync between status updates on Plaxo Pulse and Twitter.

Plaxo already serves as a social networking aggregator since it has access to all your favorite enterprise networking sites like Digg, Twitter, and Flickr just to name a few. Since the majority of industry executives are already on LinkedIn and Facebook, I would expect a similar sync to be released shortly. If Plaxo plays their cards right, it can go on to become “The Enterprise Networking Site”.

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Blogs: Successful with Business Travelers

In a recent article in the New York Times, the popularity of business travel blogs is revealed. Some of the travel companies that have their own blogs are: Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. According to Jane Levere of the New York Times, these corporations have introduced blogs to promote both products and brand images.

Research has shown that 21% of all business travelers read blogs on the internet. This includes business blogs and others including finance, sports and others. These new blogs geared towards the business traveler provide many uses, from where to flu shots in airports to the best places to eat in a new city.

The overall theme of each blog started was that it allowed each company to connect with its customers.

One of the most popular blogs is written by J.W. Marriott JU, who is the chairman of Marriott International. He has a blog called “Marriott on the Move.” His blog has gotten 345,000 since it launched. He commented:

“I love it. I read an awful lot of responses we’re getting,” he said. “It gives us a chance to communicate with the world and a chance for people to communicate back.”

At Southwest, after starting their blog, they changed company policy about when customers could purchase their tickets. These blogs not only allow for readers to gain insight to what’s going on in the company, but also to allow the employees of the company to communicate. On many of these blogs listed above, the employees are the people who post. This allows them to share open communication as a team, and find out what the rest of their company is doing aside from their department. This level of communication allows companies to expand and grow as more collaboration takes place, both between the employees themselves and a business to customer perspective.

How has your corporate blog help expand your use of Enterprise 2.0? Does allowing customers to make comments on your current projects help your business expand?

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Twitter Watch Out!

Matt Mullenweg’s new post introduces Automattic’s launch of Prologue, which is a Twitter style service for groups. Could this new platform give Twitter a run for its money?

In Prologue, users are able to input short messages about what they’re doing…sort of like the status portion on the Facebook application. What’s interesting though is the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds for the author, the prologues, and the tags itself. So why is all this important? Prologue’s service will allow users to connect to each other on a personal level.

Prologue is offering their template on an open source basis, whereas Twitter offers a centralized service. With these differences in hand it will be interesting to see how the newcomer Prologue will do against the established Twitter. After all, Twitter has already knocked out competitors like Jaiku…

So what does this mean for the Enterprise? Twitter in general has not been significantly used by enterprises, but these tools and features in Prologue give industry users a chance to determine what they truly find useful. And what will happen to corporate executives who rely heavily on their blackberries for one to one communication. How will social blog sites like Prologue and Twitter help businesses shape and improve on group communications?

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Are you tired of the applications on Facebook?

A solution has finally come. In this post at ReadWrite Web, they point out a new application they’ve found so you can block all application requests except friends, groups and event notifications. At Ignoreall.com, after installing their application there will be more requests to join the vampire group or join the virtual cocktail party. Now your professional Facebook profile is one click closer.

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Five Challenges to address right now for Enterprises

A recent post at Profy, they draw an analogy between the way the Marines are adapting to the new war in Iraq to the way enterprises must adapt to the fast changing ways of technology in the enterprise environment.Companies must respond quickly to the way Web 2.0 is changing businesses.

In this post, they outlined five ways to do so.

1) Outsourcing partnerships – Venders are now strategic partners who participate in where the enterprise is going. However, it is difficult to fluidly collaborate with other partners on a daily business.

2) Hyper-informed customers – Today, with access to the interest, information spreads at the speed of light. This combined with the fact that customers accept and absorb the information really fast, companies must acknowledge this. Companies must join the conversation on the internet or be left out.

3) True globalization -- Companies are world wide now, and the competition they find across the globe is sought by many companies through out the world. Adapting to international situations is key for a company to survive.

4) Communication and collaboration across distributed teams: A team must communicate openly and have the same vision for the company. All the tools we’ve been writing about, the Enterprise 2.0 tools, help this process. The promotion of collaboration and the ability to share it quickly are a great way to meet struggle #4.

5) The dominance of search: SEO. SEO must be a priority to any enterprise. Because in the eye of the buyer, if you aren’t on the first page of Google, you don’t exist.These trends are here to say.

Either a corporation must adapt to them now, or fall behind in the future.What is you’re companies biggest weakness when it comes to these five challenges?

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Mashups in the Air!

Finally, an application that will allow employees to populate a webpage with services that they feel are useful to the context to their jobs has arrived! The latest article on InformationWeek highlights the release of IBM’s Lotus Mashup Builder, which allows users to build their own mashups on a webpage and share it with the rest of the organization.

IBM has always been an innovator in introducing Web 2.0 tools in the Enterprise, but I think this application takes home the trophy. Employees can embed useful applications like a Google search bar, a Wikipedia page, or any other useful tool. The next step in this process is getting IT folks to understand the business value of mashups in order to include these webpages within a corporate profile. But that is another conversation in itself…

What else is great about this Mashup Builder is that it can track vital information such as who is building/sharing the mashups, the services that are being used, and a lot more. This will definitely show tech laggards that Web 2.0 is here to stay.

IBM seems to be the leader in the mashup biz for now, but I’m sure other giants will soon follow. I have a good feeling about this one…

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

What do CEOs have to say about Facebook?

A recent post at ZD Net lists the reactions to twelve CEOs and their view point on Facebook.

Nicholas Bellenberg says he doesn’t see it as a business tool:

“It doesn't strike me as being a business tool. I am signed up to LinkedIn and Plaxo. LinkedIn seems to be used most by the people I know, and does seem to generate useful connections or re-connections. Plaxo doesn't seem to do much for me, apart from provide the promise that my contacts are backed up somewhere."

The ICT manager at European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Studies, Floretin Albu uses many social networking sites, and Facebook has the lowest scores:

"The most useful tool for me is by far LinkedIn. The only drawback is that it is largely US and UK oriented. My business is pan-European, and for the EU space I found Xing [ex- OpenBC] to be more effective and popular than LinkedIn. The drawback of Xing is that it is also somewhat less flexible than LinkedIn.”

Paul Hopkins, who is the director of ISS at the University of Newcastle, had a different spin on the subject:

"For all of us 'oldies', Facebook et al seem awkward and don't fit our way of working but I would urge IT managers to persevere--because this is the environment that your new employees will be expecting to use. I would urge people to look at the possibility of developing some simple Facebook apps for their customers, suppliers or staff to use."

Personally, I feel that it is risky to mix business with this application. Personal lives should not be judged when it comes to business work. The new generation of employees grew up with this application through out college, and has a different view of how it is to be used. We’ve asked many times before, but do you feel Facebook should be used in corporate settings?

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

We Need RSS

I could not survive a day in the enterprise without access to my RSS feeds, yet why do so many organizations still not know what it is, or restrict access to it? The latest post in Adventures in Knowledge discusses how companies still do not see the business value in RSS.

Truth of the matter is that RSS feeds simplify our means of communication and learning. Not only can I subscribe to my boss’s feed to know exactly what’s on his mind on a project, but I can subscribe to thousands of blogs that will keep me in the know and further enrich my understanding on the subject matter. Web 2.0 tools like RSS can help make the enterprise a smaller place, helping to connect people all over the world. Let us take a step towards that path and start reaping the benefits today…

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

More on Alfresco

Last year, we posted about Alfresco and their use of Facebook as a wiki. See that post here at our old blog. In a recent post at Mashable, they discuss how this company is growing. They just announced that they received an extra $9 million in funding from SAP Ventures, as well as funding from Accel Providers and Mayfield which totaled $19 million.

What makes Alfresco different from all the other companies trying to bring Web 2.0 to the business world is that they work with everyday applications already in the office. They focus on brining new application to Facebook (like creating document collaboration tools for the platform) and Google. This is shows that they want to bring these applications to the enterprise now. Not in three years with a new program.

Alfresco’s business is picking up, according to CEO and founder John Powell. They’ve already had clients that include top ten investment banks, Electronic Arts, KLM and H&R Block.

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

How Do You Motivate People to Collaborate and Share

Researching the blogosphere I came across this presentation from David in which he helps IBM’s customers in Bangkok better understand Web 2.0 social tools, and how they can use it to improve on collaboration. It’s a great presentation discussing creating a “knowledge sharing culture”, so I hope you enjoy it!

View Upload your own

We’re getting ready to launch a new blog that looks at the broader issues of Enterprise 2.0, add it to your RSS feed now as we get it ready for our official launch:

http://enterprise-3.blogspot.com/

Flock 1.1

ReadWrite Web recently posted about the new updates to Flock. Flock, the social web browser, announced the update it’s making in two weeks. With the launch of Flock 1.1, the social web browser will expand its base of Internet applications by just the click of a button.

Yahoo and Gmail and Picassa features will be enhanced on this new browser. The mail function will have new tabs so that you can share pictures, bookmarks, articles and links when you click on the “Click to compose” button in the toolbar.

For Picassa, dragging a picture to the tool bar and dropping it will automatically upload it to the web. As with all other social web pages, friends will be able to see all changes you have made to your profile and will show up on a news feed.

Enterprise Blogging

When organizations have their own corporate blog, employees are expected to know how to blog, but what if they don’t know. Well luckily I came across this post by John Chow that outlines 5 tips to become a better blogger. Here’s a quick recap:

1. Don’t ever talk about many page hits or visitors you come across on a daily basis. That is something bad bloggers do and it will detract from the message that you are trying to give.
2. Do not discuss failures because although it might make you seem more “real”, it will also make your readers doubt your abilities. Instead, try blogging about a massive success and your advice can actually mean something.
3. Getting back to the 2nd tip, do not gloat about your success. Yes if your success is worthy about being bragged about then mention it, but if its just about having a certain number of visitors from Digg or any other source then it’s best to keep that to yourself.
4. You must write with authority. A blogger that lacks confidence might offer mere suggestions while a confident blogger will specifically get into detail and offer examples of success.
5. Even if you are not an expert on the subject research can help you seem “experienced”. So read up on your materials and use confident language.

So here you go, 5 tips to help you become a better enterprise blogger. Enjoy!

Enterprise 2.0: Is there any more room for growth?

I found a very interesting post this morning at the Social Glass blog. Jeremy Thomas posed this question: Is Enterprise 2.0 stagnating?

He goes on to state that although certain theories have been brought about by Andrew McAfee and Dion Henchcliffe, they basically represent the same points. They are:

1) Links
2) Social Bookmarking
3) Search
4) Authorship
5) Signals/Syndication
6) Social Networking
7) Folksonomies

He is quick to point out that this is from the perspective of technology. What do you think? Are there any more changes that can be brought about in Enterprise 2.0? Or do you think that these online collaborative tools are the complete set for everyone to begin using?

Oracle and BEA: A Day of Reckoning for Portal Implementers

Blogger: Craig Roth

The WSJ.com reports today that

Oracle succeeded yesterday in forging an $8.5 billion deal to acquire rival BEA Systems Inc., a maker of programs known as middleware that had resisted an unsolicited bid from Oracle in October. The $19.38-per-share price is about 14% higher than Oracle originally offered, but below the $21 figure that BEA sought.

Despite Alfred Chuang's statement during the analyst call that "our two businesses are a natural strategic fit", I would say that their two businesses are instead natural competitors for much of what BEA offers.

In particular, portal buyers have reason to be dismayed.  As I wrote in  The Four Portals of the Apocalypse back in October, both Oracle and BEA offer two overlapping portal products.  I don't buy the argument that they are meant for different audiences.  It is true that different products may serve certain audiences better, but slicing a market into segments like that would require building products with those segments in mind and all four products were built from the ground up to do their best at meeting a broad set of needs even if they were strongest in one area (like BEA Portal for infrastructure developers or Oracle WebCenter for Web 2.0).  This acquisition puts enterprises that have any of these four portal products in production or has need for a portal product to be purchased within the next year into a state of limbo. 

Here's my initial handicapping of the portal options (not based on any inside information):

BEA AquaLogic User Interaction: Still perhaps the strongest pure portal product of the bunch, but getting a bit long in the tooth as trends have moved to Web 2.0.  I don't see this disappearing anytime soon due to its install base, but Oracle may just raid it for piece parts (e.g., the service bus, collaboration server, portlets) and it would not get marketing push for expansion.

BEA WebLogic Portal: I think this product is more likely to suffer a quick decline.  For current owners of the product, they will get some relief from the fact that BEA Portal is very standards compliant and it's infrastructure-like nature may mean that applications built on top of it could port with some effort to another Java-based platform.

Oracle Portal: Oracle Portal is in the same boat as BEA Portal.  It's the "old" portal at a company that has something shinier and sexier in WebCenter.  It would probably have been eliminated by now if it wasn't for a good install base (the full extent of which is not known since the product is kind of "free" and isn't licensed individually). 

Oracle WebCenter: This may be the winner of the bunch and the foundation upon which piece parts from the other 3 portal products can be attached.  It provides a modern, web 2.0 foundation.

It's impossible to know for sure which portal products will be eliminated and when.  I believe that, long term, it is possible to sustain at best two portal products (if significant architectural work is done to shape them for their constituencies).  So by that logic, 50% of these products will cease getting much new funding and eventually stagnate.  That's equal to flipping a coin for any current or potential implementers of these solutions, something that these folks are unlikely to enjoy doing for a major infrastructure commitment.

My advice continues to be to isolate the product specifics as much as possible during implementation.  This means:

• Leveraging external products for collaboration, content management, workflow, and analytics that can easily integrate into the current portal or any of the others you may choose.  For the BEA+Oracle list, this means Java-based portals.  Not only will the implementer gain best-of-breed functionality, but in the event the portal platform changes the repositories, metadata, and other setup will not need to go through a painful migration
• Building web services with thin, standards-based portal shims on top.  Sorting through portlets coded with portal-specific APIs will be a nightmare if the portal platform changes.  JSR168 (and JSR 286)-based portlets or WSRP can help create portable portlets, but the best option is to put as much code as possible into web services.  All these platforms provide ways to perform discovery on a web service by scraping the WSDL and helping to quickly generate a portlet to access it.  Not only is this highly portable (only the re-creation of the portlets would need to be repeated), but this opens up access to applications other than the portal that may want to access the information.

With this architectural guidance (and a little luck), owners of one of these four portals can get through the transition with minimal damage.

ImageNow to Interact With Microsoft SharePoint

Perceptive Software’s ImageNow, an enterprise document management application, recently announced its release of ImageNow Interact for Microsoft Sharepoint. This article on PrimeNewswire explains how the integration will work. ImageNow documents will be hosted in SharePoint portals in order to provide direct access to employees, all that is needed is a secure internet connection. Matt Prentis, Perceptive Software manager of enterprise products and solutions, mentions:

"Interact for Microsoft SharePoint represents a significant addition to the ImageNow Interact product suite by providing a steadfast integration between the SharePoint and ImageNow platforms. Best-of-breed features from each environment can now be presented in a single, cohesive interface, delivering content to audiences at any scale."

PrimeNewswire gives the example of HR staff being able to effectively manage and update employee records. Think about it for a second, HR forms can easily be hosted on SharePoint portals where employees can easily access and update their information, thus eliminating unnecessary assistance from the HR staff. Well, what do you know, Web 2.0 tools in the enterprise does save time, money, and resources!

Keep your employees on board: Uncap the power of Enterprise 2.0

A recent story in the CIO takes an in-depth look at how enterprises in the UK are dealing with social networks in the work place and also how to harness their power and use it to recruit a better workforce.

The first point the article makes is that it should be a company’s priority to attract and keep the brightest young workers. How is this to be done? Have the best internal systems by embracing web 2.0 also known as blogs, wikis and social networks. The problem a company has with fully embracing allowing employees to access this: over 233 million hours are lost a month because employees are not working. This leaves a company with two options: go with the flow and hope employees will see what they can do or harness the technology and ban employees from accessing it at work. Gartner embraced the new technology which has led to what they call a high performance workplace. They looked at the matter from a staff standpoint.

They have two very different internal departments that see the benefits of this technology. The HR department sees it as a way to recruit, manage, motivate and retain the best work force. IT sees it as a way to provide the best people in the work force with the best tools so that these employees can perform to their highest potential.

With all the best employees working together, many opportunities appear. Since collaboration can happen between two people that never meet, as well as people that span a continent, innovation is more likely to occur.

The new workforce expects this technology to be available in the workplace. If your company can’t provide it for them, they will find another workplace that they feel is better suited for their lifestyle. This leads to the problem of retention. If you retain your staff, they can use to fully utilize all the Web 2.0 tools that you provide for them. So, if you find high performance people, and use the capabilities of Web 2.0 to encourage them to stay at your company, then it is possible to have a highly collaborative workplace that uses this technology for the growth of you enterprise.