There’s a blogger who has reported that a blog launched in his company for internal communication purposes is failing. “Too few posts, too few comments, people aren’t reading, there’s not enough content, too few employees use aggregators,” writes Fredrik Wacka on his CorporateBlogging site.
Wacka notes that comments aren’t necessarily a measure of success—“A blog can be an extremely powerful resource without ever being commented on. It all depends on what the purpose of the blog is”—and that the intranet makes it easy for employees to read an internal blog without using an aggregator.
I suspect, however, that there’s a deeper problem at work here. I’ve seen it in dozens of companies, not with blogs but other communication technologies running the gamut from e-mail to instant messaging. The launch of these technologies is left in the hands of IT. This isn’t a slam on IT, mind you. Most IT departments do a great job at what they’re supposed to do: get the technology working. It’s not—and shouldn’t be—IT’s job to establish policies for the use of technologies, to market the tool, or to drive a cultural change around how the tool should be used in a business context.
Whenever IT is the only department involved in the launch of a new technology, technology is all employees get. “Here you go everybody. We’ve installed e-mail for you. Godspeed.” As a result, employees figure out how to use the technology based on personal preferences rather than a companywide imperative. You wind up with some employees using e-mail for the same communications that lead others to reach for the phone. Some employees misuse the technology; how many companies have no guidelines for whether employees should “reply all,” cc everybody in the known universe, or quote all preceding messages in a reply e-mail?
Messaging is a problem of uncalculated proportion in most companies. I rarely talk to a knowledge worker who receives fewer than 100 e-mails each day, and that’s after the spam filter has done its job. Companies complain that employees engage in non-work-related conversations using company instant messaging tools. Employees send faxes to colleagues who are on the road and can’t receive them. Nobody has made an effort in these organizations to change the culture to support the appropriate, effective use of these new tools as they are introduced.
Every new communication technology is additive, not a replacement: IT didn’t remove your fax machine when they installed e-mail, did they? There are as many as 15 messaging tools at play in most organizations these days, ranging from interoffice mail to SMS text messaging. For some time now, I’ve been calling such an effort “Message Mission Control.” It belongs in the hands of Human Resources (for development of policy and alignment with reward and recognition processes) and Employee Communications (to reinforce desired behaviors).
When Bob Buckman launched message boards at his Memphis-based chemical company, Buckman Laboratories, he did it with a speech (printed and distributed to employees around the world) in which he articulated goals and expectations for the boards. Not to put too fine a point on it, he basically said that employees who didn’t share their knowledge with one another on the board in support of companies wouldn’t last long at the company. He followed up his words with action. The culture changed.
I suspect none of this happened at Tower, the company described in the blog. I don’t know it for a fact, but I’d be willing to bet the blog was opened with some remarks about a new tool for communication, and that was that. In the workplace, new communication technologies are an enabler only if employees know how they’re expected to use them. Imagine the productivity improvements that could be recorded if every organization established Message Mission Control.
Have you used Twitter? Do you even know what Twitter is? If not, you may be missing out on some great ways to incorporate this communications tool into your business. Companies from Zappo’s to Home Depot to Comcast to Southwest Airlines are using it and quite well for a number of reasons.
Here is a blog report on just a couple of ways that your organization might benefit from having a paln to integrate Twitter into your communication / marketing plans.
There’s no doubt that Twitter and “micro-sharing” are making huge inroads into the workplace. If you’ve been hanging on the sidelines, here’s 10 good reasons to jump in and start swimming with the Whale:
- How to Use Twitter as a Twool – Guy Kawasaki’s How to Change the World Blog
- Yammer 201: Yammer as Internal Podcast Platform – From CI Social Media Community Leader Lee Aase
- TWITTER STRATEGY BLOG SERIES #8: INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS – From Ogilvy 360
- How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands – Business Week
- How Twittering Critics Brought Down Motrin Mom Campaign – Advertising Age
- Twitterspeak: 66 Twitter Terms You Don’t Need to Know – Mashable
- Corporate Twitter Accounts and Online Reputation – Social Media Today, Niall Cook
- The Long Tail of Twitter – Social Media Today, Marc Meyer
- How to Measure Engagement on Twitter– Kari Rippetoe, The Caffeinated Blog
- Is Twitter a Waste of Time? No, Says Busy CEO – Debbie Weil
GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA was a far-ranging and very timely webinar today, covering the state of social media (“That train has already left the station”), to the social media crisis program of GM, to the very successful social network communities SAP is running. And the online seminar spilled over to Twitter, as is often the case these days (see graphic and posts below).
The webinar was led by three of the best experts: BL Ochman, President, whatsnextonline.com, Inc.; Christopher Barger, Director, Global Communications Technology, General Motors; and Mike Prosceno, VP, Marketplace Communications, SAP. Moderator was Lee Hornick, Business Communications Worldwide. If you missed this great excursion into the state of social media today, you can purchase the CD here.
Because the webinar coincided exactly in the midst of the auto industry’s battle for financial survival, Christopher Barger’s presentation was especially intriguing. He described the background for all GM’s social media efforts to win public support for Congressional support, and the huge challenges:
- Public fatique with governmental assistance to business
- Unanticipated and severe levels of public hostility and antagonism toward the domestic auto industry
- Damaged reputation over 25 yers
- High percentage of audiences unwilling to separate distaste for federal involvement from discussion of industry
Barger said GM’s crisis response via social media channels is characterized by an:
- Intense sense of urgency; there is no tomorrow
- Let nothing factually inaccurate go unchallenged
- Be humble and acknowledge mistakes and past sins — without simply falling on a sword
- Remember the goal: to win affinity, not just self defense
Barger answered this attendee question after the call by email: Do you think this episode will help or curtail GM’s social media efforts after this campaign goes away?
Barger: “Internally, this episode will almost certainly help our social media efforts. The depth of the hostility to us, and the reputational fix we need to embark upon, has been well noted by both comms management and business management. We know we need to engage more deeply, we know we have a LOT of conversations to join, and we have a lot of work to do to undig a hole it took us 30 years to dig ourselves into. So I am hearing internally that our social media efforts are going to continue and even expand going forward.
“Externally, I don’t know. I would like to think that people would appreciate our willingness to converse even in these times; that most people are open to new information and other points of view; that people would be willing to look at our efforts as part of being a “new GM.” I think that it’s incumbent upon us to keep joining as many conversations as we can. I think we don’t have any other choice; if one of our biggest reputational challenges is the perception that we are aloof or out of touch with the consumer market, then I think one of the most effective ways we have to change that is to continue to converse as often and as openly as possible with those consumers.“
For further insights into the session, here is some of the posts on Twitter during the webinar:
Twitters by @BL Ochman
Mike Prosceno, SAP “Luckily the business community has moved past hostility to social media.”
Mike Prosceno, SAP speaking at Getting Real About Social Media, but sounding unbelievably corporate and full of corp buzzwords. sigh
aha! GM uses @GMBlogs on twitter. i NEVER would have looked for them or found them that way!
Christopher Barger – wonders if maybe it’s a little bit corporate to use the blog name and not the names of people like ford’s @scottmonty
GM – “we’re using twitter to answer questions as well as to put out information. .. way to early to determine if we’ll be successful”
Christopher Barger of GM says “there is no tomorrow” – changing of minds has to happen now
participating in webinar w/GM and SAP – if GM had done for the past 5 yrs what they are doing now, they might not be in this mess. too late?
Twitters by @CommNtelligence
CommNtelligence: Keep in mind primary benefit is to give as much as you take. It’s a dialogue, and that’s the true value for everyone. GETTING REAL webinar
CommNtelligence: Don’t start by plugging in tactics. No one size fits all. Depends on your audience and goals and figure tools then. GETTING REAL webinar
CommNtelligence: It’s not about having a blog, Twitter, etc. It’s about business goals. Mike Prosceno, SAP on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA webinar
CommNtelligence: Took 3 years to reach 1st million posts, 6 months to double, now 6 weeks. Mike Prosceno, SAP on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA webinar
Purchase the Replay:
CommNtelligence: Took 3 years to reach 1st million posts, 6 months to double, now 6 weeks. Mike Prosceno, SAP on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA webinar
CommNtelligence: On hindsight, might have made our info videos less apocalyptic. Chris Barger, GM on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA webinar
CommNtelligence: 1.4 million developer participants on SAP social network, proving value. Mike Prosceno, SAP on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA webinar
CommNtelligence: Must remember the goal: win long-term affinity, not just self-defense. Chris Barger, GM on GETTING REAL ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter by Linda OneillLindaOneill: Getting real about social media: http://tinyurl.com/5e9sla
The latest Forrester Research study on how few people trust corporate blogs (16%) sent Communitelligence looking for good advice. Read these excellent articles and at least you won’t make the biggest mistakes.
A Blog Should Feel Like a Gift: 10 Ways to Improve Your Corporate Blog – Kami Huyse – Communication Overtones
Corporate Blogging: Go Real or Go Home -Mark Logic CEO Blog
Forrester: Consumers Distrust Corporate Blogs – New Forrester Research study
15 Companies That Really Get Corporate Blogging – Sitepoint
People don’t trust company blogs. What you should do about it. – Josh Bernhoff, Forrester Research
Ten rules for effective corporate blogging– John Berg’s Future Visions
Seven rules for corporate blogging – Nicholas Carr’s rough type blog
7 Habits of Highly Effective Business Bloggers – Mario Sundar
Policies compared: Today’s corporate blogging rules – CorporateBlogging.Info: Archive
Corporate Blogging: When, Why and How – Kate Brodock (Slide presentation)
Internal Social Networks are starting to appear inside some organizations. Early adopters are finding positive business results by helping employees connect through “internal Facebooks.” By effectively harnessing these new networks, organizations are seeing positive impacts on internal brand building, as well as employee engagement, satisfaction and motivation — which leads to higher levels of productivity, revenue, and profit.
But the world of the internal social network is the opposite of command & control. That said, reasonable guidelines, a group of informal influencers, and a posse of community managers who help keep the dialog lively and the network on track.
It’s clear that no matter where your company is on the social media ladder, social networks and Web 2.0 skills are becoming a part of today’s work landscape. All businesses need to be aware of how to deploy networks for higher ROI, collaboration, innovation and customer service.
Join the Communitelligence Webinar, Building Employee Branding And Engagement With Internal Social Networks on March 17. You’ll come away with a much clearer idea of what works and what doesn’t in this brave new world of internal social networks from companies that are already figuring out the path to success. The webinar is led by three experienced experts:
- Lee Aase, Manager, Syndication and Social Media,Mayo Clinic
- Polly Pearson, VP Employment Brand and Strategy Engagement, EMC Corporation
- Paul Pedrazzi, Vice President, Product Strategy, Oracle
To help attendees get immersed in the subject, Paul Pedrazzi provided a brief overview of Oracle’s journey to social networking. He is also quick to say:
“There isn’t a magic bullet. It depends on the organization. Some do it for engagement and retention (Best Buy). Others do it for knowlegde sharing (Boeing). I think the best reason is the one that matches what matters to your business.”
To give a flavor of what will be discussed in this webinar, Jake Kuramoto of Oracle AppsLab has written a brief history of Oracle’s Connect. Since this is an exerpt, you may want to go here for the complete story, including a description of Connect’s Third Version.
Oracle’s Connect began in July 2007 as the IdeaFactory. We were collecting ideas from teams in Applications Strategy, and none of the usual ways (email, spreadsheets, wiki) worked for a team whose sole purpose was to (ahem) innovate.You can see the legacy of the original IdeaFactory in Connect today by paging through Ideas.
Here’s a taste of what it looked like:
Connect 1.0
Ideas were great and pretty successful, but we’d always planned to add social networking into the mix. Aria has always been the corporate directory, and we love it. We wanted to add a dash of social though, so in August 2007, Rich debuted Connect, which was IdeaFactory plus social networking and some other nice features.Traffic went through the roof. We quickly realized there was strong demand for networking inside the firewall, and with Connect 1.0, we were off and running.
Here’s what the first version of Connect looked like.
That 1.0 version underwent several UI makeovers. The next version added the short-lived Connect logo and removed the AppsLab branding and centralized the navigation a bit, teasing features to come.
The last 1.0 UI went from gray to white with a more Oracle standard logo and look/feel. I think Connect 1.0 had this UI for the longest amount of time. People were really accustomed to it.
Connect 2.0
After a long break to build and start up Oracle Mix , we turned our attention back to Connect, armed with even more ideas that had sprouted from Mix. Connect 2.0 went live in June 2008, adding SSO integration and a fully revamped architecture and infrastructure.The big new feature in 2.0 was Groups, which we had built into Mix first. Now people could collaborate in ad hoc ways for work or personal interest.
The blue was a shock to many, and we got more than one negative comment about it (as compared to the white/red).
So, that’s the brief UI history of Connect over its 18-month existence. We’re back to the white in Connect 3.0, and I think we’ll stay with a clean look in the future. We’re already kicking around mockups of the 4.0 version, which is taking shape now.
I have resolved to get back to posting to a couple of blogs that I have neglected lately.
Trying to understand how I got there.
Was I lazy? Sure, always a bit, but that is not it.
Did I run out of things to say? Unlikely.
I blame Twitter.
Now, I am no 7×24 mad tweeter, but I have had several people mention lately… “Are you on Twitter ALL the time???”
I am not, but I also NEVER had a similar question asked of me regarding blogs.
So, why? Here are some initial thoughts…
- Twitter is easy and quick. I love easy and quick
- Twitter is short. I find most of my insight can indeed be executed in 140 characters
- Twitter seems to connect me to others better – I have more regular tweet readers than blog readers
That being said, this was kinda nice. Got to use multiple sentences… spell check… even bullets!!
Worthwhile considering this in a business context. You want people with good thoughts in them to share them. They might be willing to do that, but will want the easiest path. It is probably not and either/or thing, but matching the right person to the right tool could help you succeed.
Kelly
(@kthul on Twitter)
By Angelo Fernando, PublicRadius
Fragmented or integrated? It’s easy to pick the latter, because it sounds like the right thing to do. Depending on what you are trying to achieve it’s not that easy though. Here are two scenarios:
Scenario A: You are launching a new service that is relevant to 30 percent of your audience. You’ve got the usual suspects –um, channels — in place with Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, a blog and two Twitter accounts. Do you make spread your content across all of these?
Scenario B: You a teaching a class, and most of the attendees use Facebook rather than email, but you also have a series of video updates. Do you stick with Facebook, or add a blog to the program which will feed Facebook embed YouTube videos?
I don’t want to say I know the best answer. (It may take a bit of digging deeper into the usage patterns of the audience etc.) But I often lean heavily on closing the gap between communication channels. It takes some planning ahead, but you only have to connect the dots once, and thereafter, it’s easy to pick and chose the channels you like to integrate.
I pointed this out toward the end of the webinar I was conducting last Monday. To demonstrate it, while my co-presenter Steve England was speaking, I took a photo of the audience and our dashboard, using the camera on my phone, and emailed it to Twitpic.com. Nothing fancy. But it was much quicker than had I used a regular digital camera, and tried to upload to my blog, which was another option. The tweet showed up in a few seconds, but I also used Twitpic as an easy way to archive the photo, and later copy the URL and place it in a blog post.
For the record, there was some built-in integration we had set up in advance. We used a Skype video feed to ‘see’ the audience, but the webinar dashboard, DimDim, let us see us, and chat with the audience as well.
If you use a service such as Hootsuite, there’s a whole lot of built-in integration. Then there’s PingFM that lets you ‘post to all your favorite services’ such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumbler, Bebo, Ning, Plurk, Jaiku, Posterous, Yammer and more. Is that necessary? Most people would say it’s certainly not because each niche comprises different audiences. (Most people would think you’re nuts –or have dozens of little elves managing these sites – to be that spread out, anyway!)
What is your integration or segmentation strategy? I’d love to hear more.
Connecting employees to customers and each other through social media channels is a big new trend, and this infographic highlights some of the best examples. See what Dell, Morton’s, Unisys, KLM and ABC are doing.
How close to reality are some of our most futuristic fantasies? Consider that going to the moon was once a giant step for mankind, but in the near future you’ll be able to purchase a two week vacation to the International Space Station (if you’ve got a few million bucks to spare, of course). Here’s our list of ten incredible technological innovations that are poised to change our lives within the next decade.
Nanotechnology
Microscopic nanorobots placed inside the human body to fight disease from within will make enormous strides in the next ten years. Eventually, we’ll eliminate the need for invasive surgery and chemotherapy. The cancer cure we’re seeking might not come as a magic pill, but rather a technological advancement enabling us to repair from within using microchips one-billionth of a meter in size. The future is now at Cyberdyne, a Japanese electronics firm manufacturing Hybrid Assisted Limbs for Parkinson’s patients and miniaturizing from there.
Computer Eyewear
In the next decade, the simple act of pulling out a smartphone to take photos and record videos will seem clunky and outmoded. What if you could simply touch a button on your sunglasses and instantly record your surroundings exactly as you see them? The design team behind YouGen.tv is hoping to do just that. Their Epiphany Eyewear glasses will incorporate “magic glass”—chromatic shifting conductive glass—to power their instant on-off recording feature. The data captured from a first person’s perspective can be streamed to social networks, and has untold implications for learning, as you’ll literally be able to see through someone else’s eyes. “We believe this will raise the overall level of human empathy across the world,” said Erick Miller, founder of YouGen.tv.Genome Sequencing
The building blocks of the human body may contain clues to unlock underlying causes of diseases. Life Technologies is producing a genome sequencing map to explore an individual’s DNA within 24 hours, potentially preventing future diseases. Cost is expected to plummet to $1,000 by the end of the year. Expect a more targeted treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases based on a unique genetic blueprint.
3-D Printing
Bring the factory to your desk. 3-D printing is a profound technological change which seems to have endless potential uses. Need a replacement part for a kitchen appliance, your guitar or an architectural model? Pull it up, print it out and you’re ready to go. Yes, we’re starting small, but imagine planes, cars, houses and skyscrapers built this way. In the next ten years, we’ll create bone and dental implants, hearing aids, arterial stents, even surgical tools. San Francisco-based Bespoke Innovations Inc prints customized artificial limb coverings. Inexpensive complete prosthetic limbs, dishwasher-safe, are next.Visual Learning Robotics
Imagine an Internet that thinks and sees like humans. Diffbot, which recently raised $2 million in seed funding, uses visual learning robots to extract and analyze content on the web the same way that people do. “Diffibot’s mission is to teach software robots to understand webpages, so that we can extract meaningful information and build a database of freely accessible human knowledge,” says founder Mike Tung. Diffbot is already being used by AOL to pull relevant content from the web and organize stories for its iPad magazine.Internet Data Expansion
Forget megabytes and gigabytes. Bandwidth will multiply three million times through the next ten years, surpassing terabytes, petabytes and exabytes to reach zettabytes. Internet data will be high definition video living in a real-time cloud. Always-on connectivity will be standard across 15 billion devices worldwide. “We’re trying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves,” said Intel researcher Dean Pomerleau in an interview with CNET. “Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts.”
If social media consultants are doing their jobs, they should put themselves out of business. I speak as one of their kind. Before joining Fast Company last spring, I was the social media editor at the New York Daily News. So I’ll say it even bolder: At some point, Fast Company should fire me. (Just not too soon, please!)
Your company will never be truly social if you silo social activity within a consultant or a staff manager. To facilitate proliferation, your consultant should learn how your company works, then create a strategy to spread social throughout your organization. But in the meantime, here’s what you should be hearing from your consultant:
1 “What’s your goal?” Some social media gurus think the big prize is community. That’s a fine start, but for a business, it’s also a means to an end–which is whatever your company’s larger goals are, whether they be sales, brand awareness, or traffic. Your social strategy should not end with the creation of an online conversation.
2 “Here’s the ROI.” Consultants may tell you that social investments can’t be justified in a quantifiable way. Wrong. The data is out there. If they want you to spend $75,000 on a Foursquare badge, they should explain how that investment will help you reach your goals.
3 “I don’t care about follower counts.” Companies obsess over how many followers they have, and consultants play to that. But Facebook ads and “Like this page” contests often don’t boost consumer engagement. Rather, you should be courting influencers–trusted insiders with engaged followers (such as bloggers, niche celebrities, or active tweeters), who can help spread your message.
4 “Facebook and Twitter are only a start.” Consultants should know which platforms are best for your businesses. For example, if you are a fashion designer and your consultant isn’t talking about collage platform Polyvore, they’re doing something wrong.
This is quite a list, and worth taking the time to scroll through and check out those that you haven’t seen or used.
Words and phrases including “blog,” “wiki” and even “chat room” make some business leaders nervous. They’re not sure what to make of these new social media. The technology seems mysterious and a bit scary to people who are still trying to find their way around the Internet or figuring out how their BlackBerry works.
If the wild world of online media makes you hyperventilate, relax. Take a deep breath. Despite the hype around Skype, behind the stress caused by RSS, it all comes down to a fundamental process as old as humanity: communication.
What really matters is how well you communicate with employees, customers, shareholders, the community and other important people. The methods you use, while important, are secondary to the quality of communication.
A recent illustration of this principle involves computer maker Dell. Unhappy customers took their complaints about Dell’s products and service to the “blogosphere” – that online place where everyone with a laptop and an Internet connection can share their opinions with the world. Despite the outcry over problems with Dell, which quickly reached hundreds of thousands of people thanks to blogs with names like “Dell Hell,” the company resisted joining the virtual discussion.
Apparently, however, the pressure became too much. A few months ago, Dell created “Direct2Dell,” a blog intended to improve communication with customers about issues ranging from the company’s battery recall to new products. The company’s critics considered the action too little, too late and charged Dell with paying lip service to open communication with customers. On the surface, bloggers said, Dell seemed to be improving communication, but in reality “Direct2Dell” represented more of the company line.
Last week, Dell posted a new “Online Communication Policy” and held a news conference to announce it. The policy, aimed at Dell employees, recognizes the value of online communication tools, lays out expectations of employees who use them and states the company’s commitment to “transparent, ethical and accurate” communication. Translation: no more company PR disguised as real, direct dialogue.
Time will tell if Dell’s policy makes a difference, but for now the bloggers are skeptical. “Dell Hell” creator Jeff Jarvis wrote, “Isn’t it always a company’s policy, in any interaction – by blog, telephone, or letter – to be open and honest?” He wondered if Dell’s 500-word policy might have been boiled down to three words: “Tell the truth.”
What can your company learn from all of this? It doesn’t matter if you choose to communicate through blogs, chat rooms, e-mail or good ol’ face-to-face interaction. What matters is that you communicate honestly and as completely as possible. The latest technology won’t save you if your stakeholders feel you’re not being truthful with them.
It’s the quality of communication that ultimately matters.
The World Wide Web is still very much the Wild, Wild West when it comes to setting boundaries and defining rules by which participants play. The implications are huge for companies that embrace the Web as an effective way to communicate with everyone from employees and shareholders to customers and critics.
As more companies use blogs and other new social media to interact with audiences, laws that govern cyberspace are just now being tested. The more cautious organizations are waiting to see how things pan out before jumping into the mayhem.
A few weeks ago, Frank D’Angelo, the president and CEO of Canada’s Steelback Brewery filed a $2 million libel lawsuit against Neate Sager, a popular Canadian sports blogger. D’Angelo says Sager damaged his image and reputation with disparaging comments Sager posted on his blog, “Out of Left Field,” between August 2006 and January 2007.
Sager is also a copy editor at the Ottawa Sun, so he is no stranger to laws governing journalism. Sager used especially strong language to criticize D’Angelo, especially the CEO’s interest in buying the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise. And if anything can cause a serious rift between two people from Canada, it’s hockey.
D’Angelo claims Sager’s comments damaged his reputation and character and that D’Angelo had no opportunity to respond to Sager’s strongly worded claims. Of course, the very nature of a blog allows for readers to respond and Sager claims D’Angelo left no comments on the blog.
We’ll watch with interest to see what the Canadian courts say about all of this, but the episode already has a few lessons about the changing nature of communication at work.
First, bloggers might be more cautious about the language they use. The words Sager used apparently were not obscene — that’s not the point. However, they might have been libelous, charging D’Angelo with acts that Sager might be forced to prove and painting a picture of D’Angelo that might not be legally accurate. In the U.S., our First Amendment has been tested numerous times over the years and our courts have tried to strike a good balance between freedom of expression and the rights of citizens not to be unfairly represented by those who have the ability to publish or broadcast.
In the new world of social media, however, everyone is able to publish or broadcast. You think the kids who post videos on YouTube have received any special training? Or every blogger out there is educated in journalism? Think again. Never before have so many people been so capable of broadcasting their opinions to so many others.
Second, companies might be more reluctant to embrace new social media. More companies are publishing blogs, creating MySpace-type pages and using YouTube to connect with their audiences. But the Steelback case is another reminder that it’s a jungle out there. Companies have less control over the messages — and the media to distribute those messages — than ever before. Anybody out there can put up a Web page or post a video, and until the rules are tested it’s still a risky business to engage audiences in virtual conversations.
New social media hold much potential for changing the nature of corporate communications in a positive way. Until that potential is put through the necessary tests, however, it’s going to be bit messy.
Comments
RE: Social media puts free-speech to the test |
Companies that adopt a wait-and-see attitude risk being left behind the competitive curve. Fear and uncertainty are simply no longer excuses for businesses not being involved in social media. What would be an infinitely better, more reasonable approach would be for companies to work with a good attorney to create solid acceptable blogging guidelines for staff and Terms of Use conditions for blogs and communities. Then they could get on with the business of being innovative and really connect with their market. The reality is that anyone can sue anyone at anytime for anything. And, while no one wants to increase their risk of litigation, good companies don’t allow themselves to be held hostage by the fear of something that hasn’t even happened. Cautious adoption is best. -Lena L. West http://www.xynoMedia.com |
My old mentor, David Berlo, used to say “selling is lying when you’re doing it to a teammate.”
His point goes to the heart of a troubling trend emerging from the business world’s current fascination – and struggle – with social media. We’re seeing an unsavory mandate coming from corner offices in companies nationwide. Now that they have this way cool tool called a “blog,” they want to use it to promote corporate messages alongside its intended use as a conversation tool for building relationships.
As blogging experts know, of course, once an organization starts down that path, credibility goes down the toilet. Some companies go so far as to use their blogs for posting news releases. You can imagine the reaction from bloggers to that kind of promotional intrusion? You might as well be wearing a neon sign flashing – propaganda.
So what’s a communicator to do?
It’s All About Conversation
Maybe we can make some inroads by reminding executives of the good old days when one of the main forms of “social media” was – consumer affairs. What? Consumer affairs? What’s that got to do with social media?
Some years back, when I headed up corporate communications at the international food giant, Pet Incorporated, consumer affairs was one of the departments that reported to me. We had about half dozen people who spent their days either answering letters or talking with people on the phone – all different types on lots of different topics. But all of those people had one thing common. They wanted someone to talk with them … to hear their stories and deal with their issues. They certainly did NOT want someone to sell them the company line. We worked hard with our consumer affairs specialists on how to have conversations with people – and we steered them away from spouting corporate propaganda.
Resist the Temptation for Promotion
Of course, there’s one big difference between that kind of socializing with stakeholders and what’s happening in the blogosphere. Today it’s not just one-on-one with a few hundred or even a few thousand people a year by phone and snail mail. It’s about connecting with potentially millions of people – in a matter of days or even hours and minutes.
And therein lies the rub. The allure to violate the implicit social media code to converse rather than promote is just too tempting to resist for many promotionally minded managers.
It’s a classic case of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. They’re going to exploit social media until nothing is left of their credibility but a pile of ruffled feathers. So remember these truths:
1. Only the technology for social media is new, not the concept
2. If you use it for promotion or propaganda, you do so at your peril
Valiant communicators may have to fall on their sword for the cause, but those who stand up against the temptation to abuse social media will avoid the trap of “lying to your teammates” – inside and out.
Les Landes, Landes & Associates
Buy Les’s webinar replay: Getting to the Heart of Employee Engagement
Many organisations face the challenge of deploying an enterprise social network with limited funds. There just aren’t enough free resources — money, headcount and time — to devote to this important task. If you’re about to assume the role of project champion inside a small or mid-sized organisation, you need to be aware of the many different hats you’ll probably be wearing in the very near future.
1. Strategist
Developing a coherent and credible social strategy is the foundation of a successful network deployment. You need to be able to paint a clear vision of what you hope to achieve, develop a detailed roadmap that explains exactly how you intend to get there, and set out clear milestones that will gauge progress.2. Advocate
Someone needs to sell the business case to the business. There is a small chance a C-suite sponsor will assume this role, but even if they do you’ll probably find yourself filling in the gaps. Effective advocacy is an unending challenge, not a one-off task.3. Architect
While it is true that social networks can grow organically, the final result will almost certainly be a lot more effective if you map out a plan that details how you’d like the network to operate on a day-today basis. Consulting with people inside the business to establish their needs and wants will help you plan for success.4. Engineer
While a cloud deployment is simple, integrating enterprise systems into the network can be a far more complex task. You’d hope and expect IT to manage this part of the deployment. Nevertheless, you’ll want to understand the basics so you can keep across what’s happening.5. Change Agent
Using these platforms can require people to change the way they work. As any of us who have attempted to stop smoking, lose weight or start exercising will know, getting someone to break a hard-wired habit is a challenging assignment. A full understanding of change management theory and practice will prove invaluable.6. Educator
These tools are so simple that most people can use them right out of the box. However, to achieve your strategic goals you’ll need to educate people on best practice. A blended learning approach of face-to—face and online learning works well. You’ll find that you’ll almost certainly need to run the face-to-face sessions yourself.7. Communicator
An ongoing communication program is part and parcel of most deployments. There is of course the need for a strong launch campaign. In addition, there is a requirement for an ongoing campaign that shares success stories and encourages participation. Experience of running an internal communications program will pay dividends.
Search engine optimization is often about making small modifications to parts of your website.
So we thought it’d be useful to create a compact guide that lists some best practices that teams within Google and external webmasters alike can follow that could improve their sites’ crawlability and indexing.
View Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide (pdf)
Here at the IABC World Conference (Twitter tag #IABC09), much of the buzz is about “social media.” First of all, a lot of my clients wrinkle their noses at the term. I’ve started using “social technologies” which is not only more broad and approachable, but also less entertainment sounding. Let’s face it, being able to find the right subject matter expert because of a great internal profile, well, that’s not really “media” is it?
I continue to be amazed at the number of people who are talking about social technologies, but not actually using them. It’s some of these who whine: “my boss won’t let us do this or that.”
Some of these technologies have to be tried to comprehend and strategize, not to mention convince others of their value. So, how can you really do justice to the opportunity and potential if you aren’t playing in the space at all? Jump in and give it a try. Read, comment, blog, make friends – just get a feel for it all.
Once you understand what social technologies can do, ask yourself these questions:
- What business problem(s) are we trying to solve? (from the perspective of the business or end user)
- What business goal does this initiative support? How?
- Who are our stakeholders?
- What do we want to do with our stakeholders?
- Do we have executive support?
- How strong is that executive support?
- How will executives and other leaders be involved?
- Who needs to be involved, and can they participate enough from the start to ensure success?
- Can this initiative start small?
- Which superstars/rebels can be engaged in a lead role?
- How well is the organization prepared for the impending cultural and organizational change?
- What legal issues (e.g., privacy, discovery, retention) exist and how will we address these?
These questions will set you on your way to strategic use of social technologies that will deliver business results, as well as, great new communication channels. So, build some skill first, then get serious.
Stacy Wilson, ABC, is president of Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado
A colleague recently asked for dos and don’ts in partnering with IT. It is a crucial skill in today’s corporate environment. Partnering with all functions in the organization is important, but IT in particular.
We need IT: we need the technology they deploy, good security, openness to new approaches such as social technology, clear, user-centered choices in technology.
IT needs communication too. They need adoption of new technologies, a clear connection to the business, openness to business process change, help leveraging their great solutions into the culture of the business. They need to be seen as not just a consumer of resources, but also a driver of business. All things we can help them with.
The way we approach partnering with IT professionals can make or break it.
Respect their knowledge and capability. Don’t be dismissive or condescending. They know important information – stuff we don’t know – and their perspective is often a good balance with the communicator’s perspective. It’s not that they “don’t get it,” it’s that the lens they are looking through is a different color. We should, however, seek to enlighten them about the role and value of communication.
Be linear, process-oriented thinkers. To work with them, we must become a little more like them. We must be able to connect the dots in a linear process, see the process breaks and bottlenecks. If we move through processes with them we’ll all see the end game together.
Speak their language. Know the basics, terms and concepts. Be able to converse about these with confidence. Doesn’t mean you have to sit down and code an application. I like being the dumb blonde in the hardware store. Working with my IT partners is no time for the dumb blonde routine.
Define roles and responsibilities clearly. IT has specific responsibility for delivering solutions that meet business needs and requirements. Communication should take responsibility for clearly communicating strategy and requirements, helping IT connect to the business goals, ensuring good change communication during rollout, and securing the change in the culture. Use our different areas of expertise to divide, conquer and succeed.
Think of IT as a client. Collaborate and ensure their success. Make them shine – sometimes IT can serve as a pilot and example to the rest of the organization. Give them positive visibility. Seek solutions, don’t take or give orders.
Communicate ROI and drive the business. What every good IT and communication professional wants to do for their company. We are on the same team and we share many of the same challenges and frustrations. Not being viewed as a strategic business driver or trusted advisor, is just one of them. We can help each other here.
IT isn’t gender specific. IT is becoming increasingly diverse with many women joining the ranks. I’ve seen some of my colleagues refer to the “IT guys,” but it’s no longer just a guy space.
Stacy Wilson, ABC, is president of Eloquor Consulting, Inc., in Lakewood, Colorado
Every couple of weeks, someone will drop a draft of their company’s social media policy in front of me and ask what I think. In most cases, I am delighted that it’s a draft and not yet published. These policies are usually riddled with “do not” and “never” and “forbidden” language. It makes me want to launch a performance art project with actor John Lithgow doing dramatic readings of these clamp-down policies.
Now, John Lithgow has a great, resonate, voice-of-God kind of voice. But I choose him specifically because of his role in one of my favorite cheesy 80s movies, Footloose. As Reverend Shaw Moore (thanks, IMDB) he kept poor Kevin Bacon and his friends from dancing in their little rural town.
It didn’t work.
I don’t believe that the social media policies that focus on the forbidden work, either. They aren’t realistic and they give the impression that employees’ judgment is no better than your average first grader’s.
Sun Microsystems took a much saner and smarter route in the Sun Approach to Public Discourse. Here are a few headlines from the policy: Don’t Tell Secrets; Be Respectful; Be Interesting, But Be Honest.
Hill and Knowlton also has a straight-forward approach highlighted in this blog post that focuses on disclosure, ethical actions and other topics pertinent to an agency that conducts social media campaigns on behalf of its clients.
The common denominators in both policies are that they treat people like adults and they accept that employees are going to use the Internet in all sorts of official and unofficial ways. The policies don’t go all John Lithgow on them and try to put a stop to such nonsense; they give guidance toward doing it well, with integrity and in ways that won’t damage the company, the client or the employee.
And you’d be wise to give guidance to employees. In the Social Media/Networking Usage Trends Report prepared by Travelers, only 25 percent of respondents showed any concern that things that they post online could be damaging to them professionally. Forty-two percent said that they “never post anything that reflects poorly on my employer.” What are the other 58% up to?
I am sure that there are other examples of good social media policies out there, and I’d love to see additional examples. Know of any?
PS: I have no connection to Sun Microsystems (other than having met the delightful Deirdre Straughan who pointed me to their policy at a Communintelligence event), Hill & Knowlton, John Lithgow or Kevin Bacon. But if you can put me in touch with John about that project…
Barbara Govednik launched 423 Communication in 2001 to helps its clients tell their stories through freelance writing services, coaching and editing services, and employee communication consulting and implementation. Read Barbara’s Being Well Said Blog.