Year in Review—2009/Enterprise Social Networking Gains Legs on Heavy Seas

2009 year in review: insider’s knowledge of Web 2.0 adoption, enterprise 2.0, enterprise twitter, facebook for business, enterprise linkedin, the economy and social networking platforms. Case studies, analysis and practical advice for bypassing competitors. […]

Book Review: Decoding Evolutionary Roots of Human Social Behavior

Digital social networks give front row seats in many aspects of human dramas, but few companies or individuals have the understanding of human behavior to appreciate fully what they are seeing. Many executives of commercial and government enterprises perceive “social” behavior as frivolous and discourage employees’ activity in social networks. This exceptional book shows that the separation of “work” and “social” is dangerously out of place today because collaboration produces the lion’s share of business value. To succeed, leaders need to appreciate the importance of social activity in collaboration and productivity, and how digital social networks can increase productivity. […]

President Bill Clinton Asks IIT Alumni to Join in Crusade Against Inequality

President Bill Clinton challenged IIT alumni to use their ingenuity in the service to mankind: “Being a good citizen no longer means paying your taxes and depending on your government. We can use innovation to help the less fortunate directly.” His message fell on ready ears and was deeply appreciated by 2,500 graduates of the Indian Institutes of Technology at PanIIT, their annual global conference, which was held in Chicago, Illinois. […]

Media Review/Debunking Uninformed Media Coverage of Social Networks

Criticism of uninformed media coverage of the value of social networks, case study of the New York Times’ uninformed opinion piece on Facebook, Facebook Exodus… examples of how many people on social networks don’t know how to use the networks to find fulfillment […]

Social Networks and the Relationship Life Cycle: Myths and Realities

Digital social networks are transforming every field of human endeavor because they change the economics of how people discover, develop and maintain relationships. Therefore, social networks propose a revolution in communication is similar in scope to Ford’s invention of the assembly line for fabrication but executives don’t understand it. This post […]

Realizing Value: The Social Network Life Cycle Model

Life cycle model for social networks provides a blueprint for investment, along with goals, activities and milestones for each stage. A plan of action for creating value from enterprise social networking initiatives. […]

Web 2.0 Adoption Curve, 2009-2015

This Web 2.0 adoption curve helps commercial and government executives make investments in social networks, social media and Web 2.0 in 2009 and 2010: use this realistic adoption model to manage expectations and risk. […]

MIT Enterprise Forum 2009 Economic Outlook

Live-blogging the MIT Enterprise Forum’s 2009 economic outlook from Chicago […]

Social Networks Reach Puberty: 2009 Miami Social Networking Conference Shows Broad Enterprise Case Studies

Twitter and Facebook Top of Mind | #snc2009 | Awaiting Discovery: The Nascent Power of Weak Ties and Small Touches

Design 4What a difference a year makes! The Social Networking Conference debuted several years ago as a forum for social networking sites and vendors, with enterprise clients few and far between. Miami 2009 took place January 22-23, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and it was a veritable enterprise 2.0 conference. Many of the presenters hailed from enterprise-focused high technology vendors, but they spoke as social networking practitioners. The good practices they shared reflected the maturation of social networks. Don’t get me wrong, we are still in early days, but it was obvious to see that social networks would be completely mainstream this year. Enterprise-focused vendors provided additional evidence by explaining some of the new social network features in their offerings.

Social Networking Watch’s Mark Brooks gave an overview of key trends, while jetBlue’s Morgan Johnston and IBM’s Adam Christensen drove home the message that companies could be rewarded for trusting their customers in social networks. Ford’s Scott Monty, Sun’s Lou Ordorica and Microsoft’s Marty Collins shared how they were […]

Web 2.0 Case Study: Barack Obama's Use of Social Media

Conventional Wisdom Scuttled—Disruption Preview—Business in the Batter’s Box

election2008_eecBarack Obama’s presidential campaign was more than a major social media milestone because it ushered in a new relationship model among leaders and their supporters. Due to social media, an unprecedented number of individuals had a new kind of active, direct role in Obama’s campaign; moreover, I predict that the Obama campaign and imminent administration will change citizens’ and consumers’ expectations of “leader” and “follower” roles in government and business. Amazon.com changed consumers’ expectations about retail in general—information on demand, reviews, unbelievable variety at low prices—and a significant portion of Obama supporters will want to continue their support to “make the change happen.” These supporters will bring their changed expectations of action and collaboration to their vendors. That means your company.

The Obama campaign is very instructive to business leaders because business customers are changing expectations of their leaders, as we’ll discuss in more detail below. As the Global Human Capital Journal is not primarily focused on politics, I am less interested in the fact that Obama was elected than how he was elected. Moreover, […]