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By Alex Manchester, Editor
alex.manchester@melcrum.com
April 14th, 2008
Demonstrating the value of Enterprise RSS
Thursday 24 April is an important day for social media in business – it's Enterprise RSS Day of Action!
The day of action (ERDA), is about highlighting the benefits of RSS, and demonstrating a prototype model of business-ready RSS, which can transform the underlying communication and information delivery methods in an enterprise scenario.
Why is RSS important?
As was written in the Melcrum social media report, RSS is the glue that sticks social media together. Be it blog post updates, status updates on Facebook, Twitter posts, "widgets" and your everyday RSS feeds in an RSS reader (such as bloglines or newsgator) – RSS is the principle technology behind all of these things. It distills the vast – and often overwhelming – amounts of available information into semi-organized, dynamically updated streams or "feeds".
In the report, former Microsoft internal communications manager and now independent consultant, Helen Love, explains how RSS can help to cut through the clutter of information overload.
“One function of RSS is that someone who wants only product updates can cut out the other stuff and just subscribe to the product news,” says Love. “They get the customization they want. The amount of information coming through our systems using both new and traditional channels means we have to make sure we get more cut-through,” says Love. “There’s just too much information for people to deal with. RSS is going a long way to achieving that.”
Problems with "RSS"
Also in the report, Steve Clayton at Microsoft says you need to focus on the service RSS can provide – not the technology that it is, and even if you can do a decent job of explaining what RSS actually is, the next significant hurdle you face is in helping people to understand how it can be of benefit.
"RSS can do amazing things," says Clayton, "But it's still a tech term that means absolutely nothing to the man on the street. The key is to get more wrapped up – and to get your audience more wrapped up – in the service, rather than the technology," he adds.
"Promote that it cuts out the noise, that it allows you to aggregate content in the way you've always wanted. But you should almost keep your own, back-office excitement about RSS infrastructure to yourself."
Enterprise RSS key points
In a freely available slide deck, James Dellow, founder of ERDA, summarizes the benefits of Enterprise RSS:
• Enterprise RSS is part of the solution to managing information overload. It also provides the plumbing (or glue) for Enterprise 2.0.
• Simply "RSS-ifying" existing enterprise content and providing RSS readers does not represent a long-term Enterprise RSS solution.
• With a real Enterprise RSS system, Enterprise computer users will get a better use experience, and organizations will be better able to tap into the power of RSS.
There's a great deal more to come on this topic and the day itself. And, if you have an Enterprise RSS success story, why not get involved with ERDA and trumpet your own work. Details and links are on The Melcrum Blog and the ERDA wiki.
Until next week,
Coping with crisis at Transport for London
Janet Croissant, Strategic Communication Management, April/May, 2008
In this free article from the latest issue of SCM, Janet Croissant, head of group internal communications at TfL, reflects on the internal communication challenges during the terrorist bombings. She suggests some questions to ask yourself when testing your own internal communication preparedness to handle a crisis.
Play pokes fun at office life
Internal Comms Hub, 11 April, 2008
Perhaps it's time to inject a little fun into office life? A work bonding trip to the theater could see you laughing at a pastiche of your corporate culture, if you choose to see The Water Coolers.
Fact-based evidence of culture
Angela Sinickas, Measurement Newsletter, April
2008
What facts can you gather about the way the corporate culture currently is, compared with what the organization wants it to be? Angela Sinickas says start with the mission, vision, values and brand attributes that theoretically define an organization’s ideal culture.
Focus on your "almost engaged" employees for quick wins
Annie Waite, Internal Comms Hub, April 3, 2008
How many "honeymooners" or "hamsters" do you estimate your company employs? Research results from training and consulting firm, BlessingWhite, says you could be holding as many as 12%.
How to communicate a new way of doing business
Melcrum's Communicators' Network, April 8, 2008
Join in a conversation on Melcrum's Communicators' Network about how best to integrate workforces and create "one culture" post acquisition.
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