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By Alex Manchester, Editor
alex.manchester@melcrum.com
April 28th, 2008
Social software - it doesn't have to cost the earth
Welcome to Melcrum's Social Media Newsletter
Recent research suggests that the Enterprise 2.0 market, that is, social software for business, could be worth around US$2-4 billion by 2013. While not a huge amount on a global scale, the report suggests that internal use of blogs, wikis and other communication and collaboration enhancing tools will only see widespread use in the shape of costly upgrades to already costly corporate IT systems.
Writing in response to the news, independent consultant Euan Semple said those who spent fortunes on social software were missing the point:
"I find myself telling people more and more that if they're spending money on this stuff, they're almost certainly doing the wrong things, and I worry that the same machine that has fleeced people for over-priced and under-delivered systems is lining up to take over something that should, in essence, be simple and cost effective."
Keep a grip on your billions
In this newsletter in October 2007 (see the full newsletter archive here), we looked at social software applications that can be used in the enterprise, and don't cost the earth:
Confluence
An enterprise-standard wiki platform that can interoperate with Microsoft Sharepoint. Pharmaceuticals firm Janssen Cilag have replaced their entire intranet with a Confluence system, allowing employees to upload articles, news, announcements and more, and take full ownership of their intranet content.
Apache Roller
A free, open source, scaleable blogging platform used by Sun Microsystems, who have over 4,000 corporate bloggers.
Wordpress
Another free, open source blogging platform that has a full enterprise version in the shape of KnowKnow Wordpress Enterprise Edition. Communications and network services firm BT have integrated Wordpress, Confluence and Mediwiki (another free wiki application) into their intranet.
Movable Type Enterprise
A low-cost blogging platform used by the likes of corporate blogging pioneers GM, among many others.
For most situations, there's a low-cost software alternative, and if convention wisdom is to be believed, you're probably better off starting cheap and seeing what happens.
It's about people
Remember, social software is not about expensive technology. Spending a fortune without understanding the way employees chat and converse with one another and go about their days seeking and sharing information, knowledge and expertise, will inevitably leave you with little return on investment.
Try the low-cost options first (and check the Social Media Newsletter archive for more suggestions) You might be surprised at what you can achieve.
Until next week,
Melcrum Podcast 22 April 2008: Australia Special
Melissa Dark & Hayley Dean, The Melcrum Podcast, April 22, 2008
Melcrum's Asia Pacific editor Alex Manchester reports from the Strategy and Planning Black Belt Masterclass in Sydney. You can hear interviews with internal communication specialist Melissa Dark, who ran the masterclass, and Hayley Dean, employee engagement specialist at Accenture Australia.
Ready, steady, change!
Adrian Cropley, Melcrum's Change Communication Newsletter, April 2008
In his monthly newsletter for Melcrum, Adrian Cropley shares an extensive checklist for conducting a "change health check" to assess how prepared your organization is for change.
Pecha Kucha: Still PowerPoint – just not resulting in death
Sona Hathi, Internal Comms Hub, April 25,
2008
Last week communicators gathered in London to explore the concept of Pecha Kucha, a trendy Japanese way of delivering PowerPoint presentations. Yes, that means it’s mini, it’s fast and it’s futuristic.
Spend $4 Billion? Do we really need to?
Alex Manchester, The Melcrum Blog, April 28, 2008
Forrester's new Enterprise 2.0 report, stated that corporate spending on blogs, wikis, RSS etc. could top $4 billion (internally and externally facing sites) in 2013. Alex Manchester suggests ways companies can avoid this dent in their budget.
Streamlining the use of emails
Sona Hathi, Melcrum’s Communicators'
Network, April 2008.
A discussion on the Communicators' Network about managing email overload offers some tips and raises the question: Will email always be an overused tool in organizations, simply because it's so quick, easy and convenient?
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