This summer, we are running a special guest contributor column, "5 myths about..." Those interested in contributing can email me at johnmancini
As is the case with our 8 things series, the opinions expressed in these columns are those of the guest contributor.
5 Myths about Enterprise Social Media
Myth #1: It’s Social
Reality: The first thought that goes through senior manager’s minds when they hear “Social Media” is I don’t want my employees’ friending people on Facebook all day. I think there is an image of the technology that gets created in our minds because we use the word “Social."
This image is propagated by many of the vendors in the market who are bringing Web 2.0 tools to the enterprise with little understanding of how a business functions. Everyone wants to recreate Twitter and Facebook inside the firewall. Entrepreneurs see themselves as the next Zuckerberg and they haven’t even had an original thought yet. No one seems to step back and ask is this what the enterprise really needs?
My belief is that you will truly see Enterprise Social take off when it gets focused on business activities and tasks and moves away from building networks and sharing what we had to eat for lunch. Wikis, blogs, discussion boards are great ways to exchange thoughts and ideas. When we begin to focus these tools on solving business problems they will become invaluable, but it’s not going to seem very “Social”.
Myth #2: Social media wastes valuable time
Reality: Today, we like to gather team input by having meetings. When we call a meeting in our conference room down the hall we don’t invite everyone. Good meetings have a clear agenda and we invite only those who can contribute (Yeah, I don’t really believe that).
Most people would agree that the vast majority of time we spend in meetings is wasted. Part of the problem is the leader of the meeting rarely has a strong agenda. We’re also not always needed. Another part of the issue is that meetings occur when it is convenient for the organizer not for the participant.
A well-structured social conversation provides a forum to gather thoughts and ideas around a specific topic when it is convenient for the participant. With social tools we can get the benefit of group think without disrupting everyone’s work day. Social is more likely to save time than waste it if used properly.
Myth #3: Being Exclusionary is a “Bad Thing”
Reality: If you have a business question and no one in your office knows the answer where would you turn? Would you ask the question on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn? Of course this assumes that you’ve actually taken the time to develop those networks, but assuming you have my bet is your answer is Twitter. The reason is simple everyone is in the conversation on Twitter so you’ll reach more people. LinkedIn and Facebook are confined to your network or discussion groups, while Twitter has no boundaries.
It therefore stands to reason that when we bring these tools into the enterprise we should include everyone. Unfortunately, this isn’t how businesses work. Much of the information we handle in a business is confidential. We don’t want our competitors to know our every move. To maintain confidentiality we only engage those specifically related to the task.
The concept of developing a network of contacts also has flaws inside the walls of the enterprise. At my last company I was the number two person. My network was essentially everyone, but I really didn’t feel the need to have everyone in my conversations. Inside the enterprise we need to control who is in the conversation. If that’s being exclusionary well I guess I’m guilty, but at least I’m not wasting your time.
Myth #4: Social Media and Document Management aren’t connected
Reality: Face it we’re creatures of habit and documents are a big part of how we communicate. Whether it’s a presentation, proposal, or spreadsheet we just like to put things into this structure. I don’t believe we’ve come up with a better way to communicate a complex idea. We even tend to write elaborate explanations of the pretty chart driven dash boards we create.
So what does Social Media have to do with this? I recently saw an interesting video from Google that starts out stating “Great Documents come from Great Discussions." The video shows a team of people writing a document by sharing comments using social tools. Some of the best thoughts in history have evolved out of great discussions. I believe you’ll see this as one of the first areas enterprises truly adopt social tools. What better way to evolve a thought than to have someone author a document and have the rest of the team critique it through social conversations. It’s just a natural fit.
Myth #5: Social Conversations aren’t Legal Records.
Reality: What I say in a casual conversation isn’t a legal record, so why should what I say in a social conversation be any different? At this point I think that silly little thought has cost Corporate America billions! The reason why you haven’t heard of this is because the billions I’m referring to occurred in the golden age of email.
Now you would think we learned a thing or two from that experience, but it appears we’ve learned nothing! Written conversations that play a role in a business decision fit the definition of a legal record? Corporations need to be able to find and produce these records as the courts demand. If you can’t you are subject to fines and can contribute to the ever growing bucket of cash that silly little thought has generated.
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The author: is Chief Executive Officer of Vizit, Inc. Vizit brings context to content by facilitating Enterprise 2.0 conversations and surfacing relevant information and people when they are most needed.
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Also in this series...
5 Myths About SharePoint Records Management
5 Myths about Electronic Document Management for Small Businesses
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