It's Not the Tools; It's About the People

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We are all on Google+ now. It’s great because of who is here.
We were all on Quora at Christmas, because of who was there.
We continue to stay engaged on Twitter because of who is there.
We are bored with FaceBook because of who is there.
We use LinkedIn because of who we can find.
We use SocialCast in the Social Business Council because of who is there.
We use Jive with the Community Backchannel because of who is there.
We use Yammer in our jobs because of who is there.

It’s not about the tools, it’s about the relationship. The great thing about any social network is the socializing that takes place there. Yes, the tools are nice and a bad tool set can certainly squelch the conversation. But it's not about the tools it's about the relationships.

I've had the opportunity to speak with many people over the past few months who are not at all engaged in the social web. The line goes something like this…."I don't have time for all that social media." What they are really saying is "I don't value those relationships and what I learn there. I get all I need from other sources."

That’s fine. When people start to understand what they can get, the relationships they can build, and what an amazingly large diverse set of ideas is out there, they decide to connect.

Many stick with email and cocktail hour networking. That’s fine, I do that sometime too, but I find it is not at all efficient as a stand alone activity. It’s good when I want to go deep with someone, but at a typical event, I can only do that with 1 or 2 people. At best, I'll touch base with 5 or 10. During that same evening, I can touch hundreds or even thousands through online tools.

Through my Blog, Twitter, Google+ and various private communities, I can keep a conversation going with hundreds and my network can jump into overdrive when needed.

If you don’t want to use the social media tools now and think it’s too geeky, that's fine. We used to say that about CompuServe and then AOL came along to break the ice among the masses. Then came FaceBook and everybody went online.

It is indeed gone widespread. Google+ may not replace FaceBook. Everyone may not get on Twitter, but in the long run, the mega trend is that, more and more, our lives are moving online. What was once called a “virtual” meeting is just a meeting.

Do any of you call your FaceBook friends “virtual” friends? Do you call these virtual conversations? No, it’s a wall post, it’s a message, it’s real interaction.

Social is happening, it is happening in different rates for different people, but there is no going back. As my friend Chris Rollyson says, It’s an “and” world, not an “or” world. We keep getting more ways to connect, as a result we are more connected, and finally we can innovate and move faster.

That is just what’s happening. Don’t deny it.

So go ahead, get social. You can start by connecting with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+ and while you are at it, subscribe to my blog.

See you online!

Seven Days with Google +

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The Google+ introduction is a major tectonic shift in the social software landscape. Its aftershocks will be felt for some time to come

I received my invitation to join Google + last Wednesday evening from @ITSinsider.  It was a bit of a surprise.  I had just heard of the launch a day or two earlier.

Since then, it's been a daily party like I have not seen with any other SNS (social networking service) launch.  We had heard something about Google's Social Circles back during SXSWi, but the launch turned out to be just a rumor of what was to come just four months later.

iPhone in browser mode

My first take will be a little different from most because my time with G+ has been almost exclusively on an iPhone 4 or iPad 2.  Of the 15 or so hours I've been on G+, only about 15 minutes or so have been on a PC.  Even though the product is optimized for the full PC / Mac OS or Android mobile OS.  I must admit, even with its many flaws, the iOS experience is good enough to keep me coming back.

Here are my first impressions.

Central to the User Experience is the circle concept.  We all socialize in various circles. Google+ has made that literally the metaphor.  G+ daily offers me up to 500 invitations to add to my circles.  If the person is not yet in G+, they will get an invitation.  If they are already in, they join into my circles and I begin following and sharing with them.  (Be patient, G+ is still throttling invitations.)

Since I have not use the PC version with a webcam, I'm missing out on Hangouts - multipoint video chats.  That will come in time. I expect very good value for work groups and enterprise applications of this feature.  I also expect integration with Apple products with the forward facing camera (ala multi user FaceTime). With the recent introduction of Apple's FaceTime and now Google's new Hangout feature, perhaps personal video conferencing will finally reach the tipping point to general adoption.

I'm also excited about the ease of adoption.  Google+ has quickly added most of my social graph to their SNS and the conversations are quickly turning to real substance other than just discussing Google+ itself.

So what are my takeaways so far?

iPad in Desktop Mode

1. This is going to be big.  Google+ has scaled very quickly showing robust, well thought out features. It works easily on many platforms, combines access on any device to central cloud storage, performs well, and has already attracted the necessary early adopters.

2. This will evolve quickly.  Google is known for quick iterative innovations and promises constant upgrades and introduction of new features.  They also appear to be leveraging many of their various products without any sign of internal power struggles that will derail progress.

3. Facebook and Twitter have a real competitor now. Most early comments have been that Facebook should be scared, but little has been said about Twitter also being in Google's sights.  With the recent announcements of tight integration between Twitter and Apple's iOS, it looks like the Google+/Android camp is stacking up as a good alternative.  It might even be a three way race if the rumored Facebook / Skype entry materializes.  Anyway, like Facebook, Twitter has been acting monopolistically as of late (terms of service, acquisitions, apathy to partners)  It is good to see a product come along that offers a viable alternative.

iPad in Mobile Mode

4. Enterprise 2.o is in the game plan for Google+.  All the talk about Consumer and Facebook should not hide the fact that Google+ coupled with Google Apps will offer a powerful platform for enterprise collaboration, eating away at the SMB market first and later moving up the food chain to the Fortune 500 market.  E2.0 stalwarts such as Jive Software, Socialcast, Yammer, IBM Connections, and, to a lesser extent, SharePoint will see Google+ providing a new alternative in the young and growing Enterprise 2.0 collaboration market space.

That's my first look.  So much more can be said, but there will be plenty of time for that in the future.  The Google+ introduction is a major tectonic shift in the social software landscape.  Its aftershocks will be felt for some time to come.  So find me on Google+ http://gplus.to/jimworth  and let's continue the conversation.  I look forward to adding you to my new Circle of Friends.

The Social Mobile Enterprise

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Enterprise social mobility is the next big thing.

Yes, I said it.  I'm going out on a limb and predicting that the next major wave of enterprise innovation will be a combination of today's emerging social networking explosion fueled by a move to mobility in mass.  It feels like a very stable limb based on all that I have been seeing over the past few years.

Let's look at it in context.  Many have written about mega trends in evolution of enterprise technology.  Rawn Shah wrote an excellent piece recently outlining the move from Mainframe, to Departmental Computing, to Personal Computing, to Internet Computing, to today's Social computing environment.  I think the next in line on the same scale may be Mobile Computing.

It's funny, as I read this list, and the traditional mentions of "Computing", I realize that term has run its course and it really is time to retire the term "Computing" since it has become irrelevant, something reserved for calculations, tabulations, lists, etc.  Ever since the Internet age, it's really about collaboration and connectivity, not computing.

The Enterprise mobile revolution is happening.  A recent Infographic by Zendesk says, of Fortune 500 companies, 80% are deploying or testing iPhones and 65% are deploying or allowing iPads.  Over the next few years, every enterprise will have made major headway into allowing BYOD (bring your own device) linking iPhones, Androids, and iPads into the enterprise systems.  I am convinced that the convenience and serendipity enabled by Mobility makes all the difference in driving engagement of today's Social Enterprise systems being deployed (see my post on the Upside Down Enterprise Portal).

Mobile brings a new dimension to communications.  For me it started with the Palm Pilot back at the turn of the century (I always wanted to say that) when we began to sync with our calendar and contacts to have this information right in our pocket.  I remember the excitement of having my assistant schedule meetings and then watching them "air sync" right to my device, while I was on the road.

Many a corporate road warrior (including me) became completely dependent upon his BlackBerry (or CrackBerry as we called it) in the mid-2000s.  The BlackBerry showed the world that it is very useful to have instant access to calendar, contacts, and now email, all in one device.  An entire generation of boomers and X-ers became proficient at the thumb typing model on the excellent blackberry keyboard. Soon after getting mine, I remember discovering the browser and beginning to do simple web access activities (checking weather, flight times, simple ecommerce) with the very limited and clumsy early blackberry browser.

Then, my life changed when I moved to an iPhone in 2009.  I had just heard a "future of technology" conference speaker refer to this generation of smartphones, not as powerful telephones, but as small / portable computers. The explosion of the Apple app store and those that followed for other platforms (particularly Android) quickly showed the world that these devices could become a major supplement and often a substitute for the laptop computer.  I giggle to myself when I see someone walking between meetings awkwardly carrying his open laptop, trying to preserve his connectivity to the corporate wifi while changing rooms.  That will be a fleeting "sign of the times".

As corporations were finally figuring out the power of social networking platforms, they began to exploit SharePoint, Jive, IBM Connections, Socialcast, Yammer and a host of other Enterprise 2.0 Platforms.  They found they could use these tools to connect a widely dispersed workforce, create rich employee profiles and online communities to meet and work.  The activity stream and microblogging emerged as a way not only to communicate in quick short messages, but to also allow the system itself to inform colleagues of progress being made, milestones being met, and steps taking place along the course of a project.

These platforms are indeed game changing, but as the mobile revolution has been continuing, many of the E20 platform and tool vendors forgot that they were retooling an enterprise based on a 2000 paradigm.  Many were designing with the idea that they needed to connect stationary knowledge workers who only log in from their corporate desktop or laptop.  Their solution to mobility is to allow a worker to connect to the E20 platform from his / her VPN connected laptop.  This severely hampers adoption.  Relying only on the normal 8-5, at the desk, environment for social engagement is truly unnatural.

Each of the collaboration platform vendors recognizes the need for a mobile component and they have been working hard to create that capability.  Like all transformations in technology it moves in steps. They focus most of their effort on the laptop / desktop worker and then "bolt on" the mobile capability as an afterthought.

The game is changing again.  It is time now to create environments that recognize the following facts:

• Workers are mobile, even in their office
• Workers collaborate 24x7
• Firewalls are going away
• Workers will continue to bring their own devices to work
• Tablets will not go away
• Laptops will become much less relevant (like Desktops have)
• Knowledge work is being distributed to external partners

The next generation Social Mobile Enterprise solutions must be designed to allow:

• Mobile access to all corporate services and information assets
• Cloud based storage accessible to all business partners
• Mobile connectivity among the workforce in the same office and across timezones
• Mobile / Social stickiness through "Gamification" engagement models
• Mobile / Social connectivity with equal access for employees, contractors, and business partners

What do you think?  Are you also seeing this trend?  Can you give some examples of what your enterprise is doing or planning in the comments below?     

(By the way, this post was authored on my iPad and edited only iPhone. Only the final upload, graphics and hyperlinks were done with my laptop.)

133 Curated Tweets from April 2011

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It was a hit last month, so here it is again.  My curated list of tweets from April.  As you can see, I focus on Cloud Computing, Twitter, Communities, iPad, Enterprise 2.0, Location Based Services, Gaming, Mobility, Social Business and a few other topics.

My Blog Posts

1. 150+ links, I tweeted in March, all in one place http://bit.ly/gUgKDV  
2. The Upside Down Enterprise Portal  http://lnkd.in/Dj5Dpa
3. Tune In to the Social Web http://t.co/HH2fkdA  

Chat (Twitter Chats)

1. Transcript for last night's #LeadershipChat now available http://ow.ly/4HQlg  on leadershipchat.net
2. Forrester: A webpage w/video is 50x more likely to appear on page 1 Google than 1 w/out http://t.co/nh73FQ7  

Cloud

1. The Future of Microsoft Office is in the #cloud http://dlvr.it/PdKTl  
2. HOW TO: Optimize Your Content for the Cloud http://on.mash.to/e6gi4Y  
3. Message from John Chambers: Where Cisco is Taking the Network http://t.co/1uOLfiI  
4. First look at Microsoft Office 365: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215883/First_look_at_Microsoft_Office_365 

Cloud Crash

1. This Amazon cloud crash is affecting no less than 4 of my daily activities so far! http://t.co/34kz58k
2. Amazon's cloud crash takes many with it http://t.co/34kz58k
3. Amazon's failure continues. I expect this will dampen #cloud euphoria a bit http://t.co/4YH0DPU 

Community

1. Community Managers: What They Do, Why You Need Them -- InformationWeek http://t.co/saLbr0g by @cflanagan
2. More on Community Managers: The Second Leg Of The Social Business Stool http://zite.to/dRkMjG
3. Are you building and managing E2E Communities? http://zite.to/dUeXw0

Enterprise 2.0

1. Corporate Microblogging Helps Employees Migrate Work Convos Online http://bit.ly/f4orbI  
2. Enterprise 2.0: Why All Business Software Must Go Social http://bit.ly/gNregG
3. Are you culturally ready for #e20 / #socbiz? http://cot.ag/fAGsiO  & http://cot.ag/gJl0uB  by @themaria
4. Social Intranet –The Intersection Diagram http://j.mp/kogbZ8  explained very well by @adowbor
5. Social Networking for Business - WSJ http://ow.ly/4GcnC
6. Looking at IBM's collaboration assessment tool: http://ow.ly/4I46c   Compares your best practices with 450 other firms.
7. Creating a Social Intranet Where Your Employees can Learn http://socl.ly/gLEPQp 
8. To bond or to bridge, is that the question? http://t.co/CMPYAbf   by @lammiia 
9. Congratulations to @GuatamGhosh on your move: Joining Social Business and Enterprise 2.0 firm Qontext http://t.co/IlI3diX
10. Beyond Quora: 9 Q&A Services for the Enterprise http://v.zite.com/ia1zxl  
11. 6 Ways to Use Curation for B2B Social Media http://zite.to/gESAo9  
12. Redefining RSS from tech terms to social collaborative behavior terms http://bit.ly/ft9kU5  by @dpontefract 
13. IBM Says Merge your Email into the Activity Stream  http://ow.ly/4ADGg  
14. Open the Activity Stream app on the mobile, see what's important to do that day/right now. http://t.co/8OdWi7q  

Easter

1. Four Lessons From the Resurrection http://t.co/xyaeR57  by @mhmcintyre
2. The Privacy of Jesus http://wp.me/p1jd28-cU

Gamification

1. Gaming the Enterprise, Part 1 of 2 http://bit.ly/humHTb  by Dachis's @tomcummings & @vzrjvy
2. Enterprise gamification http://bit.ly/ilCszu  by @webtechman
3. The purpose of gamification http://zite.to/eJFUkv  

Infographics

1. How Are Mac & PC People Different? [INFOGRAPHIC] http://bit.ly/fzwBgv
2. In the evolution of the mobile operating system, Apple was a late entry. INFOGRAPHIC http://bit.ly/hjUnq5
3. The 5 Best Free Tools For Making Slick #Infographics (by @ambermac) http://feedly.com/k/hRumnc
4. The Winners & Losers of Social Networking [INFOGRAPHIC] http://t.co/3o03kUj  http://yfrog.com/gzumxjrj   

iPad

1. iPad 2 gets glasses-free 3D display using front-facing camera for head tracking: http://aol.it/hUrqbo  
2. 5 Great iPad Social Networking Apps http://bit.ly/euQ8IL  
3. Ten innovative, unusual and just plain cool uses for the iPad: http://bit.ly/eWxH6L
4. News360 iPad App Review http://bit.ly/ezzUA0  new #iPad App gives you photo news in a unique format.
5. Revenge of the iPad? PC market tanks in first quarter: http://bit.ly/fhrTA8
6. Why the iPad Appeals to Older Users: They stick to basics http://bit.ly/g1m2KR  
7. iPad 2 vs. XOOM: sales comparison ugly for Motorola? http://bit.ly/gIvNZf  
8. Report: No Apple iPad 3 in 2011: http://bit.ly/i1mV7o
9. iOS 5 For iPad Features And News http://goo.gl/fb/hfpsZ
10. Ready or Not, iPad, Other Tablets are in the Enterprise http://ht.ly/4F0WP  
11. Sign of the times: iPad 2 heads to Toys R Us http://pulsene.ws/1kDEp
12. Essential iPad Apps For Network And System Admins | Your Network Toolkit http://t.co/uUbTTNw
13. The Best New Apple iPad Productivity Apps http://t.co/XREeJki  
14. Apple may outshine tablet rivals for years http://usat.ly/gUBhQI
15. Have an iPad? Get May edition of @wired iPad app free: http://wired.com/app
16. iPad for Business Round-Up: Tablets Cutting into PC Sales, Doctors Prefer iOS... http://zite.to/fMsLWR
17. One year after iPad: Is Adobe Flash still relevant? http://zite.to/iNtJ6z
18. iPad for Business Round-Up http://zite.to/ksyK4r

Job Search

1. How to Build Momentum in Your Job Search http://pulsene.ws/1ivMh
2. In transition? Great article about networking from HarvardBiz: http://s.hbr.org/h31Rzw  

Location Based Services

1. Promote Your Small Business Blog with the ShareThis Plugin http://is.gd/Ct3d3q
2. Why Location-Based Services Will be the Killer App of the 2012 Elections http://pulsene.ws/1tAs7  
3. Checking out of LBS http://t.co/ac9sTPF  by @peterkim
4. Foursquare in the Enterprise? The Two-Year Lag from Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0 http://zite.to/krqBaO  

Mobility

1. First Look @MapOmatic replaces your mobile map and shows where friends are: http://tinyurl.com/5wfktdx  
2. NYT: Augmented Reality Comes Closer to Reality http://nyti.ms/ikqQIQ
3. In case you missed it: FDA Issues Rules for Mobile Medical Devices http://bit.ly/f8r8BV
4. The 'post-PC era' might be closer than we think http://zite.to/hgjQxc  
5. Mobile Megatrends 2011 http://bit.ly/eIDyuK  
6. I'm getting more and more convinced that mobile will be the "tipping point" for #e20 adoption too http://goo.gl/Pcrio
7. Why we need the mobile, social, intranet... Mind Blowing Mobile Social Media Stats http://goo.gl/Pcrio
8. Employees Are Using Their Own Devices. Is Your Policy Up-to-Date? http://socl.ly/hhLjdY  
9. Square’s Payment Service About To Get A Huge Boost From Apple http://t.co/cocsmzY  swipe a Visa on your iPhone
10. Socialcast Mobile Feature Release – New Android App (beta) and iPhone Updates http://t.co/e2mVT6X
11. What Will the Smartphone Market Look Like in 2015? http://t.co/rP6eLPT
12. iPad and iPhone Really Taking Off In Enterprise http://t.co/SgYWpGD
13. Rumor: White iPhone 4 in June, iPhone 5 in Sept - Bloomberg http://t.co/un2Sozk
14. Now I just stumbled upon this gem of mobile resources from @ppk http://www.quirksmode.org/mobile/  

Other Stuff (unclassified)

1. April Fools 2011: The Big List http://tcrn.ch/hfkZ3e
2. Tech jobs boom like it's 1999 http://usat.ly/eDI5Gs  "Jobs plentiful in Silicon Valley"
3. Good advice in today's WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/e3oaRI 4 Questions CEO's should be asking about IT
4. Amazon, Love The Kindle Ads Idea, But The Right Price Is $99 http://bit.ly/fb2nPn
5. 18 Million WordPress Blogs Compromised In Attack http://rww.to/eU1aLS
6. the rest of the story to the "Jump The Shark" line, http://www.jumpedtheshark.co.uk/  
7. Hole in Plane Leads to Emergency Landing, Twitpic Shows Details http://tinyurl.com/3ubjkfq
8. Had a great briefing on semantic web. Starting to research on http://bit.ly/ehlxzR  & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSHALS
9. Curiosity piqued Royal Wedding lip readers decipher for the rest of us. http://bit.ly/jbYnKx
10. Royal wedding highlights: 5min video [Telegraph UK] http://bit.ly/lny5FQ  

Social Business / Social Media

1. Social business strategies that will take your business from the dark ages to the Renaissance http://bit.ly/9BAcrV
2. Oh, I could get lost here for hours: http://bit.ly/adHbI5  Google Social Circle
3. Social Networking Strategies for Finding More Work http://bit.ly/dHyVKI
4. [blog] social business summit london part 2 http://bit.ly/dXmVbH
5. The tweets are about to start for #sbs2011 Singapore. Read the London tweet archive for a preview: http://bit.ly/eh6YyD  
6. Read the tweet transcript from @dachisgroup #sbs2011 Singapore http://bit.ly/eiawsO
7. Serendipity Happens...insightful preso and post http://bit.ly/eK9pwU  by @anadatagirl
8. Why There Is No Facebook For The Enterprise http://bit.ly/eQEYV0
9. Summarizing Social Business in Asia from #sbs2011 http://bit.ly/fsPb3j
10. From @davegray: I'm open-sourcing all my Connected Company images under a Creative Commons license. Spread the word! http://bit.ly/fu1zji
11. 18 Social Networking Icons http://j.mp/e3lnuk  
12.  @CarlGriffith's #SBS2011 summit summary.  http://j.mp/esGiGN  
13. Social Business Design Cometh http://post.ly/1xsK6
14. Essential #socbiz stuff http://rww.to/dOiNTJ  
15. Authentication, representation, communication, personalization, reputation: 5 Pieces of Online Identity http://t.co/JFC2Z10
16. The flat organization is not a new idea...RWW post on #e20 #socbiz by @klintron http://t.co/nIoCuXR
17. "The 2.0 Adoption Council - Asia Pacific Briefing" May 10, Webinar http://t.co/UCg1iji
18. #sbs2011 reminder... there is a list of Summit presenter's Twitter accounts here http://t.co/XXyzfYT  
19. Why social business is different - Reusing stored collaboration http://zd.net/h5DDZ4  by @dhinchcliffe
20. Google: Larry Page Ties Employee Bonuses To Social Strategy http://zite.to/fdKIdR

Sunday Series

1. Sunday Series: "God Has Dwelt Well with Me" Click 4/10 message: http://bit.ly/9qjoaN  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/kvYDTh  by @DavidGuzik
2. Sunday Series: "Blessed Is The Man..." Click the 02/13 message: http://bit.ly/agsqhz  or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/dNP2rV
3. Sunday Series: "Living the Normal Christian Life" Click the 4/3 message: http://bit.ly/fAmPt4  or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/f3Xgdh
4. Sunday Series: "Why Easter Matters" Click the Easter 2002 message: http://bit.ly/hQLCmq  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/hQMy9l
5. Sunday Series: "Come Join the Dance" Click the 3/13 message: http://bit.ly/hwJfHh  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/ecOHEU

Tablets

1. Admob: 43% of owners spend more time on their tablet than PC http://j.mp/dNlV00  http://yfrog.com/h2508rej
2. Tablet computers as seen from 1994 - http://rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2011/04/tablet-computers-as-seen-from-1994.html  
3. Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet with Honeycomb and an optional stylus to hit this summer | http://t.co/9q7rqQZ  

Tracking Your iPhone Location

1. Reading how to visualize your own iPhone tracking data. Requires OS X. http://bit.ly/hHYJyi  http://yfrog.com/h65nwnxj
2. Disabling location services won’t stop your iPhone from tracking your location http://dlvr.it/PdV3G
3. Here is the Windows version of iPhone Tracker. It works for me: http://huseyint.com/iPhoneTrackerWin/
4. Wall Street Journal take on the iPhone tracking issue: http://on.wsj.com/ePwOW1
5. Steve Jobs: Apple has "never transmitted" precise iPhone location to itself (WSJ) http://on.wsj.com/kTvzVL  "Will testify before Congress"
6. iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go http://t.co/i86jlg6  
7. Stalk Yourself: Use R to Analyze Your iPhone Location Data http://t.co/iRSSYh3
8. 3 Major Issues with the Latest iPhone Tracking “Discovery” http://t.co/YiNOX8f

Twitter

1. OK, so this give's some insight on the shuttering of tweet archiving services: http://bit.ly/f0n5ki  Twitter to make $$$ on APIs
2. Could Twitter Get “MySpaced”? http://bit.ly/f58Sao  
3. Netherlands passes Japan as most Twitter-active country in the world: http://bit.ly/hR6GNW  
4. 10 ways nonprofits should use Twitter http://bit.ly/kTbj3r
5. What Are Twitter Chats and Why Should You Care? http://bit.ly/llit8a
6. Have you seen Fizz? http://fizz.bloom.io/  It visualizes tweets in a way.
7. For Geeks—How to Capture Tweets in Real-time with Twitter's Streaming API http://oreil.ly/hLhBEt
8. Twitter Announces Fire Hose Marketplace: Up to 10k Keyword Filters for 30 Cents! by @marshallk http://t.co/0AJYRzA
9. London 2012 Olympics: it will be a Twitter Olympics – Telegraph Blogs http://t.co/Dxm2tSY 
10. TechCrunch report on Twitter vs. UberMedia battle brewing http://tcrn.ch/hA5tji  http://yfrog.com/gyjdshdj
11. Now I'm beginning to understand. I found my answers from Mr. Google http://www.thechasescene.com/the-usguys/

Tune In to the Social Web

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I often find myself describing the "social web" to my friends.  Many are interested and wonder what I mean.  I go on to describe it with a simple analogy.

The social web is like an engaging radio station, but imagine you have never purchased a radio.  The signals are moving around, there is great music, stimulating talk, and even some good educational content.  Until you get a radio and tune to the station, you will have no idea such interesting and engaging content is out there.  Buy that radio, tune in and presto! You discover a whole world of knowledge and conversation out there that had been passing you by.

The social web is much like that.  Through the combination of tweets and blog posts, there are exciting conversations taking place.  Most likely, you would really get value if only you knew they were taking place, listened in, and were confident in how to add your voice.

I was with a friend the other day who is searching for an high level business development position as a result of the, all to common, "corporate restructuring" of this day.   He is doing all the right things, making phone calls, attending networking events, and polishing up his resume, but he wanted to talk with me about twitter.  How would he get started and what should he do?  I gave him a short but simple tutorial, starting with my radio station analogy.  You see, he wants to join into the conversation about opportunities within his industry.  He wants to plug into the inside story on developing startups in his field and learn of trends and opportunities out in the market.  He just needed to get familiar with the new medium.

I took him through the basics:  get a nicely cropped photo for Twitter, turn off the protected tweets, start following a few interesting people.  I even told him to look for hash tags in his industry and then seek out and follow those interesting people tweeting with those tags. I think he is well on his way to get in on the conversation.

I have seen this repeated many times.  It is rewarding to bring others into the conversation and help them "tune their radios" to the right stations.  There is the blogging Mom who is now joining the conversation, the budding theologian sharing his thoughts through blog posts and tweets, and the computer network professional who is building his business through a reputation for good work ethic amplified by engaging blog posts and tweets.

You don't need a fancy website, a custom domain name, or even Facebook to do this.  You just need to dive into the deep end of the social web, join into the tweet stream, and maybe even blog a bit.  There is a big world out there with hundreds of millions of interesting people.  Why don't you just "tune your radio" to the right station and then join us in the social web.

Next thought...Building your personal brand on the social web.  Stay tuned.

The Upside Down Enterprise Portal

TweetA new type of “citizen editor” is emerging, becoming a trusted source of curated content on the web.

I’m a curator of news. Like many people, I use twitter to gather the latest in technology opinions and developments. My particular interest is Social Business and Mobile gadgetry. Other people follow photography, sports, science or one of any variety of focused niche topics out on the web.

When we find something interesting, we retweet (RT) it to our Twitter followers or share it with our Facebook friends. Sometimes we send it as is, other times we add a commentary and pass it on. Most of the time, we are tweeting links (URLs) to other content. We are sending “pointers,” so to speak, to content that we find interesting on the web. Over time, we gather a following and become a valuable editor or curator of the news. Some turn it into a business like Mashable or Engadget. Others just do it as a hobby and use their “passion” to build relationships with like minded people or those wanting to learn more about that particular subject.

This model of curating information has turned the traditional media on its head. Gone are the days when a few powerful editors of the major print and television news outlets decide what the world should know. Do you remember the days before CNN when just three broadcast networks decided what to share with the public every night on the evening news? Times are certainly different now with many varying outlets to source our information. The real value comes when our “social network” shares what they feel is relevant. A new type of “citizen editor” is emerging, becoming a trusted source of curated content on the web.

On a typical day, I will monitor twitter feeds early and late in the day to catch up on the events, attitudes, and happenings. I have become efficient with the RT (retweet) as a means to share what I am learning. In fact this innate desire to share is driving the explosive growth of the social web.

Twitter has the “ReTweet”, Facebook has the “Like”, and Google just recently announced the “+1”. In fact if you look around, the ability to share is everywhere on the social web. Aging systems have the "email only" share choice, but modern software is being fitted with increasingly sophisticated share mechanisms that make it easy to share relevant content with your Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and a host of other groups.

On my iPad, applications like Zite, Pulse, and even Murdoch's The Daily all build in native functionality to share content that the reader finds interesting. YouTube even does it, but still ignores the "tweet this" option. It really is a new way to promote content and get the word out, taking advantage of the clout and credibility of friends or colleagues to share content that they find interesting within their social circle. Content goes "viral" quickly and takes on a life of its own when friends share it with friends.

So, where am I going with this? I had the "Aha!" moment recently as I was at the office reading news stories from the corporate intranet. I found a great story and wanted to share it with my corporate colleagues (aka followers). The familiar share button I always find on the public web was missing. Why don't we build this share capability into today’s enterprise portal? This new way of the emerging “citizen editor” can be applied to the corporate intranet as a means to share content relevant to the employee masses. It can be done much more effectively than the old Network News model when Corporate Communications comes up with slick stories and pushes it on all the employees.

This “secret sauce” of the modern intranet embraces the same concept. Abandon the old push model and embrace the “citizen editor” or “employee curator” concept as a means to share news and make stories and messages go viral in your company. Engagement goes up, good ideas spread, and information is quickly shared within a healthy collaborative culture.

Do you like the idea? Below is a straw man proposal to consider as you go through the next redesign of your corporate intranet.

Tomorrow's Social Intranet environment should have the following basic building blocks:

• Self Service Employee profile with IM presence
• Microblogging function (See Rawn Shah's Forbes post)
• Ability to follow / friend a colleague
• Corporate and user generated news feeds / articles
• Blogging platform
• Wiki platform (for collaborative authoring)

To make it truly social, add these advanced sharing (curation) abilities:

• Share ideas (tweets) internally with followers / colleagues / or the entire company
• Tweets should include any content on the intranet or internet
• Share button built into all content pages
• Metrics to track number of shares for each piece of content
• Most popular content is automatically featured on the portal home page

To make this content truly accessible it should be available on various form factors:

• Desktop / laptop access for all functions
• VPN remote access for all functions
• Mobile access on all popular platforms (Android, iOS, RIM, …) for limited functions such as news, microblogging, email, calendar, alerts
• Mobile access on employee’s personal devices

Finally along with the technology, there needs to be an equal or greater effort paid to the cultural change needed for a culture of collaboration, trust, authenticity, and transparency.

We are a few years into a revolution of content sharing and creation on the social web. It is only a matter of time before employees demand the same functionality within their corporate intranets. The smart communications officer will see the future being played out on the social web and begin to implement it within the enterprise today.

What do you think? Do you have examples where forward thinking enterprises are doing this already? Do you agree that this is the future? Or do you have another view. Please add your view in the comments below or in your tweets, shares and +1s.

Fully Curated - Tweets from the Month of March

Tweet
I often hear that people enjoy the articles that I share.  I've even been hearing the term "curation" recently.  I know it was a big month for tweets and decided to take a little time to pull together a list of what I curated from my twitter feeds during the month of March.    Here it is in one place...a month full of tweets.


Amazon Locker

1. Amazon faces backlash over music locker service http://goo.gl/ew5KF
2. The Cloud Will Be Your Hard Drive, Despite The Record Labels’ Greed http://t.co/AqzzNNj
3. HOW TO: Use Amazon Cloud Player With iOS Devices http://t.co/zO0J7Om

Apple

1. Rumors: iOS5, iPhone5, iPad3...Cloud-Based iOS 5 This Fall? http://bit.ly/h47fwx 
2. Rumor: iOS 5 will be a 'major revamp,' won't debut until fall http://pulsene.ws/17isK  more heavily cloud-based iOS
3. Apple Releases iOS 4.3.1 http://bit.ly/gYoOC5
4. iPhone 5 rumor central http://t.co/poa3QEk (info graphic) http://yfrog.com/gzmzczcj
5. Apple To Let Users Use Cloud Service To Download Songs To Multiple iDevices http://pulsene.ws/14ebq
6. good post on post-PCness http://www.sampletheweb.com/2011/03/04/dear-apple-youre-not-post-pc-until-you-cut-the-cord/

AT&T

1. Why AT&T Bought T-Mobile http://pulsene.ws/15Lsd
2. One bad company buying another: AT&T buys TMobile http://tinyurl.com/6cfe8j2
3. RWW AT&T Starts Sending Letters to Jailbroken Tetherers, Will Automatically Charge Fee http://rww.to/f1hRLx

My Blog Posts

1. Facebook Today, Reminds Me of AOL in 1998 http://t.co/Kuu6VfM
2. Here's my iPad 2 first impressions blog post http://t.co/yteyHCY
3. My Post illustrating Mobility and Ease of Consumption http://is.gd/DDukd5  

CIO

1. The 4 Personas of the Next-Generation #CIO now on #hbr http://bit.ly/en5EHK?

Cloud

1. Great, simple explanation of Dropbox; http://t.co/2xbw4tO
2. Cloud computing: A market for computing power | The Economist: http://bit.ly/hAlInv

Enterprise 2.0

1. Expertise Location: The Killer App for Enterprise Social Computing http://t.co/aOnkEGR
2. List of Enterprise 2.0 CFP winners is now available #e2conf. Congrats to the winners! http://bit.ly/e63w84
3. good discussion w/ IBM'er on adoption ; The Psychology of Collaboration http://feedly.com/k/dNnqrL
4. Excellent analogy: email vs. SocNets. :Trains, Sliding Doors and Social Networks http://tumblr.com/xhe1qji74d
5. BT Intranet SharePoint 2010 examples http://goo.gl/tSZAS
6. Merck looks to Facebook for employee portal, CSR effort - Medical Marketing and Media http://t.co/EpOHV71
7. Social Business Begins by Unleashing Your Business Talent http://bit.ly/eMfjxc By @elsua
8. The military shows the need for information sharing and local decision making http://t.co/vzXPiu9 post by @BartSchutte
9. Challenges of transforming large, rigid org cultures into agile and aware networks: Great post: http://t.co/kVlkB8r.
10. Awesome, Socialcast evolves the #hashtag for all people to understand - http://is.gd/0P1M5i
11. If true other teams are running plays on field while MSFT is in locker room deciding uniform colors. http://engt.co/h739tL
12. Good advice on social software adoption: http://t.co/tsaf2XE
13. Video: The Conference Call http://post.ly/1gajI
14. Social Intranet – The Intersection Diagram http://t.co/S2taO5l by @adowbor 

EBay

1. eBay acquires GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion http://dlvr.it/Lnhjd

Experts

1. List of Social Intranet, Enterprise 2.0, Collaboration, Engagement, and HR Technology Experts http://ow.ly/4nbeu

Future

1. Gaming for engagement is trending... using game design in non-gaming contexts http://bit.ly/h62xXc
2. How do you become a futurist? http://bit.ly/ik3jKx "claim you are and people either believe you or not" says @rossdawson
3. 1373 Twitter users with "Futurist" in their bios http://bit.ly/eHnL2r
4. [VIDEOS] The latest robots are virtually indistinguishable from people http://bit.ly/esxMLX
5. Very cool #future "day in the life" video (Corning) http://bit.ly/e1PX0U "A Day Made of Glass"
6. Top 10 Dying Industries: Newspapers, Photo Finishing, Record Shops make the list: http://bit.ly/gbVv2g

Google

1. Google copies Facebook's Like Button http://bit.ly/e1iBSY
2. Google Announces New Service for Nonprofits http://is.gd/ZroO4B
3. Half A Billion Blog Posts Later, Google To Give Blogger A Revamp http://dlvr.it/KGBTD

Groupon

1. Groupon moving towards real-time location based coupons. Two buttons: I'm Hungry, I'm Bored. http://Ez.com/grpn
2. CHART OF THE DAY: Watch Groupon Go From 0 To $25 Billion In The Blink Of An Eye http://read.bi/ea2POb

Infographics

1. How Small Businesses Are Using #SocialMedia [INFOGRAPHIC] http://t.co/aQU16xQ
2. The #SocialMedia World Before Twitter And Facebook [Infographic] - http://bit.ly/dQhQHP
3. Infographic of the Day: The Next 25 Years in Emerging Tech | Co.Design http://t.co/7tkiBKB  
4. Who’s Really Scanning All Those QR Codes? [INFOGRAPHIC] http://pulsene.ws/149cx
5. #Tablet comparison #infographic - http://ow.ly/48nMB http://yfrog.com/h06mjvaj
6. nice info graphic on the culture aspect http://dld.bz/Mcyc
7. Should you be on LinkedIn? [infographic] http://bit.ly/dVMvLa
8. How Mobile Shopping Is Changing The World [Infographic] - http://bit.ly/h2UETL

iPad / Tablets

1. 18 Million #WordPress Websites Now Available in #iPad Format http://on.mash.to/g8gY8t
2. iPad to go on sale outside US: Apple Inc to stick to plans to roll out product this week. http://bit.ly/f3wulH
3. BlackBerry Playbook Will Be Available In 20,000 Retailers http://tcrn.ch/feSMBw
4. RT @MacOutfittersPA: Read our new blog post, iPad 2: First Impressions http://bit.ly/fF7zg2
5. 7 Twitter Apps For iPad: http://bit.ly/expOJl
6. Five ways the iPad 2 works on the buyer's subconscious: http://cnet.co/hmQ3RC
7. The Week in iPad Cases: The iPad 2 has landed: All your choices explained http://yhoo.it/dXANhF
8. Apple could face iPad 2 component shortages: http://yhoo.it/i5CNIS
9. This looks like a promising iPad app. http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2011/03/03/100-cameras-in-1-for-the-ipad/
10. Why the iPad is awesome @TreyRatcliff shows off cool photo processing app http://t.co/75XrXU8 100 cameras
11. Equal Time…iPad 2: The Skeptic’s Review: http://bit.ly/gZpzLV
12. iPad 2: A Gaming Machine?: The iPad 2 is out, but is it a good gaming machine? http://bit.ly/dJfilH
13. Dell and HP: Two computer giants prepare for a world no longer dominated by the PC http://econ.st/h3EHnJ
14. Putting iPads To Work -- my guide: http://t.co/6l96oFh by @waltmossberg
15. How To Collaborate With Others Online Using Your iPad http://goo.gl/fb/Y8cuu
16. iPad Essentials for the Network Administrator http://goo.gl/ZDuhg 
17. The 3 Best iPad PDF Markup Apps; - http://goo.gl/CDO1c
18. Interesting: what is in that iPad smart cover: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-2-Smart-Cover-Teardown/5089/1
19. iPad 2 jailbroken, no ETA on public release http://pulsene.ws/158L9
20. Backordered: Total iPad sellout - 70% new buyers: http://bit.ly/gPwzPp Fortune Article
21. So, what's inside the iPad 2? http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad-2-Wi-Fi-Teardown/5071/1
22. IPad2 offers aspiring movie makers the whole package http://usat.ly/hLjX9c via USA TODAY
23. My hunt for the elusive iPad 2 delivers some big game http://zd.net/fc2en4 <-my story in comments
24. Mobile Harmony: iPad 2, Android & Windows 7 http://bit.ly/hh2f2Z
25. Maybe... Here's What's Coming In The iPad 3 (AAPL) http://bit.ly/hTLz0i
26. iPad 2: Thin, Not Picture Perfect My review: http://t.co/KDziWmM #ipad2 by @waltmossberg
27. How does apple really feel about their new Ipad2? Here is the video: http://goo.gl/j4w0J
28. Want a 3G iPad 2 and Own an iPhone? Here's How You Save $130 http://bit.ly/eMRVBe
29. Original iPad Better Than Ever: Here's why. Price and Apps http://fxn.ws/gQjhnm
30. Unleashing creativity in many ways... How the iPad revolution has transformed working lives http://t.co/o7n8t1C
31. Did you write a post on how to transfer your data from your first iPad to your new iPad 2? A. Yes http://bit.ly/id7wLX
32. How To Use iPad 2 | A New User Guide http://t.co/5lTsJJD [massive post on how to use your new ipad]
33. It's Apple's 'post-PC' world -- we're all just living in it. http://r2.ly/7c5j
34. 10 more top 10 reasons to buy an iPad 2 http://bit.ly/i8y2LW
35. An iPad Lover's (Initial) Thoughts On iPad 2 http://tcrn.ch/dH7ujY
36. iPad 2 Rollout Leads to Massive Deflation in Secondary Market http://pulsene.ws/13Rck
37. Watch the iPad 2 March 2nd Event Keynote - http://t.co/RFKqyo0 #iPad2
38. Steve Jobs announces iPad 2 http://bit.ly/hOzJUO #ipad2
39. Watching the live blog: http://engt.co/dV3fmx for iPad2
40. It's iPad day! Faster, slimmer, 2-camera iPad said likely: http://bit.ly/gl74VG <-summary of latest rumors Wednesday, March 02, 2011
41. To take on Apple, new tablets go where iPad won't - http://bit.ly/fq8V1T
42. Check out "The DVD Era Finally Ends – Thanks to the iPad" http://bit.ly/gn2ywA

Japan

1. Japan: whatever happened to the nuclear meltdown? http://bit.ly/hzSUNr March 23
2. Catching up on developments in Japan http://n.pr/h916CQ  March 19
3. These images are just sobering. If you need some perspective click here: http://bit.ly/gTZdVU March 16
4. I don't have words big enough to persuade why you should. The pics from Japan tell that story. http://ht.ly/4f4KT, March 15
5. Cometh the hour http://pulsene.ws/15ihx by @jobsworth, March 14
6. Amazing views of the devastation in Japan http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm March 13
7. Desperation and panic grip Japan (Reuters) http://reut.rs/fIBSrH "Like a scene from a disaster movie"March 12
8. Google is helping to curate info about the Earthquake. http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html March 12

Location Based Services

1. Neiman Marcus Launches Nationwide SCVNGR Challenge http://tinyurl.com/4gjruko

LinkedIn

1. Introducing LinkedIn Today http://t.co/Ya7SBrC

MySpace

1. Amazingly, MySpace’s Decline Is Accelerating http://bit.ly/dHtTFh

Mobility

1. Want to Engage Senior Executives? Think Mobile. http://bit.ly/gbvCjl
2. Nine Powerful Apps That Convert Your iPhone Into A Knowledge Hub http://bit.ly/frB3Nk
3. The Judge Group Launches Mobile Website - March 16, 2011 (Phila) http://ow.ly/1bNwaX
4. March 28, Phila, Mobile Health Forum http://t.co/FbPKijK
5. 90% of the world now lives in a place with access to a mobile network http://goo.gl/KaTzL
6. Hmmm..I need to give this a try... How to build location based app in five minutes, with no coding http://bit.ly/dRQdw4
7. AT&T Confirms Mobile Hotspot Support for iPhone http://bit.ly/fcxKKq
8. The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Mobile: http://su.pr/25JI2F
9. My fav so far is instagram... 22 Ways To Tweet Photos & Images from your iPhone: http://bit.ly/ieWmWv
10. How Mobile Shopping Is Changing The World [Infographic] - http://bit.ly/h2UETL
11. http://ow.ly/4pnph Smartphone use is expected to increase by 50% in 2011

Salesforce

1. Salesforce buys Radian6 / http://tcrn.ch/eXxCsC
2. Salesforce.com buys Radian6, an excellent move! Details http://bit.ly/gDETbH

Social Business Summit

1. RT @joningham: My post on John Hagel session at #SBS2011 http://bit.ly/ijsN27 
2. All the tweets, pics and posts from Social Business Summit Austin: http://jimworth.pbworks.com/w/page/37688605/Social-Business-Summit-2011
3. Reflections on Social Business Summit 2011 - Syndey and Austin http://t.co/wJ0clCl http://yfrog.com/h48b5rp 
4. Social Business Summit 2011 first half round up http://dach.is/gmghEB
5. 2011 Social Business Summit Review http://bit.ly/fjciuO
6. Social Business is Here: Review of the 2011 Social Business Summit Austin http://t.co/z3Atf0C by @andyjankowski
7. Curated #sbs2011 tweet stream, courtesy of @keepstream. http://dach.is/gohoQv
8. check out #sbs2011 to see great feedback on Dachis' first summit in Sydney. Join others near you: http://bit.ly/70rO2V

Social Business

1. Career path of the social business professional - Being Peter Kim http://t.co/FbkXTZV
2. Watching the rise of "Social Business" over Social CRM, Enterprise 2.0. http://yfrog.com/h48t3dj http://bit.ly/hAIkwQ

Sunday Series

1. Sunday Series: "Absolute Truth" Click the 3/21 message: http://feeds.harvest.org/ANB or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/fwqQdt by @greglaurie Sunday, March 27
2. Sunday Series: "Raising The Dead" Click the 3-13 message: http://bit.ly/efUfoz Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/e8gptp Sunday, March 20
3. Sunday Series: How Close Are We? Click the 3/06 message: http://bit.ly/f8lYKw or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/fcxmxy @bridgefm Sunday, March 13
4. Sunday Series: "From Thunder to Love" Click the 2/20 message: http://bit.ly/getBcM Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/faVuYx Sunday, March 06

SXSW

1. 2011 Insights from @bobpearson1845 http://bit.ly/hdPLxn
2. RT @ShannonPaul Blog post - My Takeaways From SXSW Interactive http://bit.ly/ey0sq9
3. SXSW 2011: Great for Networking, But No Technology Breakthroughs http://t.co/zqN2P0n
4. Zappos spreading the #Happiness story w/ new #brand. at #SXSW http://bit.ly/dQNQOS
5. At each SXSW a new technology gains early adopter attention, one contender is groupme http://t.co/tblUkoc

TED

1. Topsy's "Selinah", 1 of 10 amazing "Ads Worth Spreading" from #TED: http://www.ted.com/initiatives/aws/selinah.html
2. Target's "Kaleidoscopic", 1 of 10 amazing "Ads Worth Spreading" from TED: http://on.ted.com/8yFb
3. Intel's The Chase, 1 of 10 amazing "Ads Worth Spreading" from TED: http://www.ted.com/initiatives/aws/the_chase.html
4. TED Ads Worth Spreading: If You Only Watch 10 Ads This Year Make It These http://www.ted.com/initiatives/aws
5. RT @jordanayan Rode in Google's new self-driving car at #TED a highlight of the conference [video] http://budurl.com/TEDcar
6. Here is a link to a detailed story on the amazing kidney printing demo at #TED2011 - http://budurl.com/TEDkid

Trends

1. No one uses the phone anymore http://bit.ly/fuJngc
2. Entire movies compressed into single barcodes http://ow.ly/4au4T
3. "Google before you tweet" is the new "think before you speak" http://bit.ly/newtruthisms
4. Something to do with those old books  Masterful sculptures made from large books. http://bit.ly/eOicoL

Twitter

1. Best practices for the "retweet" http://t.co/xQyjDr7
2. 10 Memorable Tweets From Twitter's Five Years in Existence: http://abcn.ws/eryfvf
3. How do you explain what Twitter is to someone that’s never used it? http://bit.ly/gp6vo4
4. YES!!! Finally got my Twiter https option!!! Everyone should enable it!! http://bit.ly/dLPrFB http://tnw.co/ech1SY
5. Captures reasons why I prefer Twitter to Facebook - http://t.co/PxNPpB2
6. How to do Twitter in 15 minutes a day http://ow.ly/44nz8
7. Paper.li is my fav so far… 4 Ways to Read Your #SocialMedia Updates as Newspaper http://bit.ly/ibgVEs
8. Very Cool: try VisibleTweets - looks great on a large screen! Eg: http://bit.ly/hV0Dvx