StopThinkSocialThe Social Workplacehttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012-02-27T17:37:53ZSquarespaceSocial Media Empowerment (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/2/23/social-media-empowerment-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-02-23T22:00:00Z2012-02-23T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Media Empowerment

How can social media empower employees and what is the impact to the business and the employees themselves?

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 877
  • No. of Contributors = 80
  • Reach = 155,000
  • No. of impressions = 1,900,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) In what way can Social Media empower employees?
Q2) "Social Media" is a term we should be using with employees to improve comms. & engagement. Agree / Disagree?
Q3) Is the understanding of Social Media now playing a key part in the hiring of new employees, regardless of the role?
Q4) In 140 charcters or less, has social Media empowered you more as an employee of your company and how?

 

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>Twitter Tools: What Rocks & Shocks? (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/2/16/twitter-tools-what-rocks-shocks-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-02-16T22:00:00Z2012-02-16T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Twitter Tools: What Rocks & Shocks?

With so many different Twitter tools available, this event discussed what people prefer to use and why, and which ones should be avoided! 

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 861
  • No. of Contributors = 98
  • Reach = 301,000
  • No. of impressions = 3,000,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) For #Twitter chats (like #SWChat ), what user interface do you use and why ?
Q2) What other 3rd party #Twitter tools do you think Rocks (i.e. like) ?
Q3) Are there any 3rd party #Twitter tools you wouldn't use ?
Q4) For the mobile, what is your preferred #Twitter app of choice ?
Q5) Are you for or against #Twitter tools that provide automation (i.e. auto-follow, auto DM etc...) ?
Q6) If you were to design a #Twitter Tool, what key feature(s) would you include ?
Q7) In 140 characters or less, which #Twitter tool could you not do without and why ? 

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>Social Media for Small Businesses - Getting Startedhttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/2/16/social-media-for-small-businesses-getting-started.htmlDavid Christopher2012-02-16T01:48:02Z2012-02-16T01:48:02ZI was recently asked for some advice on how to get started with social media to engage with customers for a small business. I thought I would share that advice with you...

Build a Knowledge Base

It's important you have a point of entry for your customers and with the size of it's user base Facebook is a social platform you cannot ignore. If just starting out, I would use this as your knowledge base where all other forms of social media point to.

Create a buzz about your business

There is no greater tool to create a buzz than Twitter but you need to use it smartly.

Here is what I advise:

  • Start with the basic Twitter web interface to build up that trust and following
  • Identify a hashtag associated with your business that you can use in all your tweets
  • Once you are comfortable with the Twitter concept then I would start to look at third party tools to help organise information, schedule tweets, search on key topics, and engage in conversations. I would recommend Hootsuite as your user interface and something like a Tweepi to help build up a following fast
  • Once you are using a third-party tool like HootSuite, use this to integrate your key messages across all social platforms (there are many many other tools that claim that they can integrate your messages across all social platforms but many hinder rather than help. My advice is keep it simple initially)

Some general social media hints and tips:

  • Use the same avatar across all social platforms
  • Regular tweets are better than a lot of tweets over a short period
  • The general rule of thumb is that if someone follows you on Twitter they will follow back so build up your following by following others. If this was a personal account then I would dissuade you from this approach but as it is a business account you are looking at then I would encourage it
  • Engage in conversation with other people - don't just post / tweet out your own content
  • To build up a following will take time – be patient
  • If people ReTweet your message it is good to thank them (I tend to wait til the end of the week to do this and thank 5 / 6 people in one go). They are likely to retweet it again in the future if you do

Checkout some of my other posts on using Twitter effectively:

 How NOT to Get Twitter Followers
 How NOT to Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel)
 Twitter: Learn to Listen and Stand out from the Crowd

Other Social Platforms to Consider

Once you are more established with the above then there are other social platforms that you should consider:

  1. YouTube – If you have some videos, create a YouTube account and upload them there. You can also use your Facebook and Twitter platforms to raise awareness
  2. SlideShare – This is also a very powerful medium for sharing messages. If you have powerpoints that you would like to share, then SlideShare is a must. Slideshare also has its own social network as well as integrating with Facebook (i.e. people can Like your slideshares)
  3. LinkedIn – This is much more than just a job resource tool now. With 100,000,000 professional people it is now a valuable and resourceful knowledge sharing community. Join communities that relate to your business and start engaging in conversations and building up trust. Once you have done that you can start “advertising” in these communities. It's useful to try and build up a good relationship with the Community Manager as it is the Community Manager that will kick you out if you just "advertise" your own products

There are literally hundreds of different social tools / platforms out there but don't panic!  Start off small, build up that following and most importantly, engage in conversation with people. Afterall, it is people you do business with not tools.

]]>Line Between Social Work & Social Play (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/2/9/line-between-social-work-social-play-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-02-09T22:00:00Z2012-02-09T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Line Between Social Work & Social Play?

With employees beginning to use social media at work, the line between work and play has become a little blurred. This event discussed the risks associated with the use of social media in the workplace.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 897
  • No. of Contributors = 100
  • Reach = 341,000
  • No. of impressions = 4,500,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1: Is the line between social work and social play becoming more blurred, and what are the consequences ?
Q2: Who determines what is to much info to share ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>Twitter Etiquette: Tips & Tricks (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/2/2/twitter-etiquette-tips-tricks-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-02-02T22:00:00Z2012-02-02T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Twitter Etiquette: Tips & Tricks

There are many different approaches to using Twitter, some work and some don't. This event was to share tips & tricks of using Twitter the right way to get the best out of it. 

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 1400
  • No. of Contributors = 157
  • Reach = 501,000
  • No. of impressions = 6,000,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) What does good #Twitter Etiquette really mean ?
Q2) What criteria do you use to follow someone on #Twitter ?
Q3) What's your opinion of the #Twitter auto-follow back feature supplied by many 3rd party products ?
Q4) Are #Twitter auto-DM's useful or a pain and what content should go in them ?
Q5) Should SME's type businesses have a face or a company logo as their #Twitter avatar ?
Q6) <skipped>
Q7) What are your truly really annoying pet hates in the way some people use #Twitter ?
Q8) In 140 characters or less, what key advice do you wish someone had told you when first starting to use #Twitter ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>Social Intranet & Enterprise Social Media (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/1/26/social-intranet-enterprise-social-media-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-01-26T22:00:00Z2012-01-26T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Intranet & Enterprise Social Media

Andy Jankowski of EnterpriseStrategies.com was today's Guest Host.

Andy is an Enterprise Social Media researcher, advisor and public speaker. During the last 16 years he has served as a trusted advisor for several industry leading organizations including Andersen, Ernst & Young, JP Morgan Chase and Oracle. He is a career long student of enterprise communication and collaboration and loves sharing what he has learned. Andy is a frequent conference speaker and an avid road cyclist. He enjoys connecting people and dots.

What is The Social Intranet ?
"I define intranet as, 'an internal website that helps employees get things done'. What makes an intranet social is the addition of two very important elements; Authorship (the ability for everyone to create content) and Connections (the ability to see the people behind the content and connect with them in some meaningful way). These definitions were originally developed by ThoughtFarmer and I think they are spot on. " - Andy Jankowski
What is Enterprise Social Media ?
"Enterprise Social Media I define as social media being used holistically by employees, both for internal and external communications and collaboration, to engage with both other employees and with customers. A social intranet is by definition limited to employee to employee communication behind the firewall. Enterprise Social Media spans both internal and external and breaks down the barrier between employee and customer --- enabling social business" - Andy Jankowski

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 667
  • No. of Contributors = 84
  • Reach = 217,000
  • No. of impressions = 2,000,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) How does The Social Intranet differ from a traditional styled Intranet ?
Q2) What are the business benefits and challenges of implementing a Social Intranet ?
Q3) With the recent explosion of social technologies, can the Intranet (Social or otherwise) survive ?
Q4) What is it that is now making companies embrace the idea of Enterprise Social Media ?
Q5) How do you sell Enterprise Social Media to those leaders whom still show scepticism ?
Q6) How is Enterprise Social Media improving employee engagement ?
Q7) How do you see Enterprise Social Media impacting the general use of email ?
Q8) In 140 words or less, why is Enterprise Social Media the future of business ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>Social Media Policies - Do we need them? (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/1/19/social-media-policies-do-we-need-them-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-01-19T22:00:00Z2012-01-19T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Media Policies - Do we need them?

Companies introduce Social Media Policies to protect the company and the employees, but do they really work? Are they doing more harm than good? This weeks event discussed the pro's and cons and drew some conclusions.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 691
  • No. of Contributors = 72
  • Reach = 167,000
  • No. of impressions = 2,100,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) Are Social Media Policies in place to protect the employee, the company or both ?
Q2) Isn't the use of Social Media just common sense and introducing a company policy doing more harm than good ?
Q3) Can a company really police and enforce a Social Media Policy with it's employees ?
Q4) What should go in, and what should be left out, of a company's Social Media Policy ?
Q5) Have you (or someone you know) ever breached your company's Social Media Policy and what was the consequence ?
Q6) Are employees fearful of mentioning their company by name in their Social Media circles in case there are repercussions ?
Q7) In 140 characters or less, do you think social media policies are a good thing and if so why, and if not why not ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Focus on the Easy Adopters, the Rest will Followhttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/1/17/focus-on-the-easy-adopters-the-rest-will-follow.htmlDavid Christopher2012-01-17T21:57:08Z2012-01-17T21:57:08ZSocial adoption strategies are not easy to implement in ANY business, and if anyone tells you differently they are lying!

The reason?

How can you convince people to change their communication and collaboration processes and implement a new social business infrastructure, when in their eyes the current model is not broken?

Let's see if any of these arguments sound familiar to you...

"What is the ROI of 'Being Social in the Workplace' anyway?"

"Social? That means I need to learn even more tools huh?"

"So you want my workforce to spend all their time on Facebook?"

"I'm already social, I sent a tweet last year"

These are what we call Social Barriers, the human instinct blockers based on fear.

Overcoming the fear of change is not easy and yes it is a generation thing. The younger generation are entering business with a good knowledge and understanding of social without the added baggage of pre-defined traditional business processes. Adoption is therefore natural and unforced.

So how do you overcome these Social Barriers in the workplace?

Focus on the Easy Adopters, the rest will follow...

There are are couple of ways to face these Social Barriers, and deliver a social adoption strategy:

  1. Face them head on - provide use cases, and counter arguments to defend your position and show that 'Being Social' is nothing to be afraid of. Convince them that it will INCREASE the productivity of your workforce, IMPROVE the collaboration opportunities and STREAMLINE their communications
  2. Focus on the Easy Adopters, the rest will follow - work with those in the organisation who see the vision and are ready and willing to change. This will help you refine your social adoption strategy and create new Ambassador's. The more Ambassador's you have the easier the Social Barriers will come down

The latter is an approach I have had a lot of success with, which has also helped influence C-Level buy-in.

You could choose either of these approaches or you can do both in parallel, just don't be afraid to change tactics if you find an approach is not working for you.

Every business WILL go social, it's just a matter of when, and how you approach it...

]]>Social Leadership (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/1/12/social-leadership-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-01-12T22:00:00Z2012-01-12T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Leadership

Lisa Petrilli and Steve Woodruff were today's Guest Hosts

Lisa Petrilli Bio: Lisa empowers C-suite executives and emerging leaders to create clear, compelling, inspiring visions for their companies and teams in order to transform them and grow them exponentially, and to then bring these visions to fruition with clear and aligned strategies. Check out www.lisapetrilli.com for more info on Lisa.

Steve Woodruff Bio: Steve is the Connection Agent helping to create Opportunity Networks, via a growing community of talented people worldwide. Check out www.stevewoodruff.com for more info on Steve.

As well as their day jobs, both Lisa and Steve host the #LeadershipChat Tweet Chat every Tuesday at 8pm ET which is a phenomenal event and one not to be missed.

The Social Workplace
A socially connected company where collaborative working across geographical locations, lines of business and management chains is second nature, enabling innovative solutions to every day business challenges
Social Leadership
Ambassadors of The Social Workplace. Leading by example the necesssry change in behaviours required to improve communications, learning, productivity, and all round engagement through the better use of social tools

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 725
  • No. of Contributors = 87
  • Reach = 227,000
  • No. of impressions = 2,500,000

Summary

Full Transcript Report via @hashtracking

Questions Asked

Q1) How do you see Social Leadership differing from the more traditional styles of leadership ?
Q2) Some companies are reluctant to adopt a Social Leadership infrastructure. Why do you think that is ?
Q3) What type of people do you see embracing Social Leadership and what type do you see fearing it ? 
Q4) Are introverts more comfortable with the style of Social Leadership than the more traditional forms of Leadership ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Gamification (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2012/1/5/gamification-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2012-01-05T22:00:00Z2012-01-05T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Gamification

Topic chosen by Miranda Gray (@mirgray) on "Gamification:  Is it a useful way to get people involved in social media behind the firewall?"

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 400
  • No. of Contributors = 39
  • Reach = 126,133
  • No. of impressions = 1,320,630

Summary

Top 10 Tweets

Questions Asked

Not available

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Humanize - Succeeding in the Social World (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/29/humanize-succeeding-in-the-social-world-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-29T22:00:00Z2011-12-29T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Humanize - Succeeding in the Social World

Maddie Grant and Jamie Notter were today's Guest Hosts, authors of Humanize!: How People Centric Organisations Succeed in a Social World

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = 400
  • No. of Contributors = 49
  • Reach = 227,000
  • No. of impressions = 1,690,296

Summary

Top 20 Tweets

Questions Asked

Not available

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Social Business Planning & Tools (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/22/social-business-planning-tools-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-22T22:00:00Z2011-12-22T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Business Planning & Tools

This was an UnChat event, where questions were posed by participants. Questions today were submitted from @AceOfSaves, Millie LeTori and Shirley Ayres

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 34
  • Reach = 55,326
  • No. of impressions = 930,121

Summary

Top 10 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) Are businesses doing Social Business Planning and if not, should they ? via @AceOfSaves
Q2) What does #socialmedia mean for future work styles, flexible working etc ? via Millie Letori 
Q3) What advice/resources/tools would you recommend for people totally new to using #socialmedia channels ? via @shirleyayres

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Managing Information through The Social Revolution (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/15/managing-information-through-the-social-revolution-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-15T22:00:00Z2011-12-15T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Managing Information through The Social Revolution

With so many conversations and sharing of content taking place on social platforms, this event looked at how we can manage our information flows.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 47
  • Reach = 119,342
  • No. of impressions = 1,519,574

Summary

Top 25 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) InfoGlut: "Inability to make business decisions due to too much information". Is #socialmedia a cause or cure ?
Q2) How do you manage your own InfoGlut and what recommendations would you give to others who suffer ?
Q3) Does there need to be a balance between pushing out content vs listening / engaging with people ?
Q4) If you were to start again with #socialmedia, what would you do different to better manage your information flows ?
Q5) In 132 characters or less, what would you say to thoese who feel #socialmedia is nothing more than a distraction ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>The Fear of Going Social (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/8/the-fear-of-going-social-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-08T22:00:00Z2011-12-08T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

The Fear of Going Social

More and more organisations are looking to use social media inside the enterprise to improve communications and collaboration, but many still are fearful. This events looks at why and how the fear barrier is being addressed.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 48
  • Reach = 248,357
  • No. of impressions = 2,109,337

Summary

Top 25 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) Whom in the organisation are most fearful of "Going Social" behind the firewall and why ?
Q2) What are the risks of letting those fears hold back the natural evolution of employee engagement ?
Q3) Fear is an emotional response. Why do we let fear overrule logic and rational arguments for "Going Social" ?
Q4) It's clearly time to face those fears. But where do we start ?
Q5) If you had 132 characters to convince your CEO "Going Social" is critical to their business, what would they be ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>The Silent Voice of the Introvert Leaderhttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/3/the-silent-voice-of-the-introvert-leader.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-03T11:52:07Z2011-12-03T11:52:07ZI will never be promoted....

Maybe it's my lack of intelligence? - ok, I'm never going to find the solution to world hunger or discover a cure for the common cold but I consider myself of reasonable intelligence.

Maybe my visionary skills are ineffective or I'm incapable of developing flexible business strategies to meet ever changing marketing conditions? - actually this is what I do, I love it, and I'm pretty damn good at it (so I am told).

It must be my poor leadership skills then - well no. I manage to deliver on my vision with very limited resources through influencing virtual people who have the same passion as I do. And virtual leadership is considered one of the hardest qualities to master.

Then it has to be my lack of passion and unwillingness to take on additional responsibilities - actually it's neither of these either. I have three high profile roles, two of which I asked to take on and my Sponsor keeps highlighting my passion as an incredible trait and the ability I have to just make things happen regardless of any obstacles.

So if it's not lack of intelligence, ineffective visionary skills, incapability to develop business strategies, poor leadership skills, lack of passion or unwillingness to take on additional responsibilities then why after seven years of over achieving have I not been promoted?

It's because I'm an introvert.

Introversion

I like getting energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I'll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the ideas of something better than the real thing.

The following statements generally apply to me:

  • I am seen as "reflective" or "reserved"
  • I feel comfortable being alone and like things I can do on my own
  • I prefer to know just a few people well
  • I sometimes spend too much time reflecting and don't move into action quickly enough
  • I sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if my ideas really fit the experience
(extract taken from Lisa Petrilli's eBook The Introvert's Guide To Success in Business and Leadership helping to identify if you are an introvert)

It's strange, I never realised until I read Lisa Petrilli's The Introvert's Guide to Success in Business and Leadership eBook yesterday that I was an introvert (I mean as a label). And the fact I organise social gatherings and speak at events would suggest that I am more of an extrovert than in introvert. But I do these things because I don't want introversion to hold me back, I won't let it.

Now, if you were expecting me to start slating my employer I am sorry to disappoint. I want to make it very clear this is not my employers problem, this is my problem. If I want to progress I need to first accept that I am an introvert and secondly learn how to work with it. After all I cannot join a rugby team and expect them to change to play football because it's what I prefer. The corporate playing field is set and I if I want to play then I need to adapt to their game not the other way round.

You might find it ironic that a Social Media Business Leader such as myself can hold such a position being an introvert. The very name suggests a contradiction to the fact, but I am starting to realise this is more common than you might think. See if any of the following relate to you:

  • You are quieter than normal in large meetings
  • You don't like being put on the spot to respond or provide input in a public forum without having time to digest and think of a suitable response
  • Attending conferences scares the hell out of you
  • After a conference, or all day meeting with a large group of people, you need to be by yourself and get some down time (sometimes days)
  • You avoid networking opportunities of any kind, and prefer your own company to the company of others
  • You find it hard to accept praise from others

So can an introvert be a leader?

Absolutely.

I consider myself a leader but understanding that I am an introvert and learning how to manage it with the help of people's views and insights like Lisa Petrilli can make me a better leader. And maybe one day I will finally get that promotion. But the important thing is I now realise I am not alone, that there are other introvert leaders out there and that it is possible for an introvert like myself to achieve. The important thing is to not let introversion hold you back.

Introverts have a voice. It may not be as loud as those other voices around you but even the silent voice of an introvert has something to say and we need to take the time to listen...

 

FOOTNOTE

Lisa Petrilli's The Introvert's Guide To Success in Business and Leadership eBook is a must if you consider yourself an introvert who wants to succeed in business or in life for that matter. But it is also essential reading for extroverts to understand how to better lead those introverts in your team. I found it an invaluable read and beautifully written.

Source: The Introvert's Guide to Success in Business and Leadership (http://www.lisapetrilli.com/the-introverts-guide/) by Lisa Petrilli

]]>Social Collaboration - Evolution or Revolution? (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/12/1/social-collaboration-evolution-or-revolution-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-12-01T22:00:00Z2011-12-01T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Social Collaboration - Evolution or Revolution?

Social collaboration is fast becoming the norm in business but is it evolution or a revolution? This event discussed which it is and why.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 33
  • Reach = 99,409
  • No. of impressions = 807,729

Summary

Top 20 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) How do you interpret the term social collaboration ?
Q2) How does social collaboration differ from social networking ?
Q3) What impact is social collaboration having on knowledge exchange ?
Q4) Does management fear or embrace social collaboration ?
Q5) How does social collaboration impact productivity and efficiency in the workplace ?
Q6) Does social collaboration breed innovation ?
Q7) Is social collaboration in the workplace natural evolution or a work style revolution ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

Next Event | Schedule | Reminders | Archive | Advisors | Q&A | About | 

]]>Can The Workplace Survive Without Email? (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/11/17/can-the-workplace-survive-without-email-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-11-17T22:00:00Z2011-11-17T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

Can The Workplace Survive Without Email?

Email is a massive drain on resources and people's time. With many conversations taking place now on social platforms, can email survive in the digital age?

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 47
  • Reach = 108,287
  • No. of impressions = 1,059,974

Summary

Top 21 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) Is email reduction / removal just communication displacement to another platform and therefore offers no real value ?
Q2) What's stopping your company transitioning from email to a social communications platform today ?
Q3) Your MD decides to replace your company email server with a social comms platform in 3 years. How would your employees react ?
Q4) If you had to define an Email Charter, what top 3 tips would you like to see in it ?

Shared Reference Material

 

Useful #SWChat Links

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]]>The Barriers of The Social Workplace (#SWChat)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/11/10/the-barriers-of-the-social-workplace-swchat.htmlDavid Christopher2011-11-10T22:00:00Z2011-11-10T22:00:00ZThanks to everyone who took part in this weeks Social Workplace Twitter Chat event (#SWChat).

The Barriers of The Social Workplace

Being Social in the workplace is still a new concept and many companies are holding back. This event looked at those barriers and how they can be overcome.

Event Statistics

  • No. of Tweets = not available
  • No. of Contributors = 38
  • Reach =  not available
  • No. of impressions =  not available

Summary

Top 10 Tweets

Questions Asked

Q1) What barriers do you encounter when creating The Social Workplace ?
Q2) How do you overcome those barriers ?
Q3) Is Social Sponsorship and Social Leadership a necessity in creating The Social Workplace ?
Q4) What makes a good social evangelist / leader ?

Shared Reference Material

  • n/a

 

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]]>How NOT To Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel)http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/11/7/how-not-to-get-twitter-followers-the-sequel.htmlDavid Christopher2011-11-07T01:10:54Z2011-11-07T01:10:54ZAfter the huge readership of my blog post How NOT to Get Twitter Followers, I just had to do a follow up. However, I just want to clarify that I am referring to the use of Twitter for business purposes in my observations and not as a personal account.

How NOT to Get Twitter Followers (The Sequel)

1. Taking It Personally

I follow lots of people, regularly, whom I think may have something interesting to say or may add some value around my chosen subject matter - The Social Workplace. I'm always on the look out for good content that expands my knowledge or I can share with my followers.

However, if after a period of time it appears you are adding little or no value to my stream, than I may choose to unfollow you - BUT it's nothing personal, it's just business.

2. Not Listening Or Engaging With Others

In my previous post I stated that you should listen more... BUT I now think a metric is needed to guide people. Listening three times as much as you push out your own content is a good starting point, but the more you listen the more knowledgeable you will become.

There is nothing more frustrating than someone who constantly pushes out their own content ignoring the great content around them (see Twitter: Learn to listen and stand out from the crowd...).

Pie Theorem: For every piece of the knowledge pie you share you will receive two slices in return. You don't always need to be the baker...

3. Blah Blah Blah In Your Bio

Your Twitter bio should be your sales pitch of who you are if you introduce yourself to someone for the first time. If you waffle, or are too vague, then I don't have the time or patience to delve deeper to find out if you are indeed worth following.

Make it easy for people to want to follow you.

(Example Bio I saw today: "Walking tight-ropes and eating kittens. It's what I do. " - huh????)

4. Re-Tweeting The Same Content Constantly

I know a Twitter stream can be fast flowing sometimes and your followers may miss Tweets from time to time. It is therefore ok to Re-Tweet your content, but not again and again and again.

5. Expecting A Follow Back

There is this myth that if you follow someone you MUST follow them back. Why? Where does it say that in the Twitter handbook? I don't care about the quantity of followers I have, I am much more interested in the quality of content they can provide me and my followers.

If you follow me expecting an auto-follow back, go and follow someone else.

6. Putting Quantity Over Quality

Tweeting quality content infrequently is going to get my attention much more than Tweeting rubbish content all of the time. Whilst this may seem like obvious addition to the list, if you look at your own stream you will see many people do not follow this advice.

7. Not Giving Credit

Removing the original Tweeters name from a Re-Tweet is a big no no no no! This can be give the impression that you are stealing someone else's content (whether that is your intention or not) and is a quick way to get blacklisted by the Twitter community.

8. Only Re-Tweeting Other People's Stuff

If all you are doing is Re-Tweeting other people's content, why am I following you? I may as well just follow those people instead.

Be original and interesting...

9. Tweeting Broken Links

Sending out broken links can be so frustrating for the recipients of your Tweet. Whilst this is often caused by the re-shrinking of links that have already been shrunk, it is still your responsibility to ensure the content you distribute is valid.

Always check any links that have been shrunk before you Tweet your content.

10. Paying Too Much Attention To Your Klout Score

I know this is the complete opposite of the previous number 10 option in my original post.

However, there has been significant changes recently to Klout's algorithm's in the way they measure influence which has left many of us confused and infuriated. For this reason, all the credibility Klout had established has been lost and will take some time for users to accept this once again as a reasonable measure of influence.

SOME FINAL PEARLS OF WISDOM (REPEATED)

Remember, your Twitter account is just an extension of you and your business - a great social communication channel in a very public arena. Take Twitter seriously and treat the people that follow you with respect. Who knows where that next lead or opportunity will come from...

Source: How NOT To Get Twitter Followers (http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/7/3/how-not-to-get-twitter-followers.html) by David Christopher
Source: Twitter: Learn To Listen And Stand Out From The Crowd (http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/6/21/twitter-learn-to-listen-and-stand-out-from-the-crowd.html) by David Christopher

]]>So long and thanks for all the fish #SWCONFhttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/11/3/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish-swconf.htmlDavid Christopher2011-11-03T23:29:26Z2011-11-03T23:29:26ZThe first Social Workplace Conference held by Crexia and chaired by Jon Ingham has come to an end and what a conference.

David Christopher on stage at #SWConf 2011There's nothing like leaving a conference feeling inspired, not only by some of the speakers presenting their own case studies but by some of the delegates as well.

Going on first is always a daunting task (it's a little like the comedian who goes on first to warm up the crowd for the other comedians), but it did give me the chance to sit back and enjoy the other presenters.

For the first part of my presentation people were clearly thinking "my, how that Lee Bryant has let himself go. He used to be so slim..." until they realised that we had a dodgy clicker that wouldn't change slides.

Unfortunately the speakers hall was only half full when we first started due to London traffic issues, and atmosphere was a little reserved. But as people started to arrive the atmosphere improved greatly and the two tweeting walls worked a treat to capture questions and share highlights.

7 Steps to Social Adoption (click to enlarge)There were a few ripples of laughter at my Social Media in Business: It's just a bunch of tools right? Slideshare where it highlighted that the IT department recognised the need for a social networking platform and deployed it quickly. I really cannot fathom why people thought that was funny (ahem!)...

Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to talk more about Open Collaboration to truly engage employees through passive contribution to projects. Maybe next time.

Lee Bryant from Headshift was next on the stage talking about humanising social technologies, followed by Benjamin Ellis from SocialOptic who talked about many things including gamification. Benjamin certainly knew how to interact with the crowd and was probably my favourite speaker of the day.

Martin Couzins from itsdevelopmental grabbed myself and Benjamin just before lunch to do a quick duo interview via his iPhone which was actually a lot of fun.

After lunch we had the outspoken and flamboyant Elizabeth Lupfer from Verizon who was wearing the biggest heels i have ever seen and which probably contributed to her nearly falling over before reaching the stage. Elizabeth talked about "The House that Social Built" which was a different perspective to approaching social.

There were a couple of panel sessions either side of Jon Mell (whom did a great job providing a social insight to IBM) which did seem a little disorganised and confusing, reinforced by some of the faces of the panel. However there were some great points made, particularly the first panel on Social Media and Employee Communications.

However the fact that Jenni Wheller was on this first panel was of great disappointment to many of us.....we had lost our ferocious wall twitterer. This meant it left some of us with sore thumbs trying to tweet on our smart phones attempting to fill the twitter void she had left.

If you want to view the keynote presentations then you can view them on Slideshare:

Finally, I did meet some fantastic people at the conference which I do hope to stay in touch with and whom will hopefully be able to attend the Social Hangout event I will be hosting shortly in Reading.

Apart from the 3 hour drive back (which would normally only take an hour) it was a phenomenal day and a big thank you goes to Vic Okezie of Crexia and Adam Britten for all their hard work in setting up the event. I'm looking forward to the next Social Workplace Conference now in May 2012.

]]>#SWCONF is nearly here...http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/10/23/swconf-is-nearly-here.htmlDavid Christopher2011-10-23T22:31:14Z2011-10-23T22:31:14ZI'm sooooooo excited....

Why?

The Social Workplace Conference (#SWCONF) in London is just over a week away!

This is a great looking conference with some fantastic speakers which I have admired for many years. I am truly honored to be the opening keynote at this conference, which has made me work even harder to ensure i bring great content. And I promise NO death by powerpoint!

But what do I choose to talk about? :

  • The Oracle journey of Social discovery?
  • Why being social in the enterprise is no longer just a nice to have but a critical component of how we need do business?
  • How to gain senior management buy-in to create The Social Enterprise?
  • Is Social Media really ther right term we should be using?
  • How to develop Social Readiness and mature your Social Business Infrastructure?
  • How traditional and social communications can and need to co-exist?
  • The death of email is coming...

All the above I will cover but there is one topic that I am so passionate about which I have been working on for the last 3 years that I have to talk about - OPEN COLLABORATION.

OPEN COLLABORATION for me is at the heart of The Social Enterprise and it is what's going to change behaviours in the workplace.

If you don't know about this conference then check out the details over at #SWCONF and if that doesn't whet your appetite then check out my interview with Vic Okezie - Social Media behind the Firewall

If you haven't got your tickets yet for the conference and are thinking of going, then hurry there is currently a 20% discount if you quote the code TWITTER20.

Hope to see you there...

Source: Social Media behind the Firewall (http://www.crexia.com/social-media-behind-the-firewall) by Vic Okezie

]]>The Death of Email by 2018http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/7/7/the-death-of-email-by-2018.htmlDavid Christopher2011-07-07T00:45:48Z2011-07-07T00:45:48Z

By 2018 email as we know it today will be a thing of the past. Will I be proved to be a:
GENIUS
 or FOOL
Fool?
Time Remaining:

In September 2008 I predicted the death of email as we know it within 10 years, to be replaced by something more collaborative in the social world we now find ourselves living in.

When I first made this death of email prediction people laughed in my face, literally.

Don't get me wrong I don't dislike email, it's a great linear communication tool but it has limitations in today's world particularly when we talk about collaboration.

Does this sound all too familiar?

An email arrives in your inbox that has been sent to 30+ people asking for feedback on the attached PowerPoint presentation. Person A responds with a 'reply to all' message with their feedback. Person B comments on their feedback with a 'reply to all'. Person C responds with a 'reply to all' adding their feedback on the presentation. Person C also responds with a 'reply to all' commenting on the feedback of Person A and Person B and so it goes on.... Before you know it there is a discussion going on in your inbox and you now have 50 unread emails that were not there when your meeting first started an hour ago.

Factoid: According to the Radicati Group, the average corporate user sends and receives 110 emails a day. If we say it takes on average 90 seconds to either read or write an email, that equates to 2 hours 45 mins a day or nearly 14 hours a week on email.

I spend more time on email than I do with my family.

These days companies are always looking to increase productivity of their employees and for them to be more efficient, whilst needing to communicate and collaborate more easily. Spending 14 hours a week on email is no longer an acceptable working practice.

Was the Death of Email crazy prediction really that crazy?

Let's be clear, life did exist before email and businesses did function (I know the thought of the death of email brings some of you out in a cold sweat).

If you look how technology has evolved over the last forty years since email was introduced, and how it has influenced behavioural changes in the way we communicate and collaborate, it stands to reason that at some time in the near future email will become a thing of the past.

If we only look back five years to July 2006, the first tweet was sent which begun to evolutionise how we communicate. Today there are over 200 million users generating in excess of 200 million tweets a day and handling over 1.6 billion search queries a day on Twitter. This is being used by many as an alternative communication channel (not replacement) to company emails.

Facebook was opened to the public in September 2009. Three years later it has 200 million users and today it has reached over 600 million users. It has also recently introduced an alternative to email that they brand as "definitely not email".

Google Wave came and went in 2009/2010 but the concept of an alternative to email was born. A lot of media hype around the failure of this was down to product and the fact that people didn't get it. However there are other allegedly conspiracy theories around this, one being that it was pulled by Google because they felt it was competing against it's own Gmail product. Personally, I think they just under-estimated the cultural change of such an innovative concept.

Google+ (Google Plus) is the latest social platform currently in soft launch mode and soon to be released, which could see it also competing against the standard email.

Maybe the death of email is not as far away as we think....

Check out this incredible video by Red Sky Vision who have talked to a number of companies (Able and How, CorpComms Magazine, Melcrum, Headshift to name a few) about how social media in the workplace is changing their communications:

The speed at which new social technologies are being introduced is growing exponentially and it won't be long before the replacement for email will arrive (or maybe it already has).

For me personally, I cannot wait until that day and stand by my crazy prediction that this will happen before the end of 2018.

]]>How NOT to get Twitter followershttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/7/3/how-not-to-get-twitter-followers.htmlDavid Christopher2011-07-03T20:37:13Z2011-07-03T20:37:13ZMy Twitter stream is an essential part of my business and my life (yes I have the S.A.D disease where there is no cure). I have put an extraordinary amount of time into identifying the right knowledge flows that are both inspirational and informative to me and my business.

Whilst building up my Twitter stream there were certain idiosyncrasies that instantly put me off following someone. I thought I would share these with you in the form of How NOT to get Twitter followers, as I am sure I am not alone here in my thoughts.

Disclaimer: These are based on using your Twitter account for business purposes not for personal use (though many of the idiosyncrasies would still come into effect for personal use too!)

How NOT to get Twitter Followers

1. Don't use your own Human Face as your Twitter Avatar

These are just some of the classic examples I came across:

  • Using your pet - People do business with people not with their pets. Am I really going to take you seriously if I am tweeting with Mr. Snuffles?
  • Adding funny clown hats and fake moustaches - Why on earth????
  • Using your company logo - unless you are a well established enterprise, then I would not recommend this. I am more likely to build a relationship with you when I see a human face than a nice company logo
  • Using the default Twitter Avatar - To me this shows you don't understand how social media or business works. Therefore I am unlikely to contact you....ever
  • Using a cartoon image - Hahahaha but I am not going to contact you...
  • Using a picture of your loved one or baby - Awww isn't that sweet....still not going to contact you.....
  • Using a provocative picture - Yes I may contact you but not for the reasons you would like me to....

2. Starting your Twitter Bio with Personal Stuff

Yes, you maybe a proud dad of two and a wonderful husband, but don't include that in your bio. Your Twitter bio has a limited number of characters - use it wisely to give a good impression of you and your business.

If you MUST add that info, add it at the end never at the beginning. I'm busy, I might only read the first 5 words of your bio before making a decision to follow you or not.

3. Having an Animated Twitter Avatar

If the thought is that you will stand out from the crowd, you succeeded. But not for the reasons you would like me to think. You want your tweets to stand out from the crowd not your Avatar!

(I saw one recently with a rotating head - WHY????)

4. Using Strange Twitter Names

Having Twitter names like "ILuvSocialMedia" or "Ifollowbaccc" is an immediate put off for me. I want a face and a name to do business with. Which leads me nicely on to my next idiosyncrasy...

5. Including Follow Back in your Twitter Bio

Adding "I'll follow you back" in your bio is a big no no. I don't want anyone to follow me back just because I follow them. I follow people because I hope they will be inspirational and informative in their tweets to me and I continue to follow when they do. I hope my followers think the same of me.

(btw If you are that desperate for friends, go down to your local pub and buy everyone a drink!)

6. Adding words like "Expert" and "Guru" to your Twitter Bio

Only other people can call you an expert or guru. If you include it in your bio it suggests you need convincing of the fact not others (bit of Sigmund Freud deep thinking here...)

7. Not Tweeting Regularly

If you don't tweet regularly you either have nothing to say or you don't understand social media. Either way why would I want you in my Twitter stream?

8. Tweeting about Personal Stuff

Some personal stuff is ok, it shows a human side to you and your business. But if you do it regularly I will unfollow you. My advice is to use Facebook for your personal stuff, or at the very least have a separate Twitter account for personal stuff so if people are interested they will follow your personal account.

9. Not Listening or Engaging with Others

If you are just constantly pushing out your own content and not listening to, or engaging with me then why would I continue to follow you? (see my previous post Twitter: Learn to listen and stand out from the crowd...)

10. Ignoring your Klout Score

Ok, this might be a contentious inclusion here whilst it is still in beta mode, but I believe Klout will play an influential role on Twitter when it comes to business (see http://klout.com/). Where there is an over-crowded market in what you and your business have to offer, what is going to make you stand out from the crowd?

Klout will show how other people perceive you and how influential you are when it comes to your area of expertise. This could be the deciding factor when all other things are equal.

Some Final Pearls of Wisdom

Remember, your Twitter account is just an extension of you and your business - a great social communication channel in a very public arena. Take Twitter seriously and treat the people that follow you with respect. Who knows where that next lead or opportunity will come from...


]]>Twitter: Learn to listen and stand out from the crowdhttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/6/21/twitter-learn-to-listen-and-stand-out-from-the-crowd.htmlDavid Christopher2011-06-21T01:45:00Z2011-06-21T01:45:00ZI am becoming more and more frustrated with Twitter. Not the technology but how people use it.

We all have to stop using Twitter just to push out our own content and start using this social platform as a great opportunity to share the knowledge and engage in conversation with others. After all, social media is supposed to be about people! In short, let's learn to listen and stand out from the crowd...

Learn to listen and stand out from the Crowd

Let me give you an example.

I have a number of SEO specialists in my Twitter stream. They have been chosen because I believe they can add value to me and my followers. I want to be in a position to share their experience and knowledge to help foster future relationships.

Today I needed some SEO advice myself. I needed to know if cached pages in search engines had to be manually refreshed if I updated previous blog posts to improve key word optimisation.

So I put a shout out.

I received only one response referencing how they made lots of money off the internet (spam). I sent a similar message again an hour or so later and no responses.

In between these two tweets of mine, one of the SEO specialists in my stream tweeted:

Get FREE SEO services today

...and a few other SEO specialists also pushed out content advertising their services.

If any of these SEO specialists had engaged with me in conversation and responded to my question, who knows where that conversation may of led. Maybe an opportunity for business now or in the future, or at the very least I will remember them as being responsive and extremely helpful and pass on their details to others.

These are missed opportunities.

So here are my top 3 tips for businesses using Twitter:

1. Learn to listen

Your Twitter stream is a valuable commodity, chosen by you because you believe the people you are following can add value to you. Make the effort to listen. I would advise spending a minimum of 30% of your Twitter strategy listening to what others are saying.

2. Engage in conversation

As you begin to listen, start engaging in conversations. Build up a rapport with those you are following and make the time to read and comment on their content. Particularly look out for "shout out's" (people asking for help) and try to help them. If you cannot help them directly, do you know someone in your stream that might? If so, connect these people. This will earn you respect and a great contact to follow.

3. Share the knowledge

Remember the Pie Theorem in my last post:

For every piece of the knowledge pie to share, you will receive two slices in return

Don't be afraid to share your pearls of wisdom when engaging in conversation. This will also earn you respect and a reputation to be proud of, which could lead to potential future business opportunities. Good reputations take time to build but bad reputations can be earned very quickly and will spread throughout your network like wild fire.

]]>The Path of Social Media Enlightenmenthttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/6/3/the-path-of-social-media-enlightenment.htmlDavid Christopher2011-06-02T23:20:50Z2011-06-02T23:20:50ZDo you find that some people just don't get it?

Whilst the majority of us understand the benefits of using social media in the workplace to aid business collaboration, to improve knowledge sharing, to build better professional relationships of trust etc..., there are some that don't.

In my experience these type of people fall into 3 distinct categories:

1. The Culture Shockers
These type of people are brought up in a culture where knowledge sharing and collaboration isn't natural, or are of a generation where social media is thought to refer to sharing a newspaper with a bloke down the local pub.

The GREAT NEWS is these type of people can be educated and shown the path to social media enlightenment.

Dilbert explains these type of people so well:

2. The Power Losers
These type of people believe knowledge is power and fear that if they share a piece of the knowledge pie then they become less important to the company. This I don't understand. Maybe it is just part of my DNA but I have always believed in the Pie Theorem.

The Pie Theorem states that for every piece of the knowledge pie you share you will receive two slices in return

The GOOD NEWS is these type of people can change and be redirected on to the path of social media enlightenment.

(Note: To save you the time of doing a Google search on The Pie Theorem, it is indeed a term I just made up!)  

3. The Corporate Ladder Climbers
These type of people are similar to The Power Losers, with one significant difference. They hold on to all their knowledge and refuse to collaborate because they want that next promotion regardless of the harm it will do to the company.

The BAD NEWS is these type of people will never change and should be avoided at all costs. Thankfully though they are a dying breed in the new social workplace world.

So next time you come across someone who doesn't get it, try to figure out if they are a Culture Shocker, a Power Loser, or a Corporate Ladder Climber. If they fall under either of the first two categories then help them out. Show them the path to social media enlightenment. If they appear to be a Corporate Ladder Climber then show them the door, unfriend them on Facebook and block them on Twitter!

]]>Do you suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (S.A.D)?http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/5/13/do-you-suffer-from-social-anxiety-disorder-sad.htmlDavid Christopher2011-05-13T00:13:49Z2011-05-13T00:13:49ZHave you ever been down the pub with a group of friends and interrupted a flowing conversation to answer that beep from your smartphone informing you that someone has commented on your latest Facebook status?

Maybe you have been having dinner with your family at a nice restaurant and excused yourself for the fourth time blaming it on a weak bladder because you needed to check what has been happening in your Twitter stream; a weak bladder that only manifested itself at the same time as getting your first smartphone?

Or maybe you were watching a film at the cinema and noticed a flashing coming from the hand where you are gripping your smartphone tightly, whilst your girlfriend squeezed the other hand harder and harder giving you that "don't even think about it" look?

If any of these sound familiar to you then you could have Social Anxiety Disorder (or S.A.D for short).

S.A.D is a serious disease that is spreading fast around the globe and now starting to spread to the workplace as companies start to adopt social technologies to collaborate.

If we don't act now this could turn into a worldwide epidemic!

If you already do any of the following then it could already be too late for you....

  1. You cannot resist the temptation to text, instant message, tweet, or generally converse via your smartphone than watch the 238 slide PowerPoint presentation on how this weeks strategy could increase the company margin tenfold
  2. You give colleagues your twitter username when they ask for your email address
  3. You suggest "I'll Friend you on Facebook" when you meant to say "lets do lunch"
  4. You restrict your emails to 140 characters
  5. You keep a running count of the colleagues you know
  6. You host twitter chats instead of telephone conferences
  7. You prefix forwarded emails with RT
  8. You spend 10 minutes trying to find the Like button of a document uploaded onto your intranet site
  9. You refuse to talk to a colleague you don't know without a verbal introduction from one of their team members
  10. You first hear that your boss has left the company via their updated LinkedIn profile

For me it's already too late....but hopefully my suffering hasn't been in vain and this blog post helps you identify the signs before Social Anxiety Disorder (S.A.D) takes another life.

]]>Is reducing costs the key driver for social media?http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/5/3/is-reducing-costs-the-key-driver-for-social-media.htmlDavid Christopher2011-05-03T00:36:19Z2011-05-03T00:36:19ZHaving a social platform to allow employees to connect and collaborate better will improve the knowledge flows of an organisation. It will allow companies to utilise the collective intelligence of its own employees to crowdsource and solve key business issues.

But in the current economic climate, companies are starting to think more about how to reduce costs. Is social media the answer? Kathi Browne of Wingspouse Publishing raises a good point on the subject:

"Interestingly, it is usually cost that is holding companies back. They see a potential cost to the man hours needed to learn / participate in social media and don't have a clear way to measure the return."

And maybe this is the problem. Companies are too focused on how to measure the ROI of social media and forget that actually this is just a natural form of business evolution. With over 500 million users of Facebook and 100 million users on LinkedIn, it's a fair bet to say that many of your employees are already using social media as part of their everyday lives. So surely it stands to reason that this will become embedded as part of how we communicate and collaborate in business? Kees Vogelsang agrees:

"Given the fact that more and more people are using many tools already for personal usage it is becoming easier to implement social media. And ... there is no way back. Ultimately these tools will be embraced everywhere, just like mobile phones."

So for those companies that are making the transition and investing in social media, if costs are not the key driver then what is it that is encouraging this cultural change? Andy Jankowski of Enterprise Strategies puts it simply and succinctly:

I am seeing a few companies embrace enterprise social media to reduce costs, but not as many as I would have originally thought. It seems the main driver of companies making the Enterprise Social Media investment is simply changing the way their company works (e.g., more collaborative, less siloed, etc.). These types of improvements, while valued by the c-suite, are often hard to justify with numbers. I am seeing many more contextual examples being put forth than detailed ROI studies.

And this is where companies will have the greatest success with social media. The focus shouldn't be on reducing costs per se but more on the business benefits of better collaboration. We also mustn't forget that employees are working more and more remotely these days and social media can play a vital role in keeping employees connected.

Companies do need to start looking at evolving from a knowledge management organisation to a knowledge sharing one, using social technologies as the enabler to build that social business infrastructure. However, the cultural change in this transition should not be under-estimated or ignored and needs to be incorporated as part of the transitional strategy.

So is social media in the workplace a key driver for reducing costs? It will certainly influence the reduction of costs, but it should never be the main focus for creating The Social Workplace. The main focus should be the evolution of a company to provide more and better collaboration opportunities and increase knowledge sharing.

]]>There's just too many social tools right?http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/4/22/theres-just-too-many-social-tools-right.htmlDavid Christopher2011-04-22T05:18:56Z2011-04-22T05:18:56ZHaving presented numerous times to various management and executive boards on the need of Being Social in the workplace, it might not surprise you that at some stage we always end up talking about tools. And the fact that there are just too many of them.

"We have 3 different Wiki platforms, which is the one you would advise we use?"

"Which workspace solution is the easiest to use?"

"We are using Blog type A, but Bob in accounting says that Blog type B is better. What do you think?"

These are typically some of the everyday questions that pop up that I have to deal with.

There are two approaches to the "too many tools" issue:

  1. Implement a Corporate Social Governance Model
  2. Provide Social Tool Comparison Tables

Implement a Corporate Social Governance Model
This is the simplest approach, but often the hardest to implement. It does mean the business and IT department need to work closely together (sometimes a challenge in itself) to ensure the single Wiki, the single blogging platform, the single workspace solution etc... meets the needs of the business.

Provide Social Tool Comparison Tables
This is a much more difficult approach, but definitely the easiest to implement. Create a centralised knowledge resource hub where users can compare functionality of similar social tools so they can make an informed decision on which is the right tool for them (see example below):

So the options are simple. Give the users no choice and therefore no confusion or debate, or provide the facts so users can make the right judgment call.

Don't allow "There's just too many social tools?" to be an excuse for not evolving your workplace!

]]>What is your Social Communications Transitional Strategy?http://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/4/10/what-is-your-social-communications-transitional-strategy.htmlDavid Christopher2011-04-10T00:31:36Z2011-04-10T00:31:36ZI was recently contacted by the managing director of a large enterprise asking for advice on what was the most effective way to communicate to his employees.

This was pleasing on two fronts:

  1. He was starting to question that maybe traditional communication channels, (e.g. email, newsletters etc...), are no longer the most effective way to reach his employees
  2. This strategic thinking was coming from the top

His assessment of the situation within his organisation was also spot on:

  • email and SMS are the most widely used today
  • newsletters are no longer read in any great detail
  • internal social applications (e.g. Twitter style interface, RSS, social networking etc...) are only used by a small minority of the employees

So applying Forresters' P.O.S.T methodology (People, Objectives, Strategy, Tools) to his situation I began to build up a picture to of what his long term goals were and it was clear that ultimately he needed to be on a social platform.

As the style of communication he wanted to send to his employees was short key announcements highlighting key deals they had just won, changes to his organisation etc... the internal Twitter application seemed the best fit and gave many advantages over email:

  • Ability to reach a much wider audience (i.e. people in your network will retweet to others in their network, and so on)
  • Ability for users to discuss and comment openly on those announcements
  • Ability to send, and for users to receive, the messages through the Corporations' Instant Messenger tool – providing ease of use as majority of people already use Instant Messaging
  • Messages are stored centrally and accessible by all employees
  • Ability to embed communications onto a portal page / website providing real-time updates with zero admin

But the challenge was how to move the employees from email to this Twitter style application. What was needed was a Social Communications Transitional Strategy.

So this is what I recommended:

  1. Set a date for the transitional period (say 3 - 6 months) and use both email and the internal Twitter style application to send your messages - this is duplication, but a necessary step in the transitional strategy
  2. In each email that is sent, highlight that there is an alternative communication channel (i.e. the Twitter style application) that people can choose to receive these announcements other than via email. Also provide links to any training material or step-by-step guides to help them with any setups that are required
  3. Six weeks prior to the end of your transitional period, clearly highlight in each subsequent email that these announcements via email are about to come to an end. Emphasise that if they want to continue to receive these announcements then they must transition over to the Twitter style application immediately
  4. At the end of the transitional period, stop sending any announcements via email and use only the Twitter style application

At the end of this transitional period, you will end up with only those employees subscribing to these announcements who find them of value. Those that don't won't subscribe. You have avoided spamming people unnecessarily long term.

So if you are finding it difficult to reach your audience through traditional communication channels, don't be put off by social communications channels just because they are not widely used yet in your organisation. Just use the P.O.S.T method and plan your Social Communications Transitional Strategy.

1.       Use both email AND OraTweet initially for a set period of time (say 3 - 6 months)

2.       In each weekly email communication, highlight that there is also a social platform (OraTweet) that users can use to receive these communications, and instructions of how to do this and how to integrate it with PidGin (my team can help you in this)

3.       In the last 6 weeks, start encouraging people to transition over to OraTweet and highlight that these email communications will stop after this time

]]>Email is losing ground to Social Communicationshttp://www.stopthinksocial.com/blog/2011/3/31/email-is-losing-ground-to-social-communications.htmlDavid Christopher2011-03-30T23:50:33Z2011-03-30T23:50:33ZI recently delivered a Social Enterprise marketing campaign titled "Being Social...More Than Just Talking" where the purpose was to raise awareness inside the enterprise that Being Social is not just about tools, it's about a work style change.

The campaign followed Steve, a Sales Communications Specialist, who was a bit of a social sceptic but was open minded to listen. He went on a social journey of discovery and soon realised that by being better socially connected with his colleagues he could be more collaborative AND more productive. Though he didn't managed to reduce his caffeine intake too much ;-)

The campaign was delivered on 3 fronts:

  • An introductory email to 25,000 employees
  • A poster campaign
  • A set of 5 Diary Entry videos (done in the style of Bridget Jones) - one released each day for a week

The campaign has been received very favourably (average marks 9/10 by the employees) and I have had numerous requests to do a follow up Diary Series. BUT what was interesting was the statistics on the initial email that went out.

The email introducing the marketing campaign went out on a Monday morning. Of those 25,000 employees who received it only 5,569 actually opened the email (22%) on the Monday. By the end of the week this figure had increased marginally to 6,310 (25%).

Just let me reiterate that:

three quarters of the workforce had not even bothered to open the email before deciding to discard or delete it

Now there are other factors that have to be taken into consideration here like:

  • was it holiday season?
  • was the subject heading interesting?
  • does the sender have influence and respect of the employees?

The answers to these questions are no, subjective, and again subjective respectively (though the name of the programme was used rather than a senders name here to provide more credibility).

The conclusion I draw from this is that if you want to communicate a message to the masses you can no longer rely only on traditional communication channels but you must use a combination of both traditional and social communication platforms. This is true inside and outside the enterprise.

The days of email blast campaigns are coming to an end.

Welcome to the Social Communication Revolution!

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