Recently, I attended the ITEC Conference and
Exhibition in Atlanta. As a technical instructor,
I am always drawn to the educational breakout
sessions. One especially intriguing presentation was a
collaboration between Steffen Berelowitz, President and
founder of BitGroup in Cambridge, MA, and Timothy O'Connor,
Systems Consultant with CrossIntegration in Canton,
MA.
As I watched their presentation, "The High
Tech Playground," I wondered how many of your organizations
are incorporating Web 2.0 Technologies such as blogs, social
networking, wikis, podcasts, and RSS feeds into everyday
business life. Although this presentation focused mainly
on the B2C environment, I was struck by the advantages we may
gain by using these tools in our
organizations.
The benefits of
internal corporate blogs
Internal blogs can
disseminate information more effectively to employees who
actually need to know the specifics of an event, project,
marketing campaign, network status, etc. Major
corporations are already using technology to help employees
stay connected. For example, DaimlerChrysler uses Web log
software at a few of its U.S. plants so managers can discuss
problems and keep a record of their solutions. IBM uses blogs
to let employees in more than 30 countries discuss software
development projects and business strategies.
How many
of us are on the seemingly countless email distribution lists
for projects in which we have little or no involvement?
As Telecommunications Manager, my name was included on
multiple distribution lists simply because I was a manager,
not because there was something I needed to know.
Debbie Weil, in her book The Corporate Blogging
Book, quotes communications expert, Shel Holtz, who
describes several advantages of implementing internal
corporate blogs. Here are some ways to use internal
blogs effectively:
-
Alerts: Instead of sending out blanket
emails, let employees subscribe to work-relevant blogs such
as those covering server status, network status, volunteer
opportunities, etc.
-
Projects: Reduce those all-hands
emails with a total project status blog as well
as an individual team status blog for only staff who
need to know.
-
Departments: Great for updating the
company telephone directory or announcing new products, or
enhancing department
services.
-
News: Employees can contribute content
for community activities or campus events, a function
that may be especially useful for a health system with
several campuses where thee is little interaction among the
staff.
-
Customer Information: Share useful
information about a customer's problem and
resolution of the problem.
CEO Blog: Eliminate top down bulk emails. Here CEOs can post new corporate values, planning changes, or simply make company announcements. My CEO once sent an email telling employees to stop sending so many emails including "Thank You" emails!
What's Next?
Next month, I"ll
focus on some advantages of external company blogs, including
giving your organization a more current, high tech "image
makeover." We'll also look at the disadvantages of not
having an external corporate blog.
I'd like to
know your company's experiences with blogging. Have you
implemented one or more blogs? What results have you
achieved? What applications do you use for your
blog? Drop me an email at mmitchell@telexcellence.com.
Have
a great holiday!
-Mike
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