Social Media Musings

Reflections on Enterprise 2.0 2009 in Boston

I’ve been looking forward to the Enterprise 2.0 Conference this past week in Boston for some time. I had the pleasure of being on the panel organized by Peter Kim (@PeterKim) - “Lessons Learned from Internal Communities” – with the likes of extraordinary women like Joan DiMicco (@JoanDiMicco) at IBM and Patricia Romeo (@PatricaRomeo) at Deloitte.

 

Photo courtesy of Alex Dunne.

Lessons Learned From Internal Communities

View more presentations from Peter Kim.

 

In addition to the panel session, which went very well, I enjoyed quite a few other sessions. Rather than recapping each session, I’d like to call out my overall observations from the conference.

 

Many companies, both big and small, are interested in social media as a business tool. The general feeling I got though, and still do, is that they’re not sure where to start. People are hungry for the knowledge of those that have gone before them on where to get started for both an internal and external social media presence – be it communities, how to use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc – it’s all on their minds. I imagine that’s one of the many reasons our panel was jam packed.  Types of questions that were consistently circulating around (of which these will make an excellent future post):

• What are some steps to get started?
• How do I convince executives that we need to do this?
• Who funds the initiative?
• Who manages/staffs the initiative?
• Who monitors/moderates?
• Where do HR and Legal come into the picture?
• How do we treat international participants? Is there translation?
• How do we deal with international laws, regulations, etc.?

 

Analytics are a hot topic.

Everyone’s trying to figure out how to measure success of these initiatives. Nearly all of the vendors offering community solutions, also offer some sort of analytics package to go along with it, and some (although few and far between) even offer independent analytics packages.

 

One huge miss I was feeling is that the push was on the numbers themselves, but there were no actionable recommendations coupled with the tools to suggest what could be done with the analytics. Numbers are only numbers without a keen understanding of what you want to gather, why you want to gather it, and what you want to do with the numbers to improve.  You need not only to know what you’re trying to measure, but what your goals are and why they are important, and then you need to take action and be willing to modify your plan if you’re not getting where you want to be. Key questions that need to be answered include:

• What are your goals?
• What are you trying to measure?
• Why is the measurement important?
• What will the measurement tell you?
• What actions can you take as a result of the measurement?
• What changes will you make if you’re not meeting your goals?

 

There was a keen interest in understanding the complete social media/social strategy package.

Many folks seemed to be interested not only in what the tools are that are available for use, but how they are being used currently. There definitely seems to be a tendency to want to be “everywhere” (have a presence on all of the tools) NOW vs. slowly moving into using each of the tools as one is mastered. I’d personally recommend the second option – get involved in a few and see how that goes rather than joining all that are out there and attempting to master them all simultaneously.  Key questions on a social strategy include:

• What are your goals for using social media?
• What are the tools available to you and what can they be used for?
• Who is your key audience? Or who are you trying to communicate/converse with?
• Where are they already conversing?
• Is there anyone that has experience/expertise in these tools at your company already? Find them – you’re going to need them!

 

Twitter is still huge, but…

There was hardly a person in each of the sessions, myself included, that was not busy on their laptop or cell phone tweeting their way through the sessions.

 

…How do we use Twitter as an enterprise tool?

Clearly at the forefront of everyone’s mind was how can people use Twitter to achieve business goals. The first step to that is, of course, defining your business goals. My strong recommendation is that you do not need a Twitter account just because “everyone else is doing it.” You need to instead, answer the following questions about Twitter and then create an account:

• What are your goals for using Twitter? How do you want to use it?
• Who is your target audience? Are they on Twitter already?
• Are others (companies) doing it and can we learn from their example?
• Who will be responsible for monitoring and engaging?

 

It's about the people and the technology!

It’s not practical or even possible to just focus on only the people or only the technology. For the longest time, many have said it's about just the people, and the technology doesn't matter...but a consistent theme at the conference this year was that if you're not also paying attention to the technology, you're missing out.

 

My favorite quote on this topic was by Peter Kim "If its just relationships and technology doesn't matter, we should all go home."

 

A good social media strategy will take into account both the people and the technology. The people you expect to use the tools on behalf of the company, the people you expect to communicate with, the people that will be impacted by your strategy. The technology you wish to use to support your strategy, the technology people are already using, or will need to learn to meet the organization’s goals. It must be about both the people and the technology.

 

Enterprise 2.0 tools are an extension of other tools, not a replacement for them.

There has been buzz off and on that these tools will replace other tools we use to work and live, such as email, phone calls, traditional media, etc. However, the consistent theme at the conference – which I wholeheartedly agree with – is that these tools will not be replacements, but that they will and should work in harmony with other, existing tools as supplements to them. Amen.

 

Social interaction in-person is just as important as online interaction.

Might seem like a no-brainer for those of us that use these tools and talk to people, but we’re all aware of the perception that is out there than people would rather interact online using social tools instead of chatting with folks face-to-face. The response to that theory - and also self-evident by the participation at the Tweetups during the event – is an overwhelming I don’t think so.

 

This is particularly important to make note of companies who may be relying heavily on community or Enterprise 2.0 tools in and of themselves to help with employee satisfaction and employee retention. Keep in mind that they are only a part of the bigger picture. Sure, they’ll help, but they’re not a replacement for face-to-face interactions and discussions.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and conference in general. Although the sessions were great, my favorite part of the entire conference was finally meeting, in-person, folks that I've chatted with for weeks, months, even years online or via phone, but never had the opportunity to meet until this wonderful event!

 

Seeking Voluntary Donations for Life-Saving Heart Transplant for 2 Year Old Son of EMC Employee

Hou-chan's Heart Disease

Houku Katagiri (Hou-chan) is a 2-year-old boy who lives in Mitaka, Tokyo.

In October 2008, he had sudden heart failure and was diagnosed with

restrictive cardiomyopathy or RKM

- an incurable disease that takes the lives of 50 percent of those afflicted within one year.

  

Hou-chan’s condition is serious, and a heart transplant is the only way to save his life.

Heart transplants for children are not permitted in Japan, where by law organ donors must be at least 15 years old. A bill has just been approved by the upper house to work towards changing this law, although likely still a long way away from completion.  Hou-chan's condition is deteriorating and he is currently hospitalized at Kyorin University Hospital. He needs a transplant operation as soon as possible. 

Devastatingly, Columbia University in New York has refused to carry out a heart transplant on Houku, reportedly saying it had filled its quota for overseas transplants. Imagine!

Seeking Voluntary Donations to help Save Hou-chan - every little bit helps!

Loma Linda University Hospital in California, USA will perform the life-saving surgery, but first Hou-chan’s family must secure the USD 1 million required to cover his estimated medical costs. 

In Japan, health insurance does not cover this operation and government support is unavailable.  Katagari-san’s family needs your voluntary donations to help raise the funds required for his life-saving surgery and recovery.  

Below are details for how to donate to the support group that has been established in Hou-chan’s name, Hou-chan wo Sukuu-kai.  

Thank you for your consideration and support!

Making a Donation

Below are details on two options for making a donation.  

Option 1: Donate through PayPal

You can also use PayPal, an on-line service for transferring money safely and easily.

Please note the transfer fees from overseas before calculating your donation:  3.9% + $0.3 per transfer

How to Use PayPal
1. Create your own Personal Account on PayPal. 
2. Please transfer your donation to paypal@hou-chan.com

PayPal	Account
https://www.paypal.com	paypal@hou-chan.com

Option 2: Donate through bank transfer - recommended for group/collective donations 

You can directly transfer payment to the Hou-chan's bank account.  Please note that Hou-Chan's account is charged approximately USD 15.00 per transfer so ideally individuals can combine their donations and remit in groups to reduce the banking fees for every overseas remittance and normal banking transfer fees. 

Bank	Branch (Branch #)	Account	Account Type	Account Holder
Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ	Mitaka branch office (222)	0046571	Saving   account	HOUCHIYANOSUKUUKAI DAIHIYOU ABETOMONORI

Spread the word! 

Flyer in English

Flyer in Japanese

"Hou-chan wo Sukuu-kai" website（Japanese only): http://www.hou-chan.com  

東京都三鷹市の片桐鳳究(ほうく、以下ほうちゃん）は、2008年10月に突然、原因不明の心不全となり、拘束型心筋症と診断されました。

拘束型心筋症は、特定疾患指定の難病で、発症すると約50％の患者が１年以内に死亡すると言われています。病状の重いほうちゃんの場合、心臓移植手術をするしか命を救う方法がありません。

しかし、日本では15歳未満の脳死臓器提供が法律で禁止されている為、国内で手術を受けることができず、海外での渡航移植しか残された道がありません。

ほうちゃんは現在、杏林大学医学部付属病院に入院していますが、心臓は日々弱り続けているため、早急な心臓移植が必要です。

 

募金目標金額1億円100,000,000円

ほうちゃんを救うために、米国のロマリンダ大学病院から受け入れの内諾を頂くことができました。しかし、その為の費用は1億円という莫大な金額で、健康保険や国からの補助が一切受けられません。これは、とても個人で負担できる金額ではなく、皆様の善意におすがりする他ございません。

私たちは、ほうちゃんが心臓移植を受け一日も早く元気になることを願い、「ほうちゃんを救う会」を結成しました。皆様に、日本の臓器移植の現状とほうちゃんの状況をご理解いただき、ほうちゃんを救うための募金のご協力をお願いしたいと考えております。何卒温かいご支援ご協力をよろしくお願いいたします。

 

銀行名	支店名（支店番号）	口座番号		種別	口座名
三井住友銀行	三鷹支店(２４７)	７２２９４９２		普通	ホウチヤンオスクウカイ,ダイヒヨウアベトモノリ
三菱東京UFJ銀行	三鷹支店（２２２)	００４６５７１		普通	ホウチヤンオスクウカイダイヒヨウアベトモノリ
みずほ銀行	三鷹支店（２４７）	１５５５４９８		普通	ホウチヤンオスクウカイ
ゆうちょ銀行(同銀行内)			００１７０-７-３４５９２２
ゆうちょ銀行(他銀行から)	〇一九店(０１９）	０３４５９２２		当座	ホウチャンヲスクウカイ

 

 

救う会の活動情報はこちら

http://www.hou-chan.com/

 

■お問い合わせ

「ほうちゃんを救う会」事務局

住所：東京都三鷹市下連雀3-28-23-604 TEL： 0422-49-5372

代表：安部智規

Ten things I love about Twitter

When I first heard about Twitter, I could not really understand why I’d even want to use it. I really didn’t see the point in reading or “listening” to everyone’s thoughts on any topic that crossed their mind. And to be perfectly honest, when I looked at the feed of tweets, I really didn’t see anything all that interesting to me, either. So, I sat back and I watched for a while…quite a while, in fact – about 6 months if I remember correctly.

I watched, I listened, and I learned from people I knew already using Twitter. I saw the good, the bad and the downright unmentionable. Then I finally took the plunge and joined. Even still at that point and time, I really didn’t “get it.” So, I continued to watch, shared a few tweets of my own, and weighed what Twitter might end up being for me. Then I decided to explore searching on Twitter, and that’s when I really started getting value because I was finding others who had similar interests, and that was cool!

Now that I’ve been using Twitter for a little over a year now, I’ve been thinking about what I love, what I hate, how I decide to follow or unfollow people, and some things that I wish I could do on Twitter. This is the first in a series of posts along these lines…

1. I can connect with people I wouldn’t have otherwise had an opportunity to meet if it had not been for Twitter. With few exceptions, I’ve met these folks (to name a few) on Twitter first, and in person second or not at all – yet! - @ChrisBrogan, @PeterKim, @JOwyang, @DavidAlston, @BryanPerson, @CFlanagan, @GiaLyons, @JimStorer, @RHappe, @JoanDiMicco, @PatriciaRomeo, @UnMarketing, @CBensen, @RobertCollins, @VicenteM
2. I can learn new things about people I already know - @PappasNick, @Stu, @LenDevanna, @Storagezilla, @ChrisFernandi, @NuzhatMKarim, @DanSchawbel, @SuzySpaatz, @MichelleLavoie, @KCornwall, @Beeks06, @DaveGraham, @JDowson, @Zirnhelt, @TheGoose2 
3. I can very easily learn about new interests and topics as well as who’s tweeting about them by searching hashtags or key words. I love that the tweets are all searchable.
4. Twitter is respectful of my time if I manage it correctly - 140 characters is a nice length to receive updates in an easily digestible format. It requires (for proficient users) that people be concise with their messages. It’s easy for me to keep up with people, new interests and topics in real-time in this format.
5. I like that people put their own categories and definitions on their posts. It helps me to understand more context about what they’re sharing and where they’re coming from.
6. I can use Twitter from anywhere I have access – internet, phone, or 3^rd party apps such as TweetDeck or TwitterBerry.
7. Twitter users are enthusiastic, to say the least. People who are on Twitter are on there because they want to be there, so they’re generally very happy to engage in conversation.
8. I can integrate my tweets into my other accounts like Facebook, FriendFeed, my blog, and LinkedIn, for example
9. I can leverage the collective wisdom of my network by joining in any conversation or asking questions, and I always get a quick response.
10. There’s no overhead to using Twitter, no crazy downloads, no crazy software updates, it’s just a plain and simple web interface. Put simply, Twitter’s easy to use.

So, what about you? Why do you love Twitter?

----

Jamie
Blog: http://jamiepappas.typepad.com/ 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jamiepappas

A little fun with Wordle

Have you ever tried using Wordle? If not, I highly recommend it!

The backstory

I had stumbled upon it several months ago, but was reminded of it when prepping for my upcoming participation in Peter Kim's panel at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston in just a few weeks with Patricia Romeo and Joan DiMicco! The cool part - Joan knows the guy who made it ;-)

We were chatting about the topics that many people have expressed an interest in with regards to lessons learned when managing an internal enterprise community, and discovered we have many, many things in common.

Joan suggested putting our bullets in Wordle to create a visual representation of the commonalities instead of just putting words up on a slide - AWESOME! You'll need to attend the conference to see this coolness, or, I might just share it here afterwards ;-)

What is this Wordle thing?

For those familiar with communities and the notion of tagging, you've probably come across a "tag cloud" in your day -- essentially a cloud of the tags most commonly used in a community, blog, "pick your area" - it lets you see at a quck glance what the prevalent topics are in that given area.

Wordle does the same thing for you - only you can either specify a website or you can paste in your own text, perhaps from a sample of writing.

So, why would you use Wordle, anyway? Ok, I'll tell you what I like to use it for:

It's a great way to see at-a-glance what your blog, twitter account, or any other website is "talking about" most frequently - Are you getting across the message you want to? Do you need to adjust?  

My blog:

My Twitter:

What's the main point of what you're about to read? Take Google's top news story today, for example:

Or, check out what our Enterprise 2.0 panel will be about, based on the one paragraph description online:

Or here's another version:

One of the reasons I think Wordle is great - it gives you the visually appealing version that can sometimes be lacking in text heavy sites, descriptions, etc. It lets you see things in a whole new light. It boils down the prevalent topics/themes, and lets you decide for yourself if it's worth investing your time. You can also pick fonts, layouts, and color schemes to make it jive well with just about any format or presentation you're looking to include it in.

Not to mention, it's also wicked cool! ;-)

----

Jamie
Blog: http://jamiepappas.typepad.com/ 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jamiepappas

The search for a donor for Nick Glasgow Continues - We need your support!

The search to find a matching donor for Nick Glasgow continues.

Please use the Twitter tag of #helpnick when posting on Twitter.

We've also decided to use the banner graphic above on our future posts to further increase awareness, even for posts not specifically related to Nick. We want to welcome all bloggers (company or affiliation is no matter) to use this banner and to link it back to Mark's blog, where official updates will be posted.

As a part of the ongoing efforts, our creative videography department made this video so that others can listen to Len Devanna share Nick's story, as well as the inspiring story of support in folks getting tested for donor matching, even at EMC World!

Using Social Media to Save a Life -- And you can help!

One of our fellow EMC family members is in dire need of your help. Nick Glasgow, a 28-year-old EMC employee in California who, in the span of just weeks, has been diagnosed with Leukemia and now is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

Nick was a healthy 27-year-old when he came down with what was at first believed to be strep throat about nine to ten weeks ago. Eight weeks ago, he was informed that he has Leukaemia and was admitted to the hospital immediately for chemotherapy. Nick has endured two rounds of chemotherapy, and received blood, platelet, saline, and antibiotic infusions. These have all failed to put Nick into remission. Nick's white cell blood count is too low for another round of chemo, and has been sent home as antibiotics have been stopped and his immune system is compromised.

The outpouring of help and support has been amazing, but unfortunately a donor has not yet been found. And the race is at a critical stage.

Here are the essential facts you need to know to support Nick:

• Any person whose ethnic background is a mix of Asian and Caucasian, and is in good health with no history of cancer or major illness, and is between the ages of 18 and 60, is a potential donor for Nick. Expanding on the initial information, one does not need to be 75% Caucasian and 25% Asian -- any potential mix could work. While the most likely match would be from a person who is 75% Caucasian and 25% Japanese, it is absolutely possible that other combinations of Caucasian-Asian background in different proportions could work. The Asian background should be Sino-Asian, rather than Indo-Asian. Finding an ideal match with all of Nick's markers is very difficult, and we do not want to exclude any potential donors.

• Go to the "Be The Match" National Marrow Donor Program. Rather than ordering a test kit (time is too critical for that), read the facts about donating and then you can register yourself and enter your zip code here to find drives in your area in the next few days. If there is not a local drive in your area within the next few days, please call one of the labs listed and request a time to drop in for urgent testing. (These instructions apply to people in the US. Other countries have similar programs.) People who join the registry can help any person, not just Nick.

• The test is a simple cheek swab. The actual donation can be a blood draw or a more complex procedure, which would have some side-affects from which people bounce back quickly. This link has facts about the procedural aspects of bone marrow donation.

• Testing is going on RIGHT NOW @ EMC World in Orlando in Room 206B. You can also stop by the Bloggers Lounge in the main pavilion for more information.

Colleagues of mine are also helping to spread the word for Nick:
Mark Frederickson - the official update spot for all the latest information
Len Devanna
Storagezilla
Polly Pearson
The Storage Anarchist

Please pass this information along. The farther we reach, the more we can help!

Jamie
Blog: http://jamiepappas.typepad.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jamiepappas

Thoughts on the Simmons College Women's Leadership Conference

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending (for the first time) the 30^th Simmons School of Management Women’s Leadership Conference in Boston at the beautiful Seaport World Trade Center.

It was a beautiful day in Boston, and driving in to the conference, I didn’t know what to expect. These things can either go very well, or well – not.

 

Opening Remarks

From the beginning of the conference, when Joyce Kolligian kicked things off with her opening remarks, I got the feeling that I was in for a treat.

She started the conference off by sharing with us some of the highlights of the day, why we were all together and of course, got in some plugs for Simmons College  - can’t blame here there! After all, they’ve put this great event together!

 

Diversity requires top-down commitment

The opening speakers were all good, but I have to say that I was most impressed with EMC’s Bill Teuber and the information he shared with the group. I’ve personally never met Bill before, but would like to after having heard him share his story of why diversity is important at EMC. He shared his belief that diversity doesn’t happen on its own, but rather takes commitment from the top down, and I couldn’t agree more. Being the father of three girls, Bill shared with the group how women have influenced his life. It was great to hear his personal story, his connections and how he fits that into work at EMC.

My favorite quote of the day also came in the opening remarks:

You're here today because someone believes in you, so believe in yourself.

~ Kathy Hopinkah Hannan of KPMG

 

Create an environment where great things can happen

Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshops, held the honor of the first conference-wide speaker session and shared her story with us. She shared her dream of starting the Build-A-Bear Workshop and how she was able to achieve that success. The most important lesson from Maxine is of course, to believe that you can - and then work to make that happen! I love the fact that her Board of Directors is comprised of a group of 5-13 year-olds! Talk about putting the right folks on the board!

 Notable quotes from Maxine:

• When people have fun, they work harder

• Curiosity, innovation, belief in yourself, dedication to customer service are musts
• Figure out what feeds your heart and do that
• If you can live your imagination, then your life will be a dream come true

 

Stress Management with Mimi Donaldson

The stress management session with Mimi Donaldson was a great session covering ways to reduce stress by releasing the need for control and realizing when you’re in the midst of a “freak out” and stopping it from escalating. Mimi’s fun sense of humor in dealing with situations, and sharing examples of her own stress triggers made this session one of the best, in my opinion!

Notable quotes from Mimi:

• Anything can be a stress trigger, including fun things. Keys to overcoming your stress triggers - accept the situation, stop your reaction, look at the situation to ID positives, and listen to yourself

• Formal types believe there is only one way that the toilet paper goes on the roller, and have been known to flip it when wrong
• Casual people love when formal people take over their stuff because it makes the formal people stop nagging them :-)
• You're a formal time person if you spend your day waiting on others and you're early to meetings, events, etc.
• Identify your stress triggers, practice a strategy to prevent stress, learn to adjust your responses
  

There has never been a time like this

Charlayne Hunter-Gault provided the after lunch keynote address to the group, sharing her experiences in childhood and adulthood and how they have impacted her. She started and ended by telling us all, that there has never been a time like this, and that we have the opportunity to truly make a different.

My favorite story of hers was when she shared a childhood memory of how poor her school was – The school was segregated and didn’t have enough money to even buy basic supplies, so each year, there was a fund-raising effort for the school. The coolest part for the students was that the student whose family raised the most money got to be “king” or “queen” until the next fundraising event. It just so happened that one year, it was Charlayne’s family that raised the most money. She recalled being so excited to be “queen” and described herself as insufferable to her family and classmates. But, that memory of being “queen” and knowing that people believed in her led her through many tough times, and allowed her to face obstacles that might have otherwise been intolerable, namely her time at the University of Georgia , when the school was wrought with racial tensions.

 

Annie McKee on Becoming a Resonant Leader

Annie McKee, founder of the Teleos Leadership Institute, shared with the group how to become a more resonant leader, believing that successful resonant leaders motivate employees and make for a more successful organization. McKee said that great leaders are those that move us to find meaning and change, and that they touch our very core in the way no one else can. They do not have to be well-known or famous, they just have to speak to us in that unique way that helps us find a new way of seeing ourselves and what we’re capable of achieving. She also said that in order to be a great leader, one must be a complete human being capable of engaging with others, seeing them and acknowledging them.

Notable quotes from Annie:

• McKee believes the greatest gift you can give to someone is believing in them

• Smart is not good enough, it only gets you in the door, nothing more
• You must learn to read organizational cultures to understand how you fit in or if you're compatible, you cannot change an organization's culture without understanding it
• Prevalent fallacy - great leaders are superheroes. No, they're not - they're just good people
• Emotions are contagious - the mood of the group affects its performance and outcome
• No one can sustain constant sacrifice - they will break. You must break the cycle before you break yourself. Pay attention to yourself and respond to your own wake up calls.
• 5 to 10 minutes a day for self-reflection will help to counter the effects of chronic stress-should be relaxing, not worry-time

 

A memory is when your heart takes a picture

The closing remarks came from actress Diane Keaton, and I have to admit that this was by far, my favorite session of the day for a multitude of reasons, but the one that tops the list was the truly heartfelt and inspirational way in which she delivered it as though she were talking to a group of her best friends, at lunch at a nice restaurant somewhere.

Diane’s talk centered around memories of her life and her mother, whom she just lost last year. There were moments when she shared stories with us, and you could see the tears well up in her eyes, and you could look around, and it was hard to find a dry eye in the place. She shared home video footage, personal photographs, and stories galore of how lucky she was to have a mother in her life that supported her and her dreams. She attributes all of her success to her mother’s support and love and belief in her.

She shared how she’s had issues and challenges along her journey of 63 years - issues with intimacy that prevented her from being a mother until she adopted her two children at age 50 and 55; the natural worries of being a good mom to her own children; issues with her own image and self-perception, thinking she wasn’t good enough or smart enough or you name it, stating that “perfection is the death of creativity”; issue with the stigma associated with age and how culture believes that you’re only vibrant and creative when you’re young. She believes creativity, curiosity, awe, and wonderment all add up to vibrancy – and she has never felt more vibrant than she does now at 63.

She shared with us how she felt when her father shared with her, just before he passed away that he had always hated his job and now regretted that he had stuck with it all those years, all the while hating it.  Her advice “Make work play” and enjoy what you do, do what you have a passion for. I’ve gotta say, I couldn’t agree more! Thank goodness I’m doing just fine in that department!

Throughout all of her experiences, one thing she treasures is how her mother always took pictures, which she loves to reflect on. During one particular Thanksgiving, Diane’s sister Dorrie was lamenting that she had to do the dishes, and her mother’s response was that it “makes for memories.” As the conversation progressed, Dorothy Keaton Hall shared with her children my second favorite quote of the day: “A memory is when your heart takes a picture.” Indeed, I have a few pictures in my heart from the day.

All in all, the conference was fantastic, and I cannot wait for next year!!

How about you? Did you go to the conference, or do you have thoughts on the topics I shared? I’d love to hear them!

Social Networking Rocks EMC World

EMC World is just around the corner, and we’ve got tons of exciting things going on in the realm of social networking opportunities for attendees and non-attendees (although we hope you’re going to be there!) Also exciting are the conversations on EMC|ONE around all these good things going on at EMC World. This is collaboration in action if I’ve ever seen it!

First off is the Bloggers Lounge, hosted by Len Devanna – a venue to show some love to our blogger and microblogger friends. 

What is the Bloggers Lounge, you ask?

Think big. Think members only. Think a place to chill, charge, and network with like-minded folks who share your same passion for blogging. Think exclusive access to EMC leadership. Think “I’ve totally gotta check this out!” Just sign up over at Len’s blog, and you’re in. So, what are you waiting for? Update: It's open to anyone attending EMC World with a blog or Twitter account - customers, partners, employees, you name it - so come on, already - no excuses!

Oh yeah, and think Flip. As in, we’ll be giving away some of these babies to folks who stop by. Of course, with this cool new gear in hand, we’ll be expecting some wicked videos of World.

Showing our Support Forums Folks Some Love, too!

We’re also hosting an exclusive meet up for Powerlink Support Forums users to show them some love. So, if you use Powerlink Support Forums, you’ll definitely want to check this out! Think of all the stories you can share with folks who experience it every day, just like you. If you're not checking this one out...well, need I say more?

ECN is bringing their game, too!

And last but certainly not least, our EMC Community Network (ECN) is featuring a Viva! ECN video contest – So, if you’re feeling creative and wanting to express what ECN has helped you to do in the past year, then jump on in and get creative! And don’t forget to stop by the ECN Lounge at EMC World, as well!

Hey - maybe you can use that Flip you won to shoot your video for Viva! ECN...I'm just sayin'...

Network with EMC World Online

Here’s the quick rundown of all the tools online to check out EMC World:
EMC World on Facebook
EMC World on Twitter
EMC World on YouTube
EMC World on Flickr
EMC World on LinkedIn

Have some fun - check out your Twitter Mosaic

Stumbled upon a fun tool that I thought I'd share - a nice mosaic of all your Twitter friends!

Have fun!

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Barriers to embracing the “social” in social media

For me, the term social media automatically makes me thing of being social with other folks, by way of a various tools, technologies, and even in person – talking openly, but politely, about what’s on your mind – what you like, what you’re not so fond of, and just generally sharing information, tips, tricks, best practices and helpful tools with friends and all those wonderful folks you’ve built into the great network you now have across all those tools…it means joining in the conversation!

Social media, for me, has been an amazing way for me to connect with people I wouldn’t have otherwise necessarily had an opportunity to meet. I’ve met amazing Distinguished Engineers, like Steve Todd, insightful TC’s like Dave Graham, Windows guru (and Rush fan!) Brian Henderson, and one of the many folks at EMC who are passionate about SM, Stu Miniman. I even met wonderful people across the pond – Storagezilla makes us proud! Not to mention, another web junkie like myself, Len Devanna.

And in case you were thinking this is just an EMC love fest, well, it’s not. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting Chris Brogan (you’ve been under a rock if you haven’t heard of Chris!) and Sean O’Driscoll, chatting with Jeremiah Owyang virtually, and rubbing elbows with the likes of Dave Alston, Peter Kim (please check out the panel Peter’s hosting at E2.0 in Boston and say hi!) and Robert Collins.

It’s been a wonderful, amazing and truly interesting experience! And, it all comes together in the realm of social media. Yes, social media. Without social media and the power that all these tools possess, I wouldn’t have met all these wonderful folks, let alone had the opportunity to stay connected with them in real-time fashion.

One of the things you may have experienced in your adventures is that while this open, transparent, and sometimes seemingly TMI flow of social interaction that occurs on any one of the many tools out there is natural for some of us, for many folks out there, it’s not.

We’ve always debated the topic of open vs. closed communities on EMC|ONE, and many of us have talked about our approach – where ever it’s possible, we try to keep communities open, as we truly believe that it facilitates greater collaboration – think of the old adage “Two heads are better than one.”  Or, to be less geeky – how about – great things happen when folks come together and share ideas. After all, that’s what community’s all about, right?

We’ve always been open to the idea that if there’s truly a business need for private collaboration, then let’s talk about it…let’s make sure that 1 – you’re in the right place, using the right tool, and 2 – we can help each other learn what types of scenarios call for private collaboration.

The reality is that in the great majority of cases, there has not been a pressing need for a private collaboration community on EMC|ONE. Rather, we’re seeing the same tendencies re-emerge in cycles as new users join the community. So what are some of the reasons folks are opting in to "private" collaboration?

1. Fear of making a mistake publicly – What if I say something stupid?
2. My (insert role or title here) does not think social media is “work” – If I participate, I’ll be viewed as “playing” so I won’t participate.
3. Not realizing the full business capabilities of social media tools - How do I collaborate in a business fashion?
4. Not understanding all the tools available - I don’t know how to use this stuff!
5. Being overwhelmed by all the conversation and collaboration on the site – There’s way too much going on – where do I even begin?

The good news is that since there are patterns emerging, there is a way for us to identify and address these barriers by encouraging, educating and evangelizing the value of social media and enterprise community/collaboration. And now, the work begins!

What have you experienced as barriers to adoption of open collaboration in your communities? How have you addressed those barriers?