What is social media?

any electronic platform that allows two way communication or other interaction with content

blogs microblogs message boards & forums photo & video sharing Audio & video podcasts social bookmarking social networks reviews

In one way or another, nearly everyone will be in social media in 2009.

Why should organizations be on social media? We all trust our peers more than any other source. And the tools to share opinions are free, lightweight and ubiquitous.

Markets are conversations. The Cluetrain Manifesto asserted that in It’s even more true today. The Cluetrain Manifesto

I use social media – primarily blogs, podcast, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn…

…along with wikis, blogs, feeds, videos and microsharing behind the firewall at TechTarget. But that’s “Enterprise 2.0” – not Web 2.0.

“Enterprise 2.0 is the use of emergent social software platforms by organizations in pursuit of their goals.” -Professor Andrew McAfee, MIT

Enterprise 2.0 implementations generally use a combination of social software and collaborative technologies

Enterprise social computing includes: blogs, RSS, social bookmarking, social networking and wikis. blogsRSSsocial bookmarking social networkingwikis

Case studies for successful enterprise social computing include private industry, like Booz-Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin, …and now government, like Intellipedia and A-Space. Or MyBarackObama.com.

How do Web 2.0 and enterprise 2.0 work together?

So let’s call it “enterprise social computing” …and drop the 2.0.

Most public entities need to be on Facebook and at least monitor Twitter and LinkedIn.

Employees can & will use smartphones to update them in real-time.

In a recent survey by Russell Herder, fewer than one-third of 438 respondents said their organization had a policy in place governing social media use.

Only 10% of the companies surveyed indicated that they had conducted employee training on such use.

And yet Web applications are at the top of security threats to the enterprise.

Is it any wonder that 80% of the executives surveyed said they are fearful of social networking risks?social networking

That said… …many organizations will allow some form of social computing for collaboration. Workers are already bringing the tools to work from home when sysadmins don’t provide better versions.

And whether it’s Web 2.0 or enterprise social computing… regulatory compliance means relevant social messaging will need to be logged and audited for e-discovery.

Facebook is already “discoverable” in Canada.

For those that collaborate most effectively internally and externally, there appear to be major rewards. Research from MIT’s Andrew McAfee indicates that those who use it best – and safely – reap significant competitive benefits

Best bets to adapt?

Sandboxes can help with security That’s how the White House addressed the issue – at first. Defense contractors complying with “transparency directives” may proceed similarly.

Social media policies are key. IBM’s social computing guidelines are a gold standard.IBM’s social computing guidelines

And emphasizing common sense & education for employees about security risks is essential. Phishing, XSS and worms are on the rise.

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