Web 2.0

What IT executives are talking about at Forrester’s IT Forum 2009

My first day at Forrester’s IT Forum was filled with everything today’s CIO should be aware of — the changing role of IT, the need for constant innovation and the rapidly evolving workforce. By day four, attendees are still buzzing about what they’ve seen and heard while here.

Six Sigma process implementation has been mentioned a lot, especially together with Lean IT. Other trends in discussions have included how IT is changing, the introduction of millennials into the workforce, cloud computing, offshoring and Twitter.

I can’t say I’m too surprised by these points peppering almost every conversation — except for the latter. It seems every conversation I’ve had, regardless of who it’s with, has turned to Twitter at some point. CIOs, IT directors, performance managers, operational directors, analysts — everyone is talking about Twitter. But not many are actually using it. They’re just interested in it. Continued »

What the tweet? Using Twitter as a business tool

It took a lot of coaxing to get me to start using Twitter. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to join. It wasn’t because I didn’t understand it. I just didn’t get it. I didn’t see what the big deal was. To be frank, I didn’t think I could keep up with the twit-chat. I barely update my Facebook page. I still take notes in (gasp!) a notebook. My inboxes are overflowing with work and personal messages.

And I’m not alone. As more and more companies are showing an interest in using Twitter, from the CIO to the marketing department, the benefits of the social networking tool are being questioned and investigated. Is the time investment worth it, or is this another trend?

Recently on (ahem) Twitter, I came across a Tweet from someone in my following about companies using Twitter as a business tool. Thus, a business connection was born – Norman Birnbach (@NormanBirnbach), president of Birnbach Communications, a small agency that works with clients in both traditional and online media. Birnbach gave me some Twitter business insight into why everyone should be investigating it.

1. Twitter, shmitter – why bother?

According to Birnbach, you need to protect your brand. If you aren’t there, someone else will be. “It’s important to build up a following and credibility. In the tough economy, companies need to have an established spot to provide honest information and respond to Twitter reactions,” Birnbach said. Situations like employee layoffs will spur people to react via Twitter — without a spot on there, you lose your voice to respond. Keep a pulse on what your employees are thinking and join the dialogue when appropriate.

2. It’s not (always) about marketing.

Aside from creating a brand and name for yourself, Twitter can be used as a customer service tool. “@ComcastCares does a really good job listening to their customers and providing assistance and feedback,” Birnbach said.

Reaching out to your customers (whether it be external or internal IT customers) and providing another outlet for your services builds loyalty (refer to No. 1). “No one really cares about your product or service,” Birnbach adds. “All people care about is how you help them, and you can’t oversell being helpful.”

3. Keep an eye on what everyone is doing.

The constant posts on Twitter provide company transparency – you can share what you’re doing, and you get to see what your colleagues and competitors are up to. The ability to see in real time what peers are learning and doing, projects they are diving into and new trends as they develop turns Twitter into an online networking and learning tool. This type of knowledge share has been very beneficial, according to Birnbach. It provides a new way for companies to communicate internally and externally and learn from peers and colleagues.

4. Ready to join?

If you’re ready to start using Twitter, there are a few things you need to know:

Build a following. Look for people who are Tweeting on the topics that interest you and follow them. Search topic keywords or companies you want to know more about and start following. “Twitter is different from Facebook in this respect – you can just start following whoever you want without knowing them,” Birnbach said.

Banish Twitter-block. Birnbach said some people don’t join Twitter because they don’t want their tweets to sound foolish, boring or inappropriate – people are concerned about oversharing and privacy issues. “Don’t tell people that you’re having a sandwich for lunch. If you’re always going back and forth with obscure references, you’re not going to engage people. Figure out who you are trying to reach and what you are trying to achieve and post a mix of insight and conversation,” Birnbach suggested. Provide useful comments and remember – ABL (always be linking). Sharing news, timely information and important updates make you a credible source and an asset to your following.

Don’t overdo it. To ensure you and your employees are focusing on other priorities (like work), set a time limit for using Twitter and stick to it. “It’s important to at least look at Twitter. If you decide to go ahead with it, use it to extend what you’re already doing – as a complementary component,” Birnbach said.

I’ve been on Twitter for more than two weeks and … I love it. Used right – as a business tool to communicate with your CIO universe, your staff and/or your users – you will, too.

Protect that Facebook profile: The risks of social networking sites

Facebook is keeping people linked together both personally and professionally. Knowing that, it’s important to keep an eye on the security of your accounts on social networking sites — and the integrity of your online persona.

Facebook won an $873 million judgment against Adam Guerbuez of Montreal, after suing him for spamming Facebook users with sexually explicit messages. Guerbuez hacked into member profiles using phishing tricks to get users to give up their login details. Once in, Guerbuez used the compromised profiles to send out mass messages (4 million) to friends of friends.

My first thought when I heard about this: What if my account had been compromised and, as a result, my boss (and Facebook friend) received messages from my account touting male enhancement pills? That would certainly not be cool, Guerbuez. No poke for you.

One may ask why I would be Facebook friends with my boss — Facebook, the sacred, secret window into my personal life, littered with an assortment of pictures, wall posts and (dare I say it) “bumper stickers?” I keep it clean on my Facebook profile and usually follow the “don’t friend me, I’ll friend you” credo. I have noticed more and more people opting to have two Facebook accounts (although Facebook expressly forbids multiple profiles) – a personal one and a professional one. I have considered this myself but then thought, don’t I have a LinkedIn account for that? Furthermore, if someone searches for someone and finds two Facebook profiles (one with a Sears-style profile picture and one including a tequila shot-athon — both pictures clearly of that person) it may look a bit sketchy. Or smart?

Today, it’s especially important to keep it clean on Facebook – 22% of hiring managers check social networking sites before hiring someone. This number has doubled since 2006 and will continue to increase as an additional 9% of hiring managers plan on screening applicants online in the future. On top of that, 34% of the managers who screen have dropped candidates from their lists based on what was found in their profiles.

Gmail apps: Text your contacts

Google Gmail users now have the option to send text messages to mobile phones. The experimental app, found in Gmail Labs, was made available to all users Thursday night.

The feature is very similar to chat – find your contact (if the mobile number is saved in your contacts list) and the option to send an SMS will be available. The text message will appear on the person’s phone as a number from a 406 area code – which will be associated to your account and the number to which all incoming texts to your Gmail account will be sent. Although free for the Gmailer, mobile plan charges may apply for the person on the other end.

Gmail Labs has recently introduced some interesting apps to heighten the Gmail experience. Google Goggles, the email app to test your frame of mind when sending emails after hours, was introduced earlier this month. Met with mixed reviews when tested on drunk emailing (it seemed almost anyone could get through the simple math questions, no matter how inebriated), the overall concept seemed interesting when used to slow you down (and cool you down) before hitting “send.”

Although a great way to — umm — waste time, Google Apps and Gmail chat are not just for personal use and can actually be useful tools in the office. In an official Google blog post by Matthew Glotzbach, product management director for Google Enterprise, more than 1 million businesses have selected Google Apps to run their business, and tens of millions of people use Gmail every day.

The cloud computing-based system did have a glitch in August, when an outage halted emails for a few hours, but according to Glotzbach, Gmail has a 99.9% reliability score. According to the research firm Radicati Group, companies with on-premises email solutions averaged from 30 to 60 minutes of unscheduled downtime and an additional 36 to 90 minutes of planned downtime per month. With Gmail’s one glitch in the year, it suggests it’s more reliable than other enterprise email solutions like Novell GroupWise and Microsoft Exchange.

It’s all about communication – and it seems Google is making communicating within the workplace easier with creative apps and (fingers crossed!) great reliability.

Interested in more about Google and cloud computing in the midmarket? Watch SearchCIO-Midmarket.com’s recent video interview with Glotzbach.

2009 cybersecurity threats revealed – wah waaah

You know that new iPhone you got? Or the Android order you put in? Well, not to get all Debbie Downer on you, but your sexy smartphone is a security threat.

The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) announced the release of the Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009. A big help in our overall awareness and protection, the report outlines security concerns and risks for consumer and enterprise Internet users. So what’s your mobile device got to do with it? Cell phones will become members of botnets.

In the GTISC report, Patrick Traynor, an assistant professor of computer science at Georgia Tech and member of the GTISC, delves into the “digital wallet” smartphone concept (smartphones store personal identity and payment information). He says smartphones will be injected with malware — when this happens, “large cellular botnets could then be used to perpetrate a DoS attack against the core of the cellular network.” The good news? Traynor goes on to say it will provide an opportunity to design security properly for the quickly evolving mobile communications sector.

The overall threat areas to be aware of, according to the report, are malware, botnets, cyberwarfare, threats to VoIP and mobile devices and the evolution of the cybercrime economy. The driving force behind all the attacks? The data.

The cybercrime community (a mafia of sorts, if you will) will be utilizing our recent advancements in social networking to cloak malcode. One example given in the report: Facebook wall links posted by a friend prompting users to install Flash Player updates. When the unaware user clicks to install the update, a piece of malware is installed on the machine. And just like that, the computer is involved in a botnet.

Other stats to be aware of? Botnets have become worse in 2008 and GTISC researchers estimate 15% of online computers will be botnet-affected this year. Cyberwarfare and attempts to “subvert the US economy and infrastructure” will accompany military interaction more often. And the already vulnerable VoIP? Cybercriminals will look to engage in voice fraud, data theft and other scams.

Web 2.0 in the workplace: Say “hello,” not “goodbye”

How much of our personalities is being lost behind Web 2.0? We Facebook, we blog, we get hooked up in LinkedIn, we SMS and email and twitter – but who are we portraying and who exactly is on the other end? And I’m not talking about customizing your Ning network with your personal preferences or updating your Facebook status as a way of portraying who you are. I’m talking about the human interaction.

Not just in a “Kumbaya” sort of way— but from a professional standpoint. Especially with the current economic situation, where layoffs and hiring freezes are very real concerns – are we slowly phasing ourselves out by not coming in?

In my daily scan of compelling tech news and points of interest, I came across a “This I Believe” NPR recording titled “The power of hello.” Ready to slow my search and kick back with my earbuds, I listened to the podcast by Howard White, a Nike executive.

In his own words, White recounts a moment from his childhood that changed his life: His mother scolded him for not acknowledging a neighbor, saying, “You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody and not open up your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street.”

White continues on to describe his role in Nike and how after years of conversation with the founder, he finally got the courage to ask him for a meeting and … the rest is history.

I know, I thought it sounded a bit Pursuit of Happyness, myself – but I immediately began to think of it in context of my own job. And yours.

Knowing the people you work with by face and not just by AIM screen name gets things done. You know who to ask, where to go and who will go the extra mile to help you make a deadline.

With more and more people telecommuting and instant messaging (in and out of the office), are we losing our office humanity? Rather, is being just a face in the crowd (or a name on the email list) making it easier for you to be overlooked as a strong, capable, employee who should be promoted and kept around? And for CIOs, do you look for someone with personality and team camaraderie when making hiring (or firing) decisions?

I certainly get caught up in the tech world. It’s exciting, it’s opened doors to worldwide communication and “anywhere connectivity.” But I also see the importance of making oneself known as a person and not just an employee or a name. Maybe it’s just nice to know your team and feel good in your work environment.

Maybe I’m not willing to settle for a toothy-grinned emoticon.

Obama’s iPhone App

The Obama campaign has introduced an iPhone application — Obama ‘08. Self-described as the “official, comprehensive connection to the heart of Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s campaign,” the application has features and tools to keep interested voters up to date.

The application’s features include up-to-date campaign news, a “call friends” feature (allowing the user to reach out to friends to remind them to vote, etc.), videos, photos and talking points (to help users convince their friends to vote for Obama).

The free application was developed in less than three weeks by volunteers and is available in the iTunes App Store. In his blog, Senator Obama’s staff notes, “This tool is designed to help you become more directly involved in our campaign to change the country.”

The country hasn’t been changed yet, but the Obama campaign has changed the way Americans connect and become involved during election season. Before Joe Biden was announced as his running mate, Obama promised to text message the news to those who texted VP to a designated number. He also offered up free Obama buttons via Facebook to those who requested them.

The Obama campaign has taken social networking to a whole new level – using technology to its advantage. And it’s certainly not afraid to try something new – blogging, Facebooking, texting, Twittering and creating iPhone applications.

For those of you who try it – phone a friend. Or at the very least, share your phone-a-friend option with Governor Palin.

Face-to-face social networking? Nticing

Finally, we may be seeing the end of the business card.

I always forget to bring my business cards to the events and conferences I attend. On the rare occasion I do remember to grab a small handful from my desk drawer, actually handing them out seems … so out of date. If I don’t even like carrying my own cards around, why should I expect someone else to want it? They smudge, they wrinkle (who wants to hand out a finger-printed and bent, tiny white card?) and they’re a bit of a hassle.

Plus, how many do they ship you in a box? A million? Who actually goes through all those? And information changes, you need to get another million shipped out to you and before you know it, you’re sitting on 5 million crinkled-up cards that no one (including you) actually wants.

When I attended the MIT EmTech Conference this week, I remembered to bring along my necessary (professional contact) evil. To my surprise, when I registered I did not get the usual name card on a promotional lanyard – I was handed what looked like a remote control (on a lanyard). When turned up to face me, it vibrated and beeped to life – displaying a brightly lit options screen and introducing itself as an nTAG.

Slightly bulky but surprisingly light, the nTag is built around the world’s first interactive name badge and provides a communication solution for the events and meetings industry. According to the site, the nTag (created in 2004 by Rick Borovoy and George Eberstadt) “pioneered face-to-face social networking solutions via wearable technology.”

Equipped with an electronic agenda, a messaging system, event information, your personal profile and contact information, and a way to wirelessly share this information nTAG to nTAG, you can practically say goodbye to your registration packet and business cards. And those “hello my name is” stickers? Never again. When you get within conversation-distance of someone wearing the nTAG, his name flashes up on your screen with the option to add as a contact.

On top of all that, the reusable devices eliminate all the waste (paper and time) of events packets.

All in all, the nTAG was useful and fun. I didn’t have to hand out a single business card (even though I’m dying to get rid of them) and I could update my profile and check out my contacts during the … umm … slower presentations.

The Wall Street Journal embraces Web 2.0

The Wall Street Journal launched a redesigned site Tuesday featuring Web 2.0 – but you have to pay to be a member.

Web 2.0, the user-generated content explosion, has changed the Internet. Social networking sites, blogs and wikis are everywhere, allowing users to create their own spaces and connect with people across the globe. Few social networking sites, however, charge a fee. I certainly would not have joined Facebook (at least initially) if I had to sign up for a paid subscription. But then again, the only purpose Facebook serves me is a social one. Once you start examining your professional social networking options – the cost may be worth it.

For a CIO looking to make contacts and be privy to a host of subscription-only media, WSJ.com may be the way to go.

The paid subscription includes some enticing extras. The self-guided tour (albeit a bit campy — inviting you to “stop by and discover” with “more content to uncover”) provides brief descriptions of the new site additions.

Overall, the redesign boasts an updated look and feel with enhanced story pages (video, audio and interactive graphics), news highlights (which can also be managed as a direct feed to Facebook, My Space, your desktop or even your blog), subscriber-exclusive content, a member community, Mobile Reader (a service for your BlackBerry so you can access your account on the go) and Journal Women (featuring women in business, politics, science, the arts and the world).

There is certainly a lot going on in the new and improved WSJ.com – and a lot of mixed reviews surrounding it.

On one side, some reviewers found the paid subscription to be a deterrent to new readers. Being blocked behind a pay wall could discourage casual browsers and they might look for news elsewhere. On the other side, satisfied reviewers were drawn to the exclusivity factor – developing contacts within, what some have referred to as, an elite group.

Do CIOs see the benefits of paid social networking subscriptions when so many of them are offered for free? Or has The Wall Street Journal missed the Web 2.0 boat?

Google on cloud computing and Enterprise 2.0

Oh, so we went to the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston about three weeks ago and interviewed Rishi Chandra, a product manager with Google’s enterprise division.

What follows below is a half-hour of raw interview footage covering Enterprise 2.0 in general and Chandra’s thoughts on cloud computing specifically. So a lot of it is out of context, but we think it’s really worth watching.

And this isn’t even the royal ‘we’: Interviewers are myself, WhatIs.com’s Alex Howard and Barney Beal from the TechTarget Enterprise Applications Media Group. If it’s a really good question, you’re hearing Alex. If it’s meandering, you’re hearing me.