Don’t think about the technology but what it can enable.
Globally distributed person-to-person communications.
The speed of it all is bewildering to many.
The power of it is its ability to connect people – you can know people well who you have never met. Euan used the example of meeting Doc Searles after they had been reading each others blogs for a year or so.
The technology to do this is cheap, it isn’t a significant barrier to entry.
The power of social media can be most beneficial internally, especially in large organisations such as the BBC. You can find colleagues to help you that you would never have reached otherwise.
Many people don’t feel comfortable with the level of openness and transparency that social media creates.
The first technology implemented was forums (or fora for Latin)
The second was blogs. The power of blogs is that in your daily life you notice things and if you are then blogging about them you become even more aware. People then read this and add comments to it, which creates even greater knowledge, value and awareness.
The line between inside and outside is becoming blurred.
The third is to use wikis. They are used to manage projects and develop policies.
We are using RSS to manage the flow of information.
We are learning to trust different sources that are relevant to us.
Using the example of Edelman, whose ability to manage the Wal-mart flog fiasco was enhanced because he already blogged and had credibility – even if it was hurt by the episode.
Have a conversation with Euan Semple at The Obvious?
