NEWS: Empowering enterprises with Web 2.0

ONCE considered a means for the public to communicate and share a common interest, Web 2.0 social networking tools like blogs, RSS (really simple syndicate), Wikis, podcasting, mashups, and widgets are now slowly being adopted by the enterprise community, as an alternative to traditional communication tools like telephones and e-mail.

Oglesby says that some companies’ best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.
Oglesby says that some companies’ best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.

According to IBM worldwide sales manager, Lotus Connections, IBM Software Group, Larry Oglesby, many companies realise that some of the best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.

“Social networking tools will create a huge impact on the way communications are done in companies. It is fast becoming a forum for companies to gain feedback from their customers and employees,” he said in Petaling Jaya last week.

What makes a growing number of companies adopt social networking tools are due to their characteristics, said Oglesby.

“People with common goals use the software to connect and interact, create communities, and allow valuable information to be shared by community users, not by a central authority,” he said.

In the consumer space, Oglesby said social networking tools are used to connect people, but in the enterprise space, it goes into connecting information and services with each other and individuals and teams.

“It also empowers business users to develop applications that meet the needs of the changing business environment and share these with the network,” he said.

Companies investing in social networking tools can expect their return on investment to come in a number of ways.

“Firstly, by the next decade, a lot of experienced workers will be retiring. Thus, companies are looking at ways to capture all the knowledge these workers have, and one way this can be done is through social networking software such as blogging, or through community forums. This way, the knowledge will be captured and shared among the younger workforce,” said Oglesby.

“Graduates entering the workforce are also expecting social networking tools in the workplace, as they have been using these tools in college or at home. As a result, we’re seeing companies now being interested in providing that capability.”

Oglesby added that global companies with many branches and mobile workers will also benefit, as the technology will make the employees feel more connected. “To companies facing mergers and acquisition, the existence of social networking applications will help workers from the two companies improve intra- and inter-company communications and collaborations,” he added.

Another key benefit of Web 2.0 is the speed with which enterprises can respond to customers.

“With the advent of Web 2.0, customers can be directed to the queries, which are posted on the person’s (subject matter expert’s) blog, and accessible by any customer in the future. This ability to respond fast should appeal well to customers,” said Oglesby.

IBM has also come out with its version of social networking tools intended for use by companies of all sizes. Called IBM Lotus Connections social software, the application is similar to public social networking tools like blogspots, facebook, Flickr, etc, but with enterprise-class security system added to it.