Category Archives: Social Media

Is It Social Software or Collaborative Knowledge Management That Gets Results?

A recent article over on Chief Executive on Tying Social Software to Business Metrics that Matter indicated that one of the biggest opportunities a company has to drive operating performance to new levels, run lean, innovate, and accelerate talent development is to tap the full capabilities of social software. As proof, it references “social software” deployments by OSIsoft, that realized a 22% improvement in average time to issue resolution through customer support’s use of Socialtext wikis, and Alcoa Fastening Systems, that reduced compliance activities by 61% using an internal collaboration platform.

Seems to me that the author is confused. “Social” software, at least in the common vernacular, refers to the social networks like Twitter, that makes a twit out of you, Facebook, that is contributing to the downfall of western civilization as you read this, and similar sites that have no real value and only provide you with ways to poke, prod, ping, and tweet your valuable time (and intelligence) away.

Wikis and similar platforms are really collaborative knowledge management platforms that allow users to collect, share, and create new knowledge that can help them advance themselves and the organizations they belong to, unlike social sites that only help them flitter their time away through pointless games and photo sharing. Yes there is a social aspect, but its about collaboration for education and innovation, not to see who can get the highest poke per minute count or follow the most twits who spend their days tweeting about how great Britney looks in her new outfit.

Social platforms only increase endorphins. In order to get results, you need to increase serotonin. That’s what collaborative knowledgement platforms do. Don’t get them confused.

If You Think Social Media Will Solve Your Problems

Then I’d like to sell you some plans for a cold fusion reactor to solve all of your energy needs! At only $999,995, it’s a steal!

But, in all seroiusness, no business in the world should want a social media expert on their team because being an expert in social media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator. It’s easy. The hard part is pulling a scooby and shaggy and making an amazing sandwich with that bread. And you can’t do that if all you’ve ever done is take the bread out of the refrigerator.

The reality is that social media is just another facet of marketing and customer service and IT’S STILL ABOUT GENERATING REVENUE THROUGH SOLID MARKETING AND STELLAR CUSTOMER SERVICE, JUST LIKE IT’S BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME.

Thank you, Peter Shankman for this wonderful article on why I will never, ever hire a “social media expert”! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Thank you!

Facebook is not worth 100 Billion. There’s no revenue in poking, prodding, tagging, flagging, and flailing around with a thousand people you never met. And Twitter certainly isn’t worth almost 10 Billion either. I don’t care that you thought that new spicy foods restaurant on the corner was the greatest ever until you ended up with food poisoning and spent the night worshipping the porcelain alter (which you described in glory detail, 140 characters at a time). Anyone who thinks these sites are worth billions is a nutjob still throwing off his clothes and running naked in the rain, waving his hands in the air, sure that this time it’ll be different, because this time it’s better! A whacko. A total loon.

And anyone who thinks you need a “Social Media Expert” to understand Facebook, Twitter, GroupOn, etc. is just as crazy. We should listen to Douglas Adams, round them all up, along with the wall street executives, politicians, and paper-pushing middle managers, and send them away on a spaceship just like the Golgafrinchans did. We’d be better off for it if we did. (Except we’ll learn their lesson and keep the “telephone sanitizers” because, let’s face it, some guys just won’t scrub their own telephones. [If you don’t get why, brush up on the history of the term.])

In the mean time, SI will never be hiring a “social media expert” either. And you should really, really check out Peter Shankman‘s wonderful article on why I will never, ever hire a “social media expert”! It made my day.

Still Think Facebook is Fabulous?

Then you must read Dan’s post on the Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook over on rocket.ly.

In a nutshell, according to Dan:

10. Facebook’s Terms of Service are complete one-sided

09. Facebook’s CEO has a documented history of unethical behavior

08. Facebook has flat out declared war on privacy.

07. Facebook is pulling a classic bait-and-switch.

06. Facebook is a bully.

05. Even your private data is shared with Facebook applications.

04. Facebook is not technically competent enough to be trusted.

03. Facebook makes it incredibly difficult to truly delete your account.

02. Facebook doesn’t (really) support the Open Web.

01. The Facebook application itself sucks.

And I have to say that I agree. As such, I will continue to remain faceless.

And I strongly encourage you to check out Dan’s post in its entirely. It’s quite shocking!

Still Think Social Networks Are a Good Idea?

Especially networks with no value or knowledge like Twitter?

Well, it’s your choice … but you might want to think twice about how you use them if you have a job. Thanks to Teneros and its new Social Sentry, your employer can now monitor everything you do on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks … in real time. Your employer can track everything you say and do and break it down into on-time and off-time, job and not-job related, and other categories of interest. If your company has a “wholesome image” policy and you post pictures of yourself drinking at the watering hole, a no-speaking-about-our-company negatively and you tweet that your job is boring, or simply spend too much time twittering when you should be working, you might not have a job for long. Just thought you should know.

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