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A Case Study of Micro-Blogging for Learning at QualcommB.J. Schone and John PolaschekNovember 11th, 2009
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Emergent Forms of Communication
Forums& Blogs
E-mail Instant Messaging
Asynchronous (Verbose) Real-time (Brief)
1 to Few
1 to Many
Response Likely
No GuaranteedResponse
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Explosive growth of Twitter
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5
10
15
20
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30Unique visitors (millions)
Twitter Source: Compete.com
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Bersin & Associates Research Bulletin, 2009
Volume 4, Issue 36
“As human beings, we learn socially. If we need an answer to a question or guidance for completing a procedure, a very natural response is to ask someone else, be that person a friend, manager or mentor. We know that many people learn best in groups and some people learn more quickly by asking others for an explanation, rather than by reading or studying on their own.”
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“The more effortlessly employees can communicate, collaborate and share new insights with one another, the faster an organization can respond to changing customer expectations and business conditions.”
Ross Mayfield, CEO of SocialText, Web 2.0 Expo
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How to select a micro-blogging platform
Find a sponsor and get buy-in.
Once you have buy-in…BudgetDecide: Internal vs. external? Think about: IT infrastructure, intellectual property
Gather requirements Involve HR, Corp. Communications, Legal, IT
Do some research / investigate vendors
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We selected Yammer
Reasons: Yammer is ready for the enterprise.
Yammer has a mobile interface.
Yammer is the best fit for Qualcomm – right now.
We considered: CubeTree
Laconica / Identica / StatusNet
Presently
SocialText
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How we access Yammer
Desktop app
Blackberry app iPhone appWindows Mobile app
Outlook pluginFirefox add-on
Google Reader Twitter
Android app(Coming soon)
Ping.fm(Coming soon)
Web browser
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Challenges
Some people just won’t get it. And that’s ok.
Remain objective. Don’t evangelize too much.
Legal challenges / intellectual property issues may arise.
Electronic media policies may need to be updated.
Remember that the success of these systems isn’t
always based on numeric data.
Keep security in mind.
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Tips for a Successful Implementation
Begin with a grassroots approach. Hold informal training sessions. Find a vocal group of beta testers. Don’t set strict rules. Constantly monitor user feedback and make changes
as needed. Communicate the ‘story’ of micro-blogging. Use micro-blogging as a back channel during training. Contests, quizzes, giveaways, sneak peeks. Partner with internal departments. (Beer!)
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Top Uses of Micro-blogging at Qualcomm
Connecting - “Does anybody know…?”Community buildingBridging silos, distances (international offices)Continuous status updatesReal time chat Industry research and news Internal marketing Increase sphere of influence
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0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Number of Yammer Users
* The Enterprise 2.0 Series ran from May through October.
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2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Number of Yammer Messages
* The Enterprise 2.0 Series ran from May through October.
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Metcalfe’s Law
"The value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfe%27s_law
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MeasurementWhat's the ROI of a 24/7 fully-networked, 100%
connected workforce?
Can you put a price on the answers generated and the relationships that may have been created?
Show examples to business leaders and let them decide the value of the network.
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Unexpected Benefits
Knowledge experts / SMEs emerged
Brought groups together over common topics
Bridged silos (IT, HR, Legal, Employee Comm.)
Led to the update of official eMedia policy
Sparked Enterprise 2.0 discussions
Ignited product roadmaps talks in our Business
Development group
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The Moral of the Story
Partner, partner, partner.
Educate, educate, educate.
Succeed or fail cheap and fast.
Provide an Enterprise 2.0 alternative, otherwise employees will use Web 2.0.
Micro-blogging and other 2.0 technologies are changing the way we learn, work, develop products, and do business today.