SocialSphere Web 2.0 Products and Strategy

While the end of every year brings hundreds of predictions, some of them prescient, most of them bad, others bordering on criminal like the two-thirds of the economists polled last year who saw no signs of a recession -- one thing you can take to the bank is the continued democratization of the web in 2009.  This is a big deal for just about every government, company and organization I can think of. 

Its one of the most important but least covered mainstream news stories of the year -- how Web 2.0 tools have led the continued transfer (sometimes uneasy) of power from the few to the many.  There are dozens of examples -- some I have seen firsthand like the emerging use of e-government tools (with notable exceptions) in China, the SMS-based protests that nearly took down a government in Korea, and the mobilization of tens of millions of newly engaged citizens organized online for Barack Obama -- and others from a distance like the ass-kicking that the "Motrin Moms" gave J&J and its ad agency via Twitter for its insensitive portrayal of new moms and lack of understanding about one of its core demographic groups. 

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal partnered with MIT's Sloan School to highlight how some of these Web 2.0 applications can be utilized for business -- including marketing, outsourcing, leadership, innovation and HR. It was just about perfect -- especially for the less than connected CEOs, COOs, and CMOs -- in that it focused on how the technology (matched with the right attitude) was changing the way in which businesses will operate in the future.  While there were a number of handy reading lists and case studies referenced, what was missing were a few practical next steps.  So here they are -- three next steps that every CEO and C-level executive ought to take up, regardless if you are Jeff Immelt or Joe the plumber.  And what better time to start than during the new year holidays?

On my way out to China a month ago I left a post asking for some help from the many thousands of loyal readers of the SocialSphere blog (TFPIC).  Not surprisingly, our community came through as always and I got some great questions.  Each and every one was interesting and provided me with some great angles for some of my interviews.  I asked each one many times over my stay, so thanks.  Here they are again -- with some of my insights (which are anecdotal, not scientific, but pretty interesting if you ask me):

I was recently part of a meeting with one of the leaders from a very large and very important organization that has a fairly prominent presence in the U.S. and around the world.  The objective of the meeting and our project is ... change.  To be a little more specific we are working as part of a all-world team to transform the way in which this organization communicates with all of its "customers" from the top down and from the bottom up.  This was the first of many meetings, a kick-off that will soon be followed with stakeholder research, social media analysis, platform design, beta testing, etc.  About half way through the meeting, one of the client principles reminded all of us that to truly be successful, we need to spend about as much time selling the new tools internally (as in all the way up) as building the new tools.  It is very likely that the youngest, Millennial-aged employees and customers will get the technology and adapt to it quickly, but unless the middle and senior-level management understand why it's important, its capabilities and how to use it a little bit, our effort will likely fail. 

Numerous times I have praised President-elect Obama and a number of other elected officials and campaigns for teaching us a thing or two about the psychology of Web 2.0.  The basic premise is that people want to be involved -- and if you provide them a forum, treat them with respect -- you get much more back than you give.

Well, as we know, politicians don't get it right all the time.  One of the worst uses of email (I know, not exactly Web 2.0 but it is often the important first step to greater engagement) I have seen lately comes from former Hawaii Congressman Ed Case, a Democrat who I believe is the cousin of AOL's Steve Case.  Although I don't know former Congressman Case (he could well be a great guy) he appears to have three deadly flaws: 1) complete, selfish naked ambition; 2) zero real listening skills; and 3) lack of respect for the citizens of Hawaii.