Social software participation

It’s been six months of creating, writing, and managing my own blog. There are ups and downs. I’m not a kind of person that update blog everyday, but I still check once in a while  And if I want to write, then I’ll write. Others such as social networking, social messaging, online chat and wiki, I’m very getting use of them.  Little by little, these tools become parts of my “online” activities. I would say it would be a habit for most of the people who use those social tools. Some people who already get the benefit of social networking might enjoy and feel as part of these communities. They also give contribution for others. Meanwhile, some people who haven’t get one will feel a little bit disappointed and might leave the communities.

Six months is long enough. I get a lot of benefit from using those social tools. To communicate, keep contact, get idea and information, learn about stuff I’m interested in, and sometimes just share things I feel or do. The more frequently I use the tools, the more I get the benefit. It’s worth to try. Once you get the “rhythm”, you’ll know. Anyway, these virtual social networking is getting “real” to me.

Using Plurk

I often read about people use Twitter as part of company’s promotion, service, etc. I never use it before, but I tried Plurk. My friend said, basicly it’s the same as Twitter, but in Plurk you can add response to your friends/fans saying. First, I don’t have any idea of how using Plurk-kinda thing in business. But it just crossed my mind, it can be used as part of communication tool in a group project, like chat facility, then your friends comments on what you’re doing or saying. Anyway, can’t think of anything else..

Collaborative CRM & Social Software – an issue

Collaborative comes from collaborate which means work together to reach one goal. CRM is a strategic management approach intended to acquire, enhance, and retain profitable and potential customers by managing relationship with them. Collaborative CRM means working together in order to manage customer-company relationship. Who? A company has departments, people in company need to work together to manage it. Who? The object here is important, the customer. A company needs to work together with them as well. The customers are not “objects” anymore, they are the “centre” of CRM. Collaborative CRM has communication and interaction as its centre, the information and knowledge flows which aims to understand customers’ needs and take them into action, then gain customers’ satisfaction and loyalty.

One interesting combination is using social software in collaborative CRM. It allows two-way communication and interaction. Moreover, customers can inquiry, share opinion, experience, and feedback. I believe most company will think “twice” to use social software as communication tools with customers. Don’t let social software be the company’s boomerang, when a company has good intention in implementing it, but it can turn out to be implemented in a wrong way and it can turn the company upside down later. It is good to have this kind of thinking.

Though, I’m sure that customers will tell you the “truth” about what happen, from their own point of view. This is what matter! You need to know where you stand, you also need to know how the customers see you; without asumption, without hesitation, you will know for sure. It will be an important point where you can finally see your “face” from customers’ point of views. It sounds cruel, doesn’t it? Comments aren’t always negative. There will be two sides of everything. It is what it is, let it be, you can’t change it. But you can change and improve, and trying to be sustainable in giving good service to customers. Aren’t we all in a process? Anticipation is important, but to know the truth, get the picture, understand customers’ needs then take it into action are more important.

This is an issue I feel for implementing social software as part of collaborative CRM.

Social software and CRM

I just think about this topic since yesterday. I’m thinking that one core business process is managing customer service, to do that, organizations can use CRM. I see CRM as a whole process from front-end until back-end system. Is that true? Then, the adoption of social software is also able to be used internally and externally. Hmm, maybe the external usage is interesting. Because I assume that external party is more unpredictable than insiders, which are employees of organizations. If it is possible, social software adoption can be used as front end application to communicate and interact with customers, then it integrates with other system in organization to finally process the end result; reports, forecasting, sales dashboard, etc. The results might depend on customers’ participations in the front end system. Well, it’s kinda interesting though, then I can add more things inside later.

social software and personal knowledge

I have been used wiki quite a long time, just to read and find some information I wanna know, but I didn’t know that it is one of social software tools. It’s like a big dictionary for me. I didn’t know that it can be used to collaborate writing with other people (anyway, I’m glad I knew that now :’p). At first I believe information in the wiki 100% true, no doubt, no question. But then I learn, that people can revise other people’s writing, due to updating facts, or revising some information. Then I have a changing feeling, it’s not a 100% anymore =’] Yes it’s true, since information and knowledge can be used and reused, added, updated, and some aren’t mature, still developing, and sometimes I cross check with other sources as well. So, readers have to become the filter of their own.

Wiki has revision history, yes, but I feel I don’t wanna know about it. The point is I don’t like the history page. Cause I see that the history page is not easy to read. Sometimes I just don’t care about the history tracking and if I could find the information I want, it’s enough. But, in other case, it could be an issue for a user friendly easy to retrieve and compare documentation perhaps?

I’m new in writing blog, but I feel quite comfortable about telling what I study. I also search and read some blogs, ask people whose writings I’m interested in. But then I learn, that people’s writing in blog, are more to opinion (even though facts are also clear), despite they’re experts or novices. So, you know many blogs around, many variative opinions, which can be your sources of information and knowledge, and you are, once again become the filter of those information and knowledge. When I got comments from other people for my writings, I’m very excited, most are because I see that some people read and say something about my opinion or what I say. It’s like an indirect conversation more or less. And what’s important is that they also have the same interest with me!

Another social software tools I use is Friendster, the social network service. Sometimes I feel lazy to update my profile and check my network. Coz my purpose here is just to stay connect and able to contact my friends. Friends of friends are rarely used. I notice that some of my friends can be very active in updating their profiles, write bulletins and blogs, but many have lost also; they never use their accounts anymore. And I realize, I use it only to stay connect with some still existing friends in there and it’s personal use only. I just read bout someone said that Facebook is useless in creating social networking, that he expects friends he has could help in his professional life. It’s true maybe, people only want to make “friends” in the context of personal instead professionalism in social network service. Anyway, as far as I go, this social network service does not give me knowledge except news about my friends only.

Internet forum is quite an older technology of social software. I find it useful, especially when I have some errors of problems connected with my works in IT field (Search engine like Google is very very useful.) Answer and questions type of communication, it’s like Q&A. But sometimes, people also give tips and tricks, best practices and experiences. It’s a good place to update your knowledge, not only to find solutions when you have problems. Anyway, sometimes I don’t get an answer when I pop up a question into a forum, that can make me desperate in finding solutions of my problems =’p 

Well, those are stories of my experience in using some social software tools for my personal knowledge. I feel that wikis, forums and professional blogs are most useful in giving me information and knowledge. Though, I haven’t compared which of them is the most useful, but each has own characteristics. (I mentioned professional blogs, coz some blogs are only stories about daily lives and experinces. Somehow I never think of reading diary-like blogs that most of the reasons is I’m not that interested in knowing other people’s lives that I don’t know =’] (forgive me..) Maybe other people feel it’s interesting? I don’t know.)

The next thing is, I really should try social bookmarking and twitter. It’s kinda interesting =’D

Social software and BPM

Many organizations have used social software tools; emails, video conference, online chat, forum, etc. Newer applications of social software associated with web 2.0 such as wiki, blog, social bookmarking and tagging are also have been used in organizations. Most of the tools were used as a knowledge management tool for knowledge building, knowledge sharing, knowledge networking, information dissemination, etc. Some research conducted case studies of social software usage in companies to support business process. The results are varied, some gain success and some get failure. It is said that most success comes that the use of social software are intended as solution to answer business process’s needs.

The key of social software is in the “social” thing. Participation and involvement of the users, which is bottom up approach make these tools “survive” in the context of organization. Without users’ participation, I think social software will have no use. People in organization, of course need to communicate and collaborate each other, which makes sense if it is said that social software can be used in all business processes, but to what extend? If I think that social software means emails, it is reasonable. But if I see from the newer application related to web 2.0, sometimes it is still quite difficult to imagine that all those processes need blog, wiki, social bookmarking or tagging.

However, I try to create a metrics between social software tools (blog, wiki, forum, social bookmarking, tagging, social network service, and instant messaging) and business process classification (core and support processes). I also believe that the use of the tools are not the same in nature, and the needs of business processes are not the same. So, I conclude that different business process needs different tools to support it. The result is that all the processes can make use at least one of the tool I’ve mentioned above. The organization can adopt the social tools to support its business process, but once again, the adoption needs plan and work. It is easy just to install the tools. But what is important is that the tool can accomodate the needs of the users and business process itself.

One thing that is more interesting is the adoption of social software tools in one organization is not the same with other organizations, so I think social software adoption will be very various and quite dynamic in nature. Some factors that need to be checked in adopting these tools are organization’s culture, change management, user’s behaviour and management support. The adoption is not about technical thing, the management part is as much as important as the technical part. In fact, it could be more to be a concern.

The driver of social software, I think is the users. Use, participate and enjoy. When the users feel that, I think the adoption would be just fine.

How can we make social software adoption to support business process in organization to be a success? – check business process need. - fact that business process need social software tool. – analyze business process need and tool to be adopted. – prepare change management in adopting new technology (management) and the tools to be implemented (technical). – monitor the implementation. – evaluate the implementation.

How do we know that the use of social software enhance business process? – reduce working time. – increase the work that is processed. – save costs. - yield greater production.

How can we measure that the use of social software can increase production and quality? – increase sales. – reduce complains.

How do we find out that the use of social software can support decision making? – real time and more feedbacks from customers. – more information and knowledge exchange can be performed.

It’s the dynamic

Back to my topic, social software. I just decided that there would be no fixed definition for this new term, social software. Most people would describe it as tool that’s used for users’ communication and interaction. Refer to what I’ve questioned before, why people always refer to blogs or wikis when they think of social software. It’s a new technology that is “booming” and excellent examples of social software. Thus, I believe social software was brought to the surface that it has its own characteristics, that’s why we call it differently from groupware or CSCW. Despite of that, older technology has brought to what we call as social software now. It’s the dynamic changes of technology, human’s need, and human’s behaviour.

Social software has been used in business environment as well. Even some company already sell “social software applications and packages”. It is mentioned that only “open-minded” companies use this kind of tools as their new way in communicating and interacting with their colleagues, letting the organizations’ knowledge flow and spread.

As far as I thought, social and business environment are different. It would give different ways and results in practicing social software at work and in socializing. Applying social software in business would be a challenge for both management and knowledge worker. Will this thing work in business environment? Since I realize, that the bottom-up approach is somehow true. I believe business-world will find a way to apply and maximize the benefit of social software. How hard could that be? How would be the result? This is only the beginning.

social software

ok, let’s start..

now i’m in the middle of digging social software and its usage in business. i think social software have been used and adopted widely, i’m still not sure that it will be a success in business area also. currrently, as far as i know, the implementation in business is not significant. there’s still a small proof of what and how this software would bring more benefits in business. from my point of view, businesses can get the benefits from this social software when they could use the maximum of social software itself, mostly comes to knowledge management. business people should know what are the functions and capabilities of social software. not only the tool, management, culture and behaviour are also important. as usual, IT projects need top management’s support to go, culture and behaviour of business people that will use the tools are also important that they are “the engine” that empower the tools’ usage. benefits could happen in short and long term, but mostly, social software in business would bring significant impacts in a long range.

i’m a little bit confused between social software, groupware, and CSCW (Computer Supported Collaborative Work). are they actually one thing in different names? are they predecessor and successor? or is one a part of another ones? hhmm..