The Obvious?

Corporate Christmas Crackers

In conversation with someone the other day I remembered what an opportunity the Christmas season represents for people trying to get social software adopted in their organisations.

One of the most common reasons given for not becoming engaged online is time. Many people feel that time spent on blogs or forums is time wasted (I am going to tackle this misapprehension in my keynote at Online Info next week when I get stuck in to "Real Work" and some of the widely held assumptions about it). But during the Christmas season, even in the busiest of offices, there tends to be more down time and people are more relaxed about how they use it. People on shift over the Christmas period have more time to "play" when the office is quiet and often surf their way towards blogs, wikis or forums and get involved for the first time. This is a great opportunity to notice the newcomers, make them welcome and pick up on any opportunities that may be surfaced by their first posts.

A less serious opportunity is the gossip surrounding office parties which can draw people online into social spaces for the first time and so long as the tone stays well intentioned and light hearted there is no harm in encouraging these conversations. These are social spaces after all and the process of socializing goes into a higher gear over the festive season.

Don't be proud - make the most of it!

Variety is the spice of life

Over the last two weeks I have met with people from Hollywood, the banking industry, magazine publishing and even the MOD.

Bonkers but fascinating.

Who says no one needs newspapers anymore?

Watchdogs warned ...

...that talking out their arse could damage their future careers.

A security blanket

Isn't it a shame that IT departments the world over use security as their last bastion of control and as justification for blocking all sorts of legitimate and effective use of new technologies when all it takes is someone to stick a couple of CD's in a jiffy bag for the whole thing to look rather silly.

Stephen Fry shares one of my little bugbears

We’ll answer that vital point momentarily, as they say here in the US. I do enjoy hearing American waiters using that word; as you enter a restaurant they might say, “I’ll be with you momentarily”. They are usually righter than they know: a fleeting vision that flickers before your eyes and then is gone. I suppose ‘in a moment’ takes too long to say in their busy lives and ‘presently’ is English English to the point of being more or less flagrantly homosexual, so ‘momentarily’ it is.

Stephen Fry

Leo trying to find his voice

Social computing is like sex

For most people, the human drive to connect and share is stronger than the duty to spend every possible moment "being productive". No matter what, people will find ways to socialize and share during work hours. It might be best to treat this like sex education: If your employees are going to "do it" anyway, why not encourage them to channel their social-media impulses in smart, safe ways that can potentially help your business?

Jeremy Burton via Joining Dots

Who needs advertisers?

I will leave my former colleague Nick Reynolds to answer that and to deal with the BBC's recent decision to advertise.

Be sure to watch the wonderful video he links to.

Sometimes ....

.... the thought that I am a parent scares the wits out of me. Thankfully my kids are more balanced, more sensible and more intelligent than me.