It’s no surprise that corporations have a love/hate relationship with the use of social media inside the company. As Business Week reminds us in recent article, there is reason for the tension inside companies on how they should handle usage of social media.
On the one hand, Millennials have social networking in their DNA,
and are saying,”I need these tools to be productive.” But the legal
folks, and yes, some HR folks, are saying, “This could implode,
remember the dark side of using social media and be aware of the
experience of Domino’s Pizza“. For those unaware of the Domino’s Pizza fiasco, two former Domino’s Pizza employees used YouTube
to create a fictional video account of unsanitary conditions in a
Dominos pizza kitchen in Conover, N.C. The story became front-page news
on the NY Times.
One solution: Create social media guidelines and be sure all employees understand how to follow them.
IBM’s social computing guidelines are very informative and they have since grown to cover social media usage on sites like Twitter and Facebook
as well as inside the company network. Essentially these guidelines
urge employees to be open and transparent, to remember they are
personally responsible for what they publish, and perhaps most
importantly, to take a deep breath and think about what they are doing
before hitting the send button.
See the complete IBM Social Computing Guidelines here.
Once you have developed a strategy and a set of guidelines, your
next question: How Can Social Networking Be Used for HR and Corporate
Learning?
In the July issue of T&D magazine, in an article entitled Social Networking: A Force For Development, a number of concrete uses for social media were outlined:
Link learners before and after a formal training event
Engage Millennials—Perhaps as reverse mentors to senior executives
Provide new content prior to a face to face class
Provide links and resources to new content
Determine future training needs by searching tags and reading conversations
Reinforce and sustain learning try using twitter for this
What are you doing about developing a social media strategy?
Last week I presented some interesting new findings on the Kindle’s expanding market,
and asked you all to weigh in on whether you thought it would continue
to expand into the corporate training market. The preliminary
consensus, at least, appears to be “no”.
The list of preliminary concerns raised in the comments section
includes aesthetic concerns, such as bulk, and the lack of a color
screen, as well as potentially more substantial barriers. These
barriers include:
Lack of Two Way Capabilities
Nick raised an excellent point about the inherent limits of the Kindle feature set when he wondered,
Is it possible to collect statistics, do quizzes? Does
the platform support animated (Flash or other) content or is it static
only? Lack of one or both of these capabilities could severely limit
its usefulness.
Passive Screen
Similarly, Steven explained that the hardware itself may not be sufficient because,
The Kindle is not a good medium for social interaction.
It is a private experience. As we learned at the recent Learning
Innovation Network meeting in Cambridge, MA last week, social
interactions are a key part of learning. The tactile dimension is not
there. Once one is used to an iTouch or iPhone, it is hard to go back
to a passive screen, even one with the wonderful resolution of Kindle.
Touch and gesture are an important part of memory (and therefore
learning.) So, although I expect to do a great deal of reading on
Kindle-like devices, I expect my learning to be social, personal and
tactile.
Yet Another Device To Carry Around
Finally, the largest and possibly most significant concern raised
involved a logistical obstacle: people simply do not want to be carrying
around another electronic device in their daily lives. As Martin strongly explained,
Our employees will ideally want to access training via
their existing device, not a Kindle. I couldn’t think of anything more
frustrating than having to switch between several devices in my pocket,
instead of just using my own mobile phone that allows me to wear
training and take training, anytime, anywhere.
So, based on your comments the Kindle has
significant hurdles to overcome before it is a corporate learning
delivery device. However, mobile phones and in particular, the iPhone
or BlackBerry, may be a more long-term solution as a mobile learning
device since they offer institutional support, two way capabilities,
and an all in a package that allows users to access one’s cell phone,
datebook, contact list, notepad, mp3 player, internet access device,
etc.
Whatever device emerges as the winner, our blog community sees new
features and new capabilities for mobile learning appearing at an
accelerated pace.
Back in November I first wrote about the emerging potential of iTunes University as a vehicle for learning, when Yale University Dean Joel Podolny joined the Apple team to serve as Dean of their own learning system. This past February I wrote about iTunes U once more, as new research was released which confirmed the power learning via this method as university students who listened to podcast lectures received consistently better test scores than those who didn't.
One University in Australia, however, is taking this a step further, and is now offering college credit to high school students who watch video footage of lectures on YouTube. Professor Richard Buckland of the University of NSW in Sydney, Australia, wanted a way to allow high school students who lived too far away but were capable of handling college level programs, to actually attend Buckland's classes by watching videos of his lectures on YouTube. Though students go through a rigorous selection procedure, if accepted, they must not only watch videos on YouTube but also hand in other work assignments in order to receive the transferable college credit which is of no cost to them. And, of course, only those accepted to the program receive the credit, but once the lectures are up on YouTube, they are freely available to be streamed by anyone.
This is another example of Open Learning--how will this impact corporate universities? Right now many companies are creating a Youtube version behind the firewall to share "how to lessons," will taking an entire course on YouTube be next?
All kidding aside, Jeremiah Owyang is one of the most “qualified”
people I know to share how to really leverage Twitter to advance your
personal brand as well as to increase your productivity at work.
Here’s a short story on how I used twitter to build my network. I
was a speaker this week at a Human Capital Institute event in
Scottsdale, AZ. My speech entitled Creating Next Generation Learning”
was to take place on Tuesday, March 10th, but I arrived on Monday the
9th. I wanted to connect with as many folks as possible so I sent out a
tweet about my being at the HCI event. All of the sudden I connected
with nearly a dozen folks from around the world who were also going to
be at the event. We planned several lunches and even created a poster
for our lunch table entitled Twitter Friends at HCI. I have written
about using Twitter as a learning tool here and here, and so I wanted to and got to hear first hand about how it is being used by Human Resource and Learning practitioners.
How long did it take me to do this? All of 5 minutes and 140 characters.
There are countless other examples of how I could have been built my
network, but I was deliberate about doing this on Twitter and in doing
I connected with a group of fellow Twitter users and we all discussed
how we are using microblogging to improve our productivity and build
our networks.
Here are some of the ways Twitter is being used on-the-job and in one’s personal life as discussed at HCI:
1) Think Before You Tweet
Yes it’s informal and only 140 characters but it is searchable and, yes, it can be googled.
2) Answer the Question: “What Is Interesting/Innovative” rather than just “What Are You Doing Now?”
Embed links to interesting content so all your followers learn what
you are reading and what influences your thoughts on a topic.
3) Approach Twitter as a Social Learning Tool
It is participatory, collaborative and, at its heart, contextual.
It may in fact be one of the best ways to instantly share knowledge
among your network.
4) Explore how best places to work use Twitter to build their brand.
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, was one of the keynote speakers at HCI
event this week. He is a big user of Twitter with 218,906 followers.
Zappos made the list in Fortune Magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies To Work For”
list, and Fortune began and ended the article by talking about how
Zappos uses Twitter to build more personal connections with people.
Zappos came in at #23 on the Fortune list making the company the
highest ranking newcomer for 2009.
In fact in Zappos Corporate Employee directory they have all employees
ranked by the number of followers they have on Twitter. Now that’s an
incentive to start sending tweets. Tony even created a beginners guide
on how to get onto Twitter. You can find this at: http://twitter.zappos.com/start
5) Explore how your company’s public relations, marketing communications and customer relations departments are using Twitter.
What can you learn from these departments in order to experiment
with your own learning department? In the case of Zappos, they have
transformed their public relations and marketing departments to use
Twitter as the first way to connect to customers.
6) Join the dialogue
Follow me at www.twitter.com/jcmeister
Join “Social Learning Question Of The Day” on Twitter at http://twitter.com/slqotd. We have 447 followers. A pdf of all the questions asked prior to February 2009 can be downloaded as a pdf. Thanks to Kevin Jones and Dave Wilkins for moderating this group.
7) Learn from “THE” social media analyst on this topic
As mentioned previously, one of the most qualified individuals on this subject is Jeremiah Owyang, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research covering social computing.
Below are top 7 questions from FAQ Guide Jeremiah created
and is something I consider to be a “MUST READ” for all those already
on Twitter or thinking about joining Twitter.
Ask Jeremiah: The Comprehensive FAQ Guide to Twitter Complete FAQ’s are found here.
Question: What are common terms and phrases I need to know? Do I Tweet or Twitter?
Twitter, which evolved from simple status messages to now a global
conversation, is referred to in a number of times. Asking folks: “Are
you on Twitter” is appropriate. When you want to use Twitter, and want
to refer to it as a verb, it’s appropriate to say “I’m Twittering
that”. However, it’s more appropriate to say to say, “Did you Tweet
that?”. (verb conjugation) It is never appropriate to suggest “I’m
twatting now”.
Question: I just joined, now what? I don’t get
it.Twitter on it’s own makes little sense, why? It’s a social tool and
this means you have to follow others. First, use the address import
tool to add folks that are in your Yahoo mail and Google mail.
Secondly, do searches for people you may know to find them. If Twitter
search doesn’t’ work or the “Find people” search, use Google and
seasrch “First Last Twitter” to find folks. Once you find people you do
know (or want to know) see who they are following, and add them. You
can always add me, but you should first see how I use Twitter.
Question: Who gives a donk what I ate for lunch,
can I talk about something else? Yes, talk about anything you want. The
twitter question “what are you doing now” isn’t the most effective way
of using the tool. Instead, answer this question “What’s important to
me” or better yet “What’s important to my followers”. Also, engage in
dialog, ask questions and answer others questions using the reply
feature.
Question: Why 140 Characters? 140 characters is the
size limit of text messages using SMS, since Twitter integrates well
with mobile devices, you can text to “40404” and enter in 140
characters to tweet from your phone. Also, 140 characters is a true
bite sized chunk of information making it easy to consume and create
–ideal for rapid sharing of ideas.
Question: How do I use the reply feature? Easy.
When you see someone’s tweet, there’s a small ‘arrow’ next to their
tweet. If you feel like responding to them, click that arrow and it
will automatically load their name into the text box. Type your answer
in 140 characters and submit. This will make conversations easier to
track and find.
Question: How come people don’t write in normal
English in Twitter? Good question, due to it’s limited 140 characters
style of publishing, Twitter has formed it’s own unique nomenclature,
similar to how users of pagers in the 90s developed shortened codes and
how text message have developed their own digital shorthand. Often
you’ll hear people use Twinglish, a combination of “Tw” plus other
English words like “Twello Texas”. It’s cute once in a while, but can
grate on ones nerves after a while. Twanks Tweeple.
Question: What is a DM? DM stands for “Direct
Messages” which suggests that an individual can message another
individually using the private messaging system (like email) to other
members. You can only DM users that are following you. You may hear
individuals say “DM me for details about conference discounts”
suggesting the user wants to take the discussion private. Do note that
Twitter’s DM system still resolves in 140 characters and is fairly
primitive, many conversations may naturally shift to email, or even the
archaic phone!
By all accounts, mobile learning, termed “m-learning”, is on fire as a
new method of accessing learning.
I see three trends fueling this new interest in m-learning:
More companies will explore mobile learning as an increasing number
of tech-savvy Millennials enter the workforce and insist on the speed
and mobility of m-learning. The Millennial generation, or those born
after 1981, currently represents 22 percent of all workers. However, by
the year 2014 they are expected to represent almost 47 percent of the
workforce.
More content will be available via mobile learning.
As more mobile devices go mainstream, such as Amazon’s Kindle
e-book reader, consumers will become accustomed to reading content on a
mobile device. Over the last year, sales of Amazon’s Kindle have
reached more than a quarter million units.
What do you think? Are you exploring Mobile Learning?
Here are some compelling statistics for all of us in the workforce:
Someone in America's Baby Boomer Generation turns 60 every 10 minutes.
Of America's entire workforce holding executive and managerial positions, 19% will be eligilble to retire by 2012. But, McKinsey Global Institute has a frightening statistic that wih the current downturn in the economy, professionals and workers will have to continue working until they reach 70 years old in order to keep the same standard of living.
Couple this with the fact that Millennials, those born after 1981, make up 22% of the workforce and by 2014 they will represent 47% of the workforce- that means we will continue to have four generations in the workforce for some time.
My blog New Learning Playbook is sponsoring research on what it means to have multiple generations in the workplace. What are the changing needs, perceptions and requirements, of these four generations and what will Heads of Human Resources, Talent Management, and Chief Learning Officers do in order to recruit and keep the best talent?
I ask you to take our survey and I will be reporting back on the results.
Here are some questions a number of Human Resources Directors and Heads of Leadership are aksing today:
Should our CEO start a blog?
Do our top three competitor CEOs have blogs?
Are these competitor CEO blogs a corporate communications play or does the CEO really post about significant issues?
Interesting questions to ponder as more companies begin experimenting with social media to build their brand with consumers, improve two-way communications and increase vehicles for employee development.
To find out about what your competitor CEO’s are doing in terms of blogging, I recommend you go to TheNewPR CEOBlogsList Wiki.
To date, 58 of the Fortune 500 companies have blogs. But in most cases, the blogs are company blogs, many maintained by corporate communications departments (like Clorox, which has one that answers questions about stains), rather than CEOs penning their own blogs.
But there are notable exceptions and two CEOs come to mind that regularly post to their blogs. One is Jonathan Schwartz CEO of Sun Microsystems who posts on a regular basis about his interactions with customers around the world. The other is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and CEO of HDNet.
As you continue to research what strategy to adopt and to create a set of guidelines with regard company blogging, I recommend consulting a survey recently conducted by content security company, Clearswift.
The survey was conducted among 939 corporate decision-makers on matters related to corporate blogging, wiki’s and participation in online networks/forums and other aspects of the so-called Web 2.0. Some highlights from the survey found:
- 20 percent of IT and business decision-makers don’t have a policy governing appropriate use of the Internet, including social media sites.
- 39 percent of IT and business decision-makers consider social media to be relevant to today’s corporate environment, while 36 percent do not see social media as relevant to their businesses.
- 13 percent of organizations are not aware of social media and have no policy on it.
So before your begin to develop a policy for your human resources and/or corporate learning department regarding blogging, wikis and other social media, first find out your company policy regarding the usage of social media at work. For HR and corporate learning professionals, I find the Sun blog policy to be highly informative.
Finally, let’s continue a dialogue on CEOs as bloggers:
Should more CEOs be bloggers?
Should this be part of every CEO job in next 5 years?
Should reading the CEO's blog be part of every New Hire Orienation Program?
Should CEO bloggers participate as part of a corporate communications strategy or use blogging to begin a “real” dialogue with customers?
What is the new role of the Human Resource and Corporate Learning departments? How about developing new guidelines? Should blogs be internally focused or externally focused?
