February 5th, 2009
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February 3rd, 2009
November 13th, 2008
Am I ok?
Am I ok?
I’ve gotten a ton of messages from really great people asking if I was ok. I’ve had a hundred or so messages on Facebook, Twitter, email and instant messaging asking why I’ve suddenly gone silent.
The reasons are painfully personal, but I thought I’d break the silence to let everyone know.
My wife and I are getting a divorce.
We met when she was 19 and I was 20. We’ve been together for 18 years. She’s a truly amazing person who I’ve spent 1/2 of my entire life with. She’s my best friend, a fantastic mother and woman. We have two amazing sons (age ten and eight) who we both adore. Ultimately, we’ve evolved into different people who need different things.
While we’ve done this whole process lovingly, it’s been unbelievably painful and disruptive. No doubt, the hardest time in my life. The best way to describe it is like a thousand small deaths (and some not so small). And I can’t even put words to how hard it was to fracture my son’s reality by telling them the news.
So am I ok?
No. I’m really not. I’m not completely myself yet. But I will be. This is hard and I’m grieving. As much as you hear about a ton of other people doing it, it’s hard to grasp until you live it. I wish I could say I was strong enough to box it in and not let it impact the rest of my life, but I guess I’m not that person. I do however, feel like I’m finally at a place where I can start sharing again. So, my voice will join again soon.
I certainly never thought I’d blog about all this. But here I am.
September 16th, 2008
The big, fat “Enterprise Hole”
Before we talk about the hole
Let’s take a quick look at how technology has provided value so far. Boiled down and oversimplified, there are three stages.
- Pink: You’ve saved time. Now all your paper and information is digital.
- Blue: You’ve made your digital stuff accessible by other people. Think wiki or a file folder.
- Green: Now that people have extra time and made everything centralized, you can step back and think about better ways to do things.
You are somewhere in the blue egg
If connecting people together and/or sharing content centrally is innovative to you, you’re in the blue egg. It’s an innovative idea, but I’d argue it isn’t delivering valuable change to your core business yet. For that to happen, you have to to fill in the big, fat “Enterprise Hole” and connect the dots to the ways you do things now.
The big, fat “Enterprise Hole”
Companies are execution machines. Remember when you got your first job? You were hell-bent on making a difference and changing the way things got done. You were filled with ideas. Problem was, the minute you looked for a place to deliver that value, you were shown your box and your crank. You probably thought you’d be given a chance later on but then found out that the higher up you go, the bigger your crank. There are generations worth of “keep the trains on time” DNA in place in the Enterprise. No time to change things, those trains have been running like that for years.
So long, in fact, that Enterprises are experts at execution. Everyone has their cog in that machine. Given the legacy in place, it’s no wonder that there are a ton of execution resources and expertise in place. But to unlock innovation, there’d have to be a way to deliver conceptualization and strategic value as part of everyday work, not to mention persistent expertise on how to do it. That effort, from soup to nuts, would need to be linked together. Imagine what having a closed-looped reality from concept to execution would really be like. As it stands, this missing wedge is the big, fat “Enterprise Hole.” Social computing will fill that hole. Not only will it fill it, but it will extend it’s capillaries into the existing execution processes already in place, perhaps making some of the more repeatable and predictable ones, automatic. Sorta like the way your car’s headlights come on automatically.
Cracked nuts
Industry folks like to debate who will crack this nut. The first group think that it will be the big vendors like SAP, Oracle, IBM or Microsoft and that they will just magically bolt on social computing into their existing stuff. The second group think that there will be new entrants like Google, Salesforce, Cisco or maybe an unexpected CMS vendor. Lastly, there are some that believe that perhaps a pure-play could emerge and join the ranks as a completely new Enterprise player. I guess we’ll see. The good news is that this is the hottest part of the Enterprise software market today and there’s sure to be some big gains soon.
* Credit: Some of this post came out of some brainstorming I did with Hideshi Hamaguchi (@hideshione) from Lunnar. He and I should drink coffee more often. Thanks, as always, to @michaelsigler for working with me on the graphics.
Wall Street’s crash is good news for Social Software
Just like it was immediately following 9/11, Technology and Marketing spending will now be on the chopping block. Time to throw the ballast over. So why is that good news for social software?
1. With recession comes consolidation
Consolidation is not great news for point solutions but it’s fantastic for “all-in-one” products which can replace lots of point solutions. I.T. departments will begin audits of all the little apps that aren’t being used, gather their value in hard and soft costs and present it to management with recommendations for EA licenses and other consolidation.
2. The Analyst’s noise filters
Next month Forrester’s Wave Report and Gartner’s next Magic Quadrant will be released. This will provide yet more clarity. Some vendors will be on the list, some won’t but either way these reports will help the market know where to look for the value they’re trying to get out of less cost-effective to things like Microsoft Sharepoint or tons of little tools.
3. Marketing budgets go where they can measure
Most folks I’ve talked to haven’t ever seen a traditional Marketing budget. Typically, things like “Social Media” don’t even have a line item. The bulk of the budget goes to broadcast, out of home, direct mail, etc. Mostly to traditional media dollars. In recessions, those expensive line items get cut and Marketers look for where they can be creative, effective and more measurable with their dollars. It’s just as important (or more so) to be present through recessions and Social Software offers the perfect blend of innovation and cost effectiveness. I can foresee budgets tilting much more this direction.
Recessions make strong companies stronger
As tough as they are, recessions automatically separate the wheat from the chaff. As long as you have smart people, a good product, and solid customer relationships you should find yourself a stronger company on the other side. I’d anticipate that, with the elections coming up, people will be voting for change and we will see the hangover lift next year.
September 15th, 2008
Introducing Ricky Revenue
Face Ricky
Ultimately you have to convince Ricky Revenue that transforming your company makes sense. It’s not that he’s all about revenue. He’s not. Ricky just wants to understand the business case, even if there is line item for it in the budget (and especially if there’s not).
Ricky doesn’t have a bias either way
The only thing he cares about is measurable value. He’s hypnotized by it. Even Norman Naysayers have to debate Ricky based on measurable business value. The best thing about Ricky is that he’s your best friend if you can bring him along with your plan. But he can be your biggest obstacle if you leave him out of the picture.
It’s not that Ricky has to have fancy ROI models or spreadsheets with pivot tables
Sometime he just needs to clearly understand the business opportunity and what the plan is to get there. That may be return but it may be a solid business plan and enough wiggle room to measure as you go. Either way you have to make a clear case.
The last character in this drama
Obviously, the last character in the cast is the person driving the project forward. I’m thinking it’s a dolphin-like animal but I haven’t told @michaelsigler who has created both Norman and Ricky (though a shout out to @LenDevanna from EMC who joked with me about Ricky and gave me the idea). Clearly, we need to do a comic strip. Keep your eye out.
September 9th, 2008
Citizens of the new tribes
The way we relate has evolved
Perspective has shaped how we connect and relate to each other for centuries. These physical and emotional boundaries are not only expanding they’re more discoverable than ever before. Connectedness is a core human desire and our “social” DNA is what fuels our happiness in our work and personal lives. It’s worth taking a look at the big picture to better understand our small, everyday tribes and the way they’re evolving.
Tribal Connectedness
We all know what a tribe is. We still have them. I just joined a tribe of 50,000 people in the desert. Tribes identify themselves and connect through culture, ethnicity, lineage and interests. The world starts and stops within their population. They have strong regional boundaries, ties and connections. These egalitarian clans have been the staple of human culture for centuries.
Spiritual Connectedness
Being a part of something larger than yourself is a massively powerful way to be connected. Certainly, the core aspects of organized religion are about identifying with a common faith, group rituals and connecting people through a structured communal system. 
National Connectedness
Vast and often born from revolution, most people in a nation never even meet each other yet they feel connected by a common bond. That bond-whether it’s real or imagined-is boxed by ethical, philosophical and cultural beliefs. People are reminded of their connectedness through flags, anthems, and national sports teams.
Binary Connectedness
Driven by technology, people can now connect over great distances. Messages can nearly immediately be transmitted from one person to another person. Things like telegraphs, telephones, faxes, and email opened the world to unparalleled 1-to-1 communication. Grandma can see pictures of her grandchildren without getting on a plane.
Neotribal Connectedness
Social Technology satisfies our immensely powerful desire for community bonds and allows us to build groups and gather globally around the things we identify with. The footprint of our daily civilization is no longer bounded by geography or structural doctrine. Our population isn’t identified through demographics or easily targetable through traditional avenues. Neotribal networks are connected, co-operating tribes that cut through great distance, spiritual and national boundaries to rapidly unite desired interaction.
September 8th, 2008
Will the “2.0 Conferences” survive?
I hate to say it but overall last week’s Office 2.0 Conference was a miss. The first two experiments (as Ismael likes to call them) were smashing successes but applying the same recipe this time around collapsed like a Soufflé. From my perspective the main reasons were:
- Poor Ismael only gives himself 6 weeks from start to finish to plan and execute the whole thing (and he doesn’t do this gig full time). The guy is brilliant and the things he can do is amazing, it’s just a different world now.
- The short time frame makes it a stress to delegate responsibility and to market the event itself (only 300 people attended this year and most everyone was a vendor)
- The number of conferences focused in this space has increased. Focusing on value is even more important.
- It’s no longer a “new” market. The same old session topics, speakers and cast of characters have been in play for a couple of years now.
- The economy makes picking and choosing discretionary trips more challenging.
My panel on Adoption (w/customers Disney, EMC, Chordiant)
This should be a wake up call
Tradeshow companies: Make sure you’re driving value at the lead-gen and content levels for your attendees. Make the effort to Market the content and attract the right buyers. If you played Xanadu last year play a different song this time around. If vendors have to speak, make sure it’s not a commercial. Focus on customers.
Speakers: Bring something new to the table. It’s worth the effort. Xandu applies to you, too. Broken record, party of one?
Vendors: Make your customers successful and then talk about that. Now that the veneer has rubbed off, the real work begins. As Godin would say, “lean into it.”
Is this the a sign for the rest of the year?
Office 2.0 kicks off the echo-chamber mania from now until the end of 2008. I’m praying to the social software gods that the rest of the year will be very different. Here’s my dance card so far this year:
- Next week I’m in NYC at Web 2.0
- KM World in the Bay Area (please, for the love of all that’s holy change that horrible name)
- The New Marketing Summit in Boston (looking forward to seeing what @chrisbrogan can do)
- Burton Group’s “Catalyst” in Prague
- Web 2.0 Berlin
- Social Media Strategies (SF)
- Defrag (Denver)
- Web 2.0 Summit (SF)
- CMO Summit (NY and then one in Napa)
- Potentially a tour over in China with @christinelu and @shelisrael (as a blogger not a jiver)
- Then eat a turkey, spin a dreidel and wonder how I gained more weight.
August 20th, 2008
While I’m out @Burning Man
At Jive, it’s no secret that I’m the resident Burner. This is my third year and I now co-run a camp of 100 people who have been going to BM for 12 years (we actually use Clearspace to help coordinate our camp). Although our camp has some CEOs of some very well known consumer tech companies, it’s mainly populated by musicians, artists, and other interesting folk. So, it’s a perfect getaway.
Most people I know have extreme stereotypes of Burning Man (read: lots of naked hippies in the desert) but with 40,000 people you can bet that everyone has a different experience. Mine is very spiritual.
I leave tomorrow for the 12 hour drive in a big, honking RV to the Nevada desert. Consider this notification of my blogging break, though I’ve been a lot slower posting lately given the summer and the gravity of activity at work. No doubt I’ll come back with a vengence.
Thank you
Just a quick note that read and appreciate every comment I receive on Go Big Always. Hearing back is probably the single biggest part that keeps me writing. Thank you to all of you who leave both quick and very insightful commentary.
August 18th, 2008
Jive launches Clearspace 2.5
From our customers to the product
One of the best parts of being early to market with a great product is that you get to participate in a hell of a lot of customers and their real-world deployments very early in the overall market growth. At the beginning of 2008 we reached out to our top customers and asked if we could come on-site to learn more about how they’re really using our products. We had over 700 conversations with customers at the “C,” mid-level and individual contributor level to find out more about what was and wasn’t working. Their feedback was consistent and we learned a ton. One of the many things was that these companies saw Clearspace as the geopgraphic center for their company and for us to acheive success we need to focus on removing adoption barriers. So that’s what we did. Today we launch Clearspace 2.5. Here are the links to what’s new for Clearspace and Clearspace Community.
What’s new in Clearspace 2.5 video
Here’s what’s new
1. Add new conversations to old places.
Customers told us they wanted more ways to get Clearspace functionality in places outside of Clearspace. Now you can turn on discussions on any web page. That means that inside your company, you can add dicussions to a static Intranet page or a part of your wiki. Outside your company you can turn the ordinary, social and add discussions to product pages, or any other page ripe for community.
2. Connect the dots for your Salesforce
Our new Salesforce.com integration helps your Sales people get way more perspective on their prospects. Now, when they’re looking at a record in Salesforce.com, they can not only see their own notes on the company but (assuming their running Clearspace and/or Clearspace Community) they can also see the internal conversations, blogs, people, and comments that related to their prospect. This very “situationally specific” instance, lines up your company and/or community’s social interactions and applies it’s value all at once.
3. Live in your inbox
Let’s face it, people still live in their inbox. But now, you can directly email (or carbon copy) stuff that should be a task, a blog post, a document, a discussion…basically anything you want can be emailed into Clearspace. As well, once others see your content, they can respond and you can keep everything going right from your inbox.
4. Self organize
We’ve done a ton to add super kick-ass self organization features in this release. This includes
- New “Live Search” that breaks things out in content/people/places while you search
- Totally overhauled (and WAY powerful people directory)
- Twitter-like social networking (you can now follow/unfollow people, see what their working on, label them, etc).
- Another big addition was Groups. So now folks inside a company or in a community can organize how they want to. Groups feature our super-popular widgetizable interface so that the Group owner can set things up exactly the way they want to.
5. Easiest Rich Text Editor on the Market
The engagement and adoption rubber hit the road with the Editor. If publishing a comment, a task, or a blog isn’t incredibly easy and pleasurable, people will resist using the application. We heard this loud and clear for our customers and are now happy to provide the slickest editor on the market today.
6. Global phrase replacement and easy skinning
Let’s face it, Social Software terminology is exclusive and foreign to most everyone. Not to mention that each industry and even company has it’s own lexicon. To get around this, we’ve added a tool that let’s you globally change the name of features. Now a “blog” can be a “report” and “friends” can be “peeps.
Not only are words important, so is making the application look familiar. We have two levels of look-and-feel customization:
- Easy color picker and logo uploader allows for very fast and easy customization without knowing a single line of code.
- Our new theme engine allows you to upload a single CSS packet and have it applied across the entire application
7. Massive speed increase
Perhaps the biggest improvement to Clearspace 2.5 is the huge amount of work we did to make it 200% faster than 2.0. That’s pretty impressive given the amount of new features that were added (nearly 200) and a big requirement in the Enterprise where performance is a very big deal. Kudos to our engineers for all this amazing work.
