Just as marketing requires multiple channels, information overload has led to multiple channels. IM, e-mail, twitter, Work twitter, wikis, Basecamp–all have different expectations and users.
But when will the enterprise hit too many channels–all with important information?
Friendfeed was the consumer answer–aggregate a public conversation across multiple silos. Only they made it possible for multiple people to follow a single individual. Now companies like Fuser and Xobni are flipping the funnel and collecting conversations FOR a single individual, rather than FROM a single individual.
Similarly, companies like NutShellMail, Fuser, and SocialCast are pulling personal information feeds into corporate inboxes.
By the way, if you didn’t notice yet, the TechCrunch main site launched Facebook Connect integration. This follows on the heels of Yahoo BOSS search integration. Which means your job–staying up on tech by reading TechCrunch–has invaded your personal information stream. It goes both ways.
Any IT manager knows this will be a knowledge management security nightmare. The solution isn’t obvious–but the lines between work and personal life are rapidly blurring.
This is a good point about the growth of multiple channels inside the enterprise. Wikis, blogs, microsblogging, forums, video apps, etc. The irony of enterprise 2.0 is that while it breaks down organizational silos, it creates a whole new set of information silos. Wordpress doesn’t talk to Confluence doesn’t talk to Yammer doesn’t talk to…
Tie the stream of data from these apps together, and you get three benefits:
1. Better information reach through search, serendipity and filters
2. A dynamic skills database, with updates in real-time as people do work
3. Strengthen and diversify of employees’ social networks, improving decision making
If you’re interested, we cover this a bit more deeply at the Connectbeam blog: http://bit.ly/Oh9h
Hutch
You should also check out Gist (www.gist.com) as a product that organizes and aggregates for an individual. It works with Outlook as well as Gmail and any other web-based information source (LinkedIn, etc.) combining your contacts with news about them.
Robert
Gist, Inc.
Good stuff guys–thanks for letting me know!
good information, it’s for sure,
gist it’s interesting, i will check it for sure=)