Collaborative Thinking

Social Networking And Employment

These articles (see below) are not only relevant for those entering the workforce but for those existing workers that are using social networking sites to build-out both professional and personal relationships. As enterprise software vendors begin to deliver solutions in this space (e.g., IBM Lotus Connections), organizations should take a step back and strategically revisit policies regarding use of such systems and the information within them.

On the surface, this is no different than how organizations have treated other tools for communication and collaboration (such as e-mail). Decision-makers should do the basics and make sure that employees are aware of how to use such systems (code of conduct, policies and procedures) and how the company will handle privacy concerns and use of information gathered by participation in social applications. But more has to be done by enterprises in the case of social applications, especially in regards to the typical response that the information belongs to the employer (depending on unique country legalities concerning privacy regulations). 

Organizations that want to leverage the potential benefits from social application need to articulate some promises to participants regarding how such information and interactions will be used and disclosed at a deeper level. At some point, the portability of a workers persona could very well become a concern. Should a worker be able to have some part of their social identity "leave with them" once they end a relationship with a particular employer? Why in the world would an employee reveal information about their private associations, personal affiliations and areas of interest as well as levels of expertise if management can use that data against them or "harvest" that information without any value returned to the employee as a result of their participation and disclosures? There are many questions like these that need to be vetted as companies deploy social applications.

The crux of socially-oriented systems are the often neglected organizational and human capital aspects that many companies have a spotty record on, vendors too easily shrug off and most IT organizations are ill-equipped to handle. In my experience, many organizations do not have the right balance of leadership, solidarity, sponsorship and resources (e.g., ethnographers, anthropologists) that can help them understand their existing social environments and how to effectively influence needed changes to address structural and cultural impediments. Strategists are not likely to be successful in any endeavor to "transforming the organization" without comprehending the social dynamics within their enterprise.

The strategic value of social applications is not going to be measured by examining raw data statistics like the number of bookmarks the company has generated. It is also hyperbole for vendors to tout social applications as a silver-bullet for solving age-old expertise location and "who knows who" challenges. This was the case at a recent vendor briefing I attended. Sure, there will be some linear benefits that will clearly help business processes to be more effective or certain workers to be more productive. Social software can indeed help with communication, information sharing and collaboration. But that's not really nothing new and reflects the general evolutionary trend as tools become more mature.

The transformational impact of social systems lie in how well they enable organizations to be more agile in the marketplace, more adaptive to new work models, and more resilient to change (e.g., an unexpected threats). For individuals, social systems need to have value to them beyond their employment role and allow workers to not only foster external relationships but also blend work associations with lifestyle affiliations (as much as possible). Social systems need to enable workers to be more net-centric. That is, to be improve a worker's situational awareness of what's happening around them, to enable them to self-synchronize with activities that need to be done rather than wait on formal direction. Social systems are not top-down, they are intrinsically net-centric. They favor informality over formality. Social systems also tend to shift some degree of power from core institutions to the edge (individual people). Social systems help improve the "lateralness" of an organization - enabling more sideways motion across stove-pipes and hierarchies. Finally, social systems help organizations better catalyze "emergence" within their environments by allowing "patterns and structure inherent in people's interactions become visible" (according to Professor Andrew McAfee). All of these items benefit the teaming, community-building and change management efforts often associated with transforming organizations.

In any case, back to the purpose behind this blog post. One of the first steps an organization should prioritize if they are considering some type of social application is to review employment practices and assess usage guidelines regarding the information gleamed from such social systems:

Facebook and employment: an equal opportunity information trap

After years of "fired blogger" stories in the headlines, it’s fairly well understood that a frivolous, embarrassing, out-of-context, or ill-considered online data trail can and does cause problems for employment candidates and employees. But when CollegeRecruiter.com asked employment lawyer and blawger George Lenard to examine the increasingly common employer practice of using Facebook and other social networking tools to check up on potential hires, George produced three thoughtful and informative posts describing how candidate data can land employers in hot water as well. While employers might consider online sleuthing thorough or clever or both, the reality is that if information concerning protected characteristics (e.g., race, gender, or age) is disclosed and the sleuth-ees are not hired, employers may find themselves on the wrong end of discrimination claims.

» Facebook and employment: an equal opportunity information trap | Lawgarithms | ZDNet.com

George Lenard On Facebooking Employment Candidates

This might be better suited to Overlawyered than Between Lawyers, but I'm posting it here anyway because it's a great series of posts. One thing I don't see addressed: one of the most powerful features of Facebook (and a host of other social networking sites) is the fine-grained privacy control users have over the visibility their data. Often, only "friends" have access to the kinds of details George discusses. But, lots of people do make their data more generally visible. It's ironic that employment laws are such that though "the public" may be invited to view such information, lucrative damages awards or settlements could be associated with doing so in the context of employment or potential employment.

George Lenard On Facebooking Employment Candidates. Between Lawyers: technology + culture + law

Related Links:

Employers Using Facebook for Background Checking: Is It Legal?

More on using facebook et al. in recruiting and hiring (Part II)

Employers Using Facebook for Background Checking, Part III

Transforming Libraries, Librarians & Library Services

A recent New York Times article on libraries caused me to pull together some information I have been collecting.

Our concept of libraries will have to change dramatically over the next several years given the wave of social and collaborative technologies being adopted within the consumer market and also penetrating educational and business environments. Demographic shifts also will compel us to discard past assumptions on the role of libraries within a community, or even within an organization or educational system. Demographic and technology shifts mandate innovative thinking on how to deliver library services that will be valued by patrons and the community at-large.

To many people, this may be a dead topic. One could argue that Google and the Internet have eliminated the need for libraries. I would only agree if the discussion was limited to the traditional library usage and delivery model which is indeed out-dated. But there can be a "Library 2.0" so to speak. The old model is no longer sustainable. But the value of libraries, the role of librarians and the types of services that can be delivered to communities, schools or within the enterprise can be adapted and re-invented with exciting opportunities to create new relationships with patrons and new participation models between libraries and their communities.   

The series of articles below outline some of these trends. There is no guarantee that all library organizations will be able to transform themselves. Local communities, business and educational strategists and librarians need to come together to define that new outlook on the role of libraries, librarians and library services. Such a shared perspective is essential if these age-old institutions are going to thrive:

A Hipper Crowd of Shushers

How did such a nerdy profession become cool — aside from the fact that a certain amount of nerdiness is now cool? Many young librarians and library professors said that the work is no longer just about books but also about organizing and connecting people with information, including music and movies.

And though many librarians say that they, like nurses or priests, are called to the profession, they also say the job is stable, intellectually stimulating and can have reasonable hours — perfect for creative types who want to pursue their passions outside of work and don’t want to finance their pursuits by waiting tables. (The median salary for librarians was about $51,000 in 2006, according to the American Library Association-Allied Professional Organization.)

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At the American Library Association’s annual conference last month in Washington, there were display tables of graphic novels, manga and comic books. In addition to a panel called “No Shushing Required,” there were sessions on social networking and zines and one called “Future Friends: Marketing Reference and User Services to Generation X.”

A Hipper Crowd of Shushers - New York Times

More Than Coffee and Wireless

For several years now, the talk about libraries as student-oriented buildings has focused on amenities to enhance the visitor’s experience. Students want their coffee and comfy couches on which to chat with their friends during study breaks. Students want to study in groups. And students want to use their laptops, so wireless is key.

None of this, to be sure, has gone away. But much of the buzz about library facilities at this year’s annual meeting of the Society for College and University Planning, in Chicago, had a different focus: adding to library buildings facilities that are explicitly academic, but that haven’t historically been seen as part of the library. Writing centers, classrooms, faculty offices and the like — these are increasingly being placed in libraries, especially those focused on undergraduates.

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: More Than Coffee and Wireless

When 'Digital Natives' Go to the Library

At a packed session for academic librarians attending the annual meeting of the American Library Association, in Washington, the topic was how to help students who have learned many of their information gathering and analysis skills from video games apply that knowledge in the library. Speakers said that gaming skills are in many ways representative of a broader cultural divide between today’s college students and the librarians who hope to teach them.

In an era when most students would have to go to a museum to see an old-fashioned card catalog, there’s no doubt that libraries have embraced technology. But speakers said that there was a larger split between students — who are “digital natives,” in one popular way of classifying people based on their experience with technology — and librarians, who are more likely to be “digital immigrants.” They may have learned the language, but it’s a second language.

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: When 'Digital Natives' Go to the Library

Librarians Tackle Information Illiteracy

It came as no surprise to many of those attending the annual meeting of the Association of College and Research Libraries this weekend that the typical liberal arts freshman believes Time and Newsweek to be legitimate scholarly sources. Groans and laughter accompanied this and other non-surprising factoids — 100 percent of incoming liberal arts freshmen surveyed use online sources, most think it’s easy to know when to document a source but nearly half couldn’t determine when one was required — that are familiar to anyone who works at a college library.

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Meanwhile, suggestions to bridge the gap between the library and the classroom include holding class sessions in the library and building research requirements into grant applications, Beld said. Since librarians can’t themselves force students to use specific research methods for assignments, some hope that working more closely with professors and teaching on-site will allow them to approach the problem on their own turf. “We’re not the people who are assigning grades that are the results of using these resources,” Bennett noted in a second panel session.

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: Librarians Tackle Information Illiteracy

Libraries at the Cutting Edge

The trendiest meeting place on many college campuses these days features a coffee bar, wireless Internet zones, free entertainment and special programs, modern lounge areas and meeting rooms.

And free access to books. Lots of books.

This educational social hub is the campus library, which is beginning to look more like an Internet café than the academic library you remember from your college days.

Far from fading away in the Age of Google, which has begun digitizing millions of books from university and other libraries, and despite the almost universal availability of vast online resources, circulation and visits at college and research libraries are on the rise. Campus librarians now answer more than 72 million reference questions each year — almost twice the attendance at college football games.

In other words, this is not the beginning of the end for campus libraries, but the dawn of an exciting new age.

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: Libraries at the Cutting Edge

The Changing 'Place' of the Library

How can libraries translate the benefits that our physical libraries offer to on-campus students and professors to serve our distance education students and faculty members in an equitable way? I believe we can do this through careful planning during building and renovation projects, through the creation or revamping of services and collections, and through the creation of specialized services to promote community and active learning.

During library building and renovation projects, space and technical infrastructures should be planned in a new way. Private office space for professionals, for example, is more important when a librarian could be on a lengthy, complicated phone call with a student overseas. Ample processing space is necessary for paraprofessionals providing document delivery and electronic reserves service. Growth space for developing print and media collections and robust technical infrastructure for access to the library’s digital resources also take on new importance in a distributed campus network.

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Providing opportunities for information literacy instruction to distance education students can be challenging but is possible through a variety of means. Options range from designing an online credit course to creating a series of online tutorials. The latter may be home-grown or adapted at no charge from established sites such as the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial. Webcasting technology offers the opportunity to “visit” remote classrooms at the request of the faculty member and tailor an instruction session to a particular assignment. All that is needed is a camera, computer, Internet connection, and Web conferencing software.

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Perhaps most challenging for libraries in serving distance education students and faculty is creating a sense of community to promote learning. Some libraries are experimenting with blogs to address this, but these seem to have limited reach and focus. One promising direction, however, is helping distance education professors to promote community and active learning.

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In the last decade, almost a half-billion dollars per year have been invested in new or renovated academic libraries. With this rate of investment, it is imperative that we ensure that these new and renovated libraries meet the needs of our growing distance education population. We can do this in many ways — by investing in new resources, staff, and services; or by leveraging existing resources (in some cases across departments) in creative ways — but do it we must.

Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education - Inside Higher Ed :: The Changing 'Place' of the Library

Digital Life Trumps Digital Work - Eventually...

Years ago the industry used the acronym "NOISE" (Netscape, Oracle, IBM, Sun and Everyone else) vs. Microsoft. Today we might use the acronym "CAGE" (Cisco, Apple, Google and Everyone else) vs. Microsoft to draw a distinction between vendors focused on use of technology across all facets of digital life and those that still consider digital work to be a separate domain.

With GrandCentral, Google provides "one phone number to rule them all". With Feedburner, Google manages all of your feeds (with Google Reader representing one of the best consumer clients available). With Google Apps, the company provides migration services from legacy e-mail systems to Gmail. A partnership with Avaya perhaps will someday provide some bridging capability into the traditional SIP-based world. Group chat was recently added to GoogleTalk and eventual integration between GoogleTalk and the Marratech video conferencing software Google acquired as well as with GrandCentral's technology is expected at some point. GoogleTalk continues to mature and if adoption continues to grow - Google could very well own presence as well (at least in a consumer sense). Finally, rumors persist on some type of Google phone effort. And what would all this mean if, for instance, Google acquired Facebook? While no clear picture has been articulated by Google as to how all of these efforts come together - the focus on digital work being only one facet of digital life puts Google in an interesting competitive position in the long run.

The same "digital life trumps digital work" argument could be made for Apple - iPhone, iPod, iTunes, iTV, etc. An Apple arrangement with Cisco and/or Google could establish a "digital life" counter to traditional enterprise software solutions that organizations might not be able to (or want to) resist as the workplace becomes more nomadic and workforce demographics continue to shift in favor of younger workers who will bring along with them certain technology expectations.

Cisco also seems to understand the blurring lines between digital life and work but it seems to be moving more pragmatically. The WebEx acquisition provides Cisco with the WebEx Connect platform (a hosted SaaS environment) that could be combined with Cisco's efforts related to social networking. Add to this, Cisco's strengths in networking and unified communications and you can envision how the company can exploit a digital life strategy across its other lines-of-business (especially if it can work out an arrangement with Apple and Google).

Vendors focusing only on enterprise software (e.g., IBM) without a consumer play or vendors that have different (or non-integrated) technology stacks between digital life and digital work (e.g., Microsoft) may find themselves in a precarious position 5-10 years out.

Related Stories:

"GrandCentral offers many features that complement the phone services you already use. If you have multiple phone numbers (e.g., home, work, cell), you get one phone number that you can set to ring all, some, or none of your phones, based on who's calling. This way, your phone number is tied to you, and not your location or job. The service also gives you one central voice mailbox. You can listen to your voicemails online or from any phone, forward them to anybody, add the caller to your address book, block a caller as spam, and a lot more. You can even listen in on voicemail messages from your phone while they are being recorded, or switch a call from your cell phone to your desk phone and back again. All in all, you'll have a lot more control over your phones."
- Wesley Chan, Product Manager

Google Acquires GrandCentral Communications

Google acquires GrandCentral

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Google Buys GrandCentral

Something to talk about: Google buys Grand Central

Please Leave a Message for Google to Data Mine After the Tone …

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