I won something

Not the lottery, stopped doing that years ago. This is an IBM award for spreading the love about social media in IBM.

flying papers by Aldor

Some people think I should talk about these sort of things mroe often, ok, here goes.

The full name is “BlueIQ Most Valuable Ambassador” which along with 9 others I won in the first half of 2009. It is actually the 4th consecutive time I have been given this award, which I think shows how much I enjoy and believe in what we are doing.

The idea of the award and the BlueIQ community (it’s global not just the UK)  is simply to help other IBMers get as much value out of using social media as possible. This can be as simple as a one to one education session but go all the way up to looking at ways of changing culture and processes to be more social in outlook.

Although just about everyone in IBM has contributed to one (usually several wikis) or commented on a blog or w3 article, there are many less obvious things they can be doing that improves their working life, expands their network, makes finding stuff quicker and improves their employability.

Anyway, so a global community of nearly 900 (and growing) ambassadors are there to help, to sort the wheat from the chaff of new applications and websites, to enable employees. As you know I work in internal comms, which we call Workforce Enablement so it fits right in with what I do.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is that I can’t possibly know everything that is going on in the business, and sometimes the best people to tell the story are those that lived it, so I can sure as hell help those people get out there to talk and work.

You know, many of us get caught up in what we are doing and although there will always be the geeks, early adopters and simple masochists that want to endure the latest release of everything, not everyone will. So as the human filter for the innovators in IBM we help shape in some way the things that devs come up with and try to get to the people that can find new ways of employing it at work.

Part of the award is that we get to pitch an idea to several of our VPs later in the year… I need to think about that one.

Does that sound right?

In reply to a question by Robin Crumby my open answer (or rather ramble) to:

“So, if  ’social media for internal communication’ doesn’t work for you, what is the alternative?”

Not sure this is an alternative, the confusion lies in what people think the term means.. (hold your breath – ok don’t)

image by adewale oshineye

I’m not sure a function or corporation should or perhaps can engage it’s employees through social media (or technology that enables social interaction) only other people can do that. For a start, the business and the Internal Comms function is made of people, it’s not an entity it is own right that has an office on the 4th floor. The person running it might think that. Doesn’t mean he/she is right though.

So what is the role of Internal Comms when it comes to social media? One thing it’s not is to send out messages about the business as if it was just another channel like email, that stuff will carry on regardless, emails from the CEO, intranet articles with news, wins and strategy.

I see our role as enabling our employees (that is everyone from the CEO to the Tea Lady should they want to) to be able to take advantage of ways of exchanging information, ideas, experiences, thoughts and challenges with the people that need it and letting everyone else go about their business. At one level you can include a comment feature to allow and encourage conversations to develop within an intranet article – but that is as much about people talking with each other than the company.

Not so long ago intranet owners were looking at how many hits they were getting on every story, in some odd way thinking that everything on the site was of equal value to everyone. More important (and you don’t need me to tell you) is that the right people get the right information at the right time.

Also Internal Comms has a habit of taking out the very soul of the story (ok a bit strong perhaps) it is trying to sell, turning it into a series of corporate phrases and platitudes, with a rather badly taken photo of the team that “did a great job” people I don’t know and don’t really care about because I have no contact with them . A couple of potted quotes are just that.

Rather that team had been documenting and talking about its challenges and pressures on an internal blog so that others could either help or learn from the experience. Perhaps building one or two strong relationships along the way that leads to greater collaboration and/or innovation in the future. To the business, this I think is more valuable.

That’s one scenario.

Putting communication in the hands of the people, giving them the responsibility for what they want to read and write and contribute to, creating value for the organisation.

Internal Comms can make a huge impact for the business in understanding what the feeling is in the community by listening to what people are talking about, what is making them happy and sad, where the challenges and successes are. This though requires a culture that respects the individuals right to fair speech – not abuse – but the right to criticise processes, put forward alternatives and challenge the status quo, for the better of the business.

I’m not advocating every business set up Lotus Connections tomorrow and tell employees to speak their minds – that would be a disaster for most. As I said before, tools do not make a company social. What I’m saying is they need to get on that path of evolution, especially those companies in the knowledge economy that are locking down the IT desktop. That may mean looking at the current culture, providing education and clear guidelines.

I really think that one of IBM’s biggest strengths is it’s Business Conduct Guidelines. Not every company has them, but they should. We talk a lot about the social computing guidelines but the BCGs have for a long time set clear requirements on what is expected of each person in IBM. The SCG just re-word those for a new type of technology and interaction that so many people find confusing and others find liberating.

I’ll let everyone else sense check this.. gotta run

Connecting ourselves

Not written much here for a while, the odd link and video but this has been because I’ve been on holiday and also busy with a series of projects and activities at work that are just taking more and more time.

"Miles of files" drpritch

But I’m not neglecting my blogging entirely, in fact I’ve been blogging more internally as that is where, right now I need to focus.

I get a bit bored and confused when companies and especially Internal Comms folk start saying that they are using social media for Internal Communications.  To me it sounds like they have got the CEO to “write” a blog or get some “safe” employees to write. That misses the point. Sometimes though it means they have a “Facebook-like” system, which if they are really lucky turns out to be employee profiles, often several versions, none of which can be connected to any other applications running in the enterprise, hence making them nothing more than a time-sink.

I would hope Internal Comms is help employees to use social media to work better with each other.. not just utilise it as another “channel” which is fast rising on my list of Top ten twenty thirty most hated words or phrases – along with stakeholder.

How many have email clients, profiles, blogs, forums and micro-blogging integrated into an enterprise-wide platform for social media and a policy that encourages and enables employees to get stuck in (even if we do still have a fair few lagards)?

Even then it’s not the end of the story. Tools and policy are one thing (two I suppose) but a culture that is open, honest and trusting is needed to take advantage of those opportunities, not to mention motivated and questioning employees, part of which is grown out of the trust  that is displayed in behaviour by management (no one is perfect but things are relative) that means people take their responsibility as brand ambassadors seriously.  Quick note on brand ambassadors, your employees are whether you like it or not, for good or bad.. just try to make it good, eh? Get ‘em to make videos like KFC not Dominoes.

So back to what I was orginaly waffling on about which was a number of projects that I have been involved in. Working with a variety of people with different expectations and practices can get a bit perplexing at times, especially when you are sent 6mb after 6mb file. I’m by no means anti-email like some but I can see better ways of using it rather than being the default for all chat at work.

So I’ve been encouraging some people to get it on with Files on Lotus Connections (we have 2.5 deployed internally). This is made much easier by showing them the time and effort it saves, using other projects as examples.

I’m lucky enough to work with a bunch of people that are mostly pretty good at using things the right way (that is my way) instead of one tool for all jobs. Explaining how a file we were updating on an employee engagement package was being updated and handled between a bunch of us – then showing how Files kept the previous versions (so you don’t have to – as the advert says) went down a treat. Not only that but we could assign each person with certain level of access, and keep changing that level when we jolly well felt like it.

I could then bore you with the amount of time, (sending emails) money (sending emails to people with large attachments that never open them but leave them in their mail file, just in case) and more money (those attachments keep building up with each wave of emails) and confusion (because you all know which file is the right file – the one in Files) you save, but I won’t.

Don’t knock at the door, I’m out

What I have noticed more and more these days is how much time I spend in Lotus Connections rather than my email and how while I was away for a few days recently my status updates came in useful for people. I now not only leave an “out of office” message in Notes but in all my status points. This firstly cut down on un-required email as more people knew I was away before they sent me the damn thing. Secondly the updates that I had been posting related to things that I was working on, intranet pages, files, video etc.. links where people could find what they were looking for.. this useless track of information I had left behind which also included how wet I got on the way to work while cycling actually came in useful for some of the very people that say they don’t have time for such things.

To quote someone more sensible than me, “With social media, forget about the media and concentrate on the social.”

I’m afraid if I get the energy I’ll more rants coming your way too.. must be something to do with the clocks going back or something or my recent discovery and move to Ubuntu Linux. So I might also change my name to Karmic Karl in future.

Inside out

“You’re the most external, internal comms person I know”

That is what a senior colleague of mine said to me a couple of weeks ago. Well I had just been briefing the external comms teams in Europe on an event that we were hosting about how we were going to cover it on Twitter and blogging. I was then asked to do the same for our Latin American teams.

I have to say I felt like a bit of a fraud until I realised the starting point for some of the people when it comes to using things like twitter, but everyone has to start at the beginning. I hate the social media guru title that get’s put about. All I do is use tools such as blogging, twitter and the like in a way that I feel works for me and in all honesty I can only say that others do the same too. Don’t get me started on social media marketing.

So was I doing external comms or internal comms for this event? Well, we were talking to employees, so it must be internal comms.  But hang on, we were also talking with non-employees, so it must be external comms? What about the employees?

We are and have been talking to IBMers in such places as Twitter for ages but it’s certainly not internal comms – it’s people talking to people.  It’s engaging anyone that wants to be involved in a conversation about something. Why would you exclude employees or only talk to them in a public arena to the exclusion of everyone else? For the record, putting your tweets through a protected Twitter id will not keep your “internal comms” hidden for long. Strategic internal comms, will be internal.  You certainly wouldn’t put your HR updates on Twitter, would you?

So what is it then? It’s communications. It’s all communications.  Some things you can share with the world and others you just can’t.

10 reasons why PR, Marketing and Comms people need to be on twitter

I’m not one for these lists usually – especially when it comes to twitter as there are so many – but this one is pretty good.  Also it isn’t telling you the way to get 10 gazillion followers.  Just plain, simple, good reasoning.

But you know what, apart from the bit about selling a story to journalists and bloggers, these are great reasons for anyone: (Full details)

1. Twitter is an influential medium

2. Meet clever people

3. Build your network

4. Keep up with trends

5. Pitch journalists

6. Pitch bloggers

7. Tactical execution

8.. Get info…fast!

9. Build your personal brand (and sphere of influence)

10. Have a laugh.

Today at the smartercities forum, Berlin

Today was the first day at the SmarterCities forum in Berlin, being held in the Grand Hyatt hotel.

We are staying down the road at the Marriott, which is a good job as the walk between the two hotels is the only time we have seen daylight in the last two days.  We get a little in the room we are in between sessions but it’s not much. Coffee and water on tap makes up for it and keeps us going. Have to say the breakfast was great this morning, lots of fruit, juice, meat, fish and lovely bread.

Sam was late to kick off the event today because of a problem with the plane he was on but Martin Jetter took over and did a great job not just opening the event but also taking on Sam’s speech.

Oh and btw, if you want to follow what is going on we are covering it on twitter, #smartercity and on asmarterplanet.com.

One of the things that got me today was the feeling of pride coming from the Berliners that the event was being held there. I guess an easier option from a language point of view would have been London. But the reasons for holding it Berlin are all around. The building, innovation and growth.  I really like anywhere that has cycle lanes which are for cycles, not for people to wander around and knock you off your bike.

So back to the pride, we had Dr. Richard von Weizsaecker, former President, Germany and former Governing Mayor, Berlin, which to be honest started off a little like a history lesson, and a lesson one had heard many times.  However, it turned out to be one of the funniest, most interesting and engaging talks I have heard from a politician, former or current.

In the backroom, on the w3 / social media side of things we have an international crew, Me from UK, Rebecca Reyes from USA, Thorsten Zoerner from Germany and of course, Charlie Ung from Canada who is always at these events sorting out the video for us.

Day two is an early start, apparently we have to go to rehersal for the breakouts at 7am!

Back to work

I’ve been back a week but it feels longer.. just because so much was crammed into last week.

Started off with the usual email mountain but thankfully nearly all my 824 emails were notifications, only 20 or so were directly to me and of those 3 or 4 needed action.  The rest, as they say, happened and I’ll move on.

After day one it was a transformation meeting in the UK for our Marketing and Communications team.  Lots going on, not least I know work in Workforce and Field Enablement, rather than Internal Communications. Only one problem, explaining to everyone what that means!

End of the week I was asked to join the Managers Institute in London to talk about social media.  We have a good turn out for the Communications Clinic and some great insights – as well as some new contacts who I shall be seeing this week.  A lot of what I will be doing has probably already been shaped by what was talked about in our two sessions – the abundance of tools, the way to decide what to use and helping those not on the IBM network stay connected.

Friday was a time to get things back together and ponder what this week would bring. It was also a terrible day for the network, one of those once a year days where the things you want seem to be out of action. It allows you time to think and reflect on what you have already done. Something I think I probably need to do a little more of.

And with that I’ve decided to work a little less on the computer and take time to do other things. Spread my self a little thinker in the places I got most from last year. Getting some perspective on things will be important in the organisational changes we will see and part of that will probably mean getting out to see the conditions and situations people really find themselves in at work.

Isn’t it just about relationships

I’m sat here at 2am in a rather warm Taipei just after Chinese new year unable to sleep because I have a blocked nose and my youngest daughter is also feeling a bit rough.

by gfpeck (cc)

So while I was sat in the easy chair holding her as she slept I started thinking about what people had asked me about bringing her here for the first time. “Is it the first time that her grandparents have seen her?”

Well it is, sort of.  Of course they have seen pictures of her on flickr, Photobox, had video chats on Skype, seen me talk about her on Facebook. I can’t remember when we sent an email or picked up a normal phone to talk – so  they really knew her before she arrived in Taiwan. Of course we have also been able to see how her 4 cousins have grown – not forgetting our own eldest daughter who loves more than anyone to chat on Skype and debate the ways of the world with her grandma and show her what she is wearing. Talking of which my wife was using a site called Babyhome (in Chinese) to share pictures and a diary when she had our first – we know most of our friends in London through this site – well before Facebook was making news.

When I get back to England I have said I’ll do some panel thing at work with managers from around the business – and I’m being touted as a social media communications expert (I am fully aware of what an expert is and it all depends on who is in the room) – within communications I’m probably not doing too bad though. So I was thinking, what the hell am I going to say to these peoplen if I get asked a question, I keep meaning to come up with some line and appear to be organised but it never happens. I usually come up with it on the spot. I was also thinking about something that came up in my review about measuring what I do more or how others can measure it themselves (that is measuring the benefit of social media).

So first off, the way we live and where we live determine what techniques we use to keep in touch. They are not an alternative to seeing my in-laws, they are an addition.  We aren’t going to stop coming here every year because we have Skype or Facebook – which is often where business gets it wrong. They think this will replace a face-to-face. Someone said to me, “I don’t like social media, I prefer to see my friends in the flesh.” Well, duh! Only because you like watching DVDs, does that mean you can never go to the cinema? No.

Funny that someone as anti-social as me is into social media and it has actually made me more social as the number one benefit I get is being prepared for meeting someone I have never met before and can instantly start chatting about topics we both know we like or have in common. Meeting a stranger rarely happens these days. I know most of them before meeting and not just from a phone call.. that is usually the last method of communication.  At work I may see pictures on their Beehive or Facebook profile, chat on Twitter with them or read their blog. And you know what, meetings get going quicker and things get done faster because trust and familiarity  is already established.

I feel how I keep in touch with people outside work is no different from in work. And I don’t sit there once a month looking at stats on how well I’m doing with the in-laws, how many comments I got from friends on Facebook, the number of instant messages on MSN. So why would I do that at work?

To measure the way that you are doing a job is ridiculous. To measure what you produce or achieve isn’t.  Judge me on the overall results of my work not on how I get there. What social media “experts” are saying is that these are techniques that will help you individually, at home, at work and throughout your life. Families come together from different parts of the world, business is the same. Find what works and if you don’t think it is helping YOU.. then try something else.

You won’t need to measure it because you will know, you’ll be talking to yourself.

This was all so much clearer in my head when I was sat in the chair earlier with Zoe. So I still need to invent that machine which takes thoughts directly out of my head and puts them on a screen.. but when I do, that won’t stop me talking to people, it just might mean that this blog was much much shorter.

IBM and Twitter – workforce enablement

I try

Just a quick one before I go away on holiday to Taiwan.

Shel Israel interviews our (IBM) own Adam Christensen about how we empower IBMers to engage in through Twitter.

While the company never embarked on an official Twitter strategy,  the result is consistent with IBM’s long term strategy for social media: to take a smaller centralized corporate presence in lieu of enabling all employees to engage on their own as part of their jobs in the platforms of their choice.

“Our assumption,” Christensen said, “is that the employee will be a much better representation of the company than a couple of guys sitting in corporate. Our business is vast, so to represent the diversity of topics we touch and subject experts we have, we are best served getting average employees to be active in public conversations.”

You could attempt or even have an official presence but the unofficial will always be greater and it is much better to enable, guide and help employees make use of it at work and home that can benefit all sides and of course our clients.

I’m sure if we all put our success stories together, one time Twitter has helped us in a real business situation, we could a book (or a blog).

BTW, the internal version, BlueTwit, is fantastic and perhaps Ev Williams doesn’t appreciate that there are some conversations you would like to have internally – similar to having an intranet and internal blogs.

Going blank again

May be it is just the start of a new year, my approaching vacation in Taiwan or burn-out from a rather hectic, exciting and full-filling year – but I can’t think of a damn thing to write about. This is going to be a ramble.

At present our Internal Comms function is preparing for our 4Q and end of year results. Local video has been recorded of our CGM which will be released internally after the corporate announcement. But I think it will have to be pretty bad or pretty amazing to knock some guy called Obama off the news headlines on his first day of his new job.

My appraisal is on Thursday afternoon – which I think I have done well in and taken the opportunities I’ve been handed and found. Hoping for a band increase. Well we do live in Hope.

Also this week, actually the other highlight of the week, is meeting with someone from another business who is also in Internal Comms – albeit at a much higher level than myself. This will be the third recent meeting with IC people from other companies. It’s really good to find out how others work and what they are doing. They will be coming to our SouthBank office for a chat and perhaps sample the delights of our canteen.

If you work in IC, based in London and fancy a chat over lunch then let me know.

Today I have my second meeting with my mentor, who is actually based in Germany. Still working out in my own head how this mentoring stuff should work for me, what I want to get out of it. Never had a formal mentor before but have kept up with people I admire on an informal level. They probably didn’t realise it (or me) but they were also mentors.

End of week.. hols..