Shel Holtz writes a thorough post on the depiction of employee communications in a networked company.
1) Ease employee access to social networks.
2) Show employees who’s saying what, right now.
3) Communicate research results.
4) Increase business literacy.
5) Build awareness of business initiatives.
6) Make sure everyone knows the rules of the road.
7) Champion and support internal training.
8) Enlist company advocates.
9) Work with ET to ensure systems support networking.
I assume Shel's original title was 10 communications traits of networked companies, and that he was not able to develop a tenth tip, instead he asks for additional traits from the community.
Reading the post, I'm struck yet again how much foresight went into the writing of the cluetrain manifesto. The book really had a simple idea, consumers are on the web and they are talking with one another. That web of conversation has big consequences for companies. I don't believe the cluetrain got everything right because our exact understanding of the social world of today could not be entirely foreseen.
As I read through Shel's traits, I'm reminded of many of the 95 thesis published ten years ago.
One unknown in 1999 was that employees would need more help and advice to talk directly with customers using the web.
Every employee has the capability to conduct a dialogue, but even the most experienced communications professional has to learn the social media ropes with each new social media technology.
What the cluetrain missed is that the process of talking with consumers using social media is not always an immediate organic process. Some design, some guidelines and structure can help to give employees the confidence to be human in their conversations.
1) Ease employee access to social networks.
2) Show employees who’s saying what, right now.
3) Communicate research results.
4) Increase business literacy.
5) Build awareness of business initiatives.
6) Make sure everyone knows the rules of the road.
7) Champion and support internal training.
8) Enlist company advocates.
9) Work with ET to ensure systems support networking.
I assume Shel's original title was 10 communications traits of networked companies, and that he was not able to develop a tenth tip, instead he asks for additional traits from the community.
Reading the post, I'm struck yet again how much foresight went into the writing of the cluetrain manifesto. The book really had a simple idea, consumers are on the web and they are talking with one another. That web of conversation has big consequences for companies. I don't believe the cluetrain got everything right because our exact understanding of the social world of today could not be entirely foreseen.
As I read through Shel's traits, I'm reminded of many of the 95 thesis published ten years ago.
One unknown in 1999 was that employees would need more help and advice to talk directly with customers using the web.
Every employee has the capability to conduct a dialogue, but even the most experienced communications professional has to learn the social media ropes with each new social media technology.
What the cluetrain missed is that the process of talking with consumers using social media is not always an immediate organic process. Some design, some guidelines and structure can help to give employees the confidence to be human in their conversations.
