Thanks to Euan for pointing me to this article about the growing interest in Web 2.0 inside the enterprise.
Readers may also want to look at Jeneane Sessum’s white paper on Corporate Blogging
IT Execs eager To Exploit Web 2.0 Wave
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Blogs are often a company’s first attempt at leveraging Web 2.0 technology, said Robin Hopper, CEO of iUpload, a Burlington, Ontario-based blogging platform vendor. But many others are struggling to determine how to get into this space.
"Blogging seems to be the low-hanging fruit for them," Hopper said. "It seems to be the starting point. So far they’re struggling with the Web 2.0 strategy, but blogs have the most history and seem the easiest concept to get around."
While the social aspect of Web 2.0 is a good opportunity for companies to build up their brands online, many experts are excited about what is happening inside companies. They say this is where a real Web 2.0 strategy starts.
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"Don’t think about and create this big, top-heavy business process management initiative," Hinchcliffe said. "Invert it. Give the tools to your people, and they can automate and reinvent their processes. Let employees and customers and business partners generate a lot of ideas for the business. Let them re-engineer your business process in a controlled way."
Web 2.0 behind the firewall
With blogging clearly boosting her company’s profile in the market, Maurice said her company is exploring the use of Web 2.0 technology behind the firewall — meaning using collaboration tools within the company’s intranet for use by employees only.
"When we talk about different technologies and where they may fit within our suite of solutions, wikis often come up," Maurice said. "Our engineers … are also considering using wikis to help them share ideas and concepts, but there are concerns that need to be addressed. Marketing will also be looking at using wikis for internal use worldwide."
Hinchcliffe said businesses can get into the process rather quickly by allowing blogs and wikis on their intranets. Access to these tools inside the intranet can create an "ecosystem for feedback," he added.
Kirk Kness, vice president of strategy and architecture at Baltimore-based financial services company T. Rowe Price Group Inc., spends a lot of time thinking about how his company can use a Web 2.0 technology within the business. Kness said his company is formulating a strategy with an eye toward rolling something out next year.
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