Here’s a synopsis of an article about a new book, Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies, that can help IT leaders decide which social technologies can work for their organizations, Evaluating New Social Networking Technologies. For much more, check out the complete source article:
First, [keep in mind that] Web 2.0 technologies change rapidly. Second, [remember that] the technologies are not the point. The forces at work are.
Here’s the principle for mastering the groundswell: Concentrate on relationships, not technologies. The way people connect with each other—the community that is created — determines how the power shifts. When evaluating a new technology, ask the following questions:
1. Does it enable people to connect with each other in new ways?
2. Is it effortless to sign up?
3. Does it shift power from institutions to people?
4. Does the community generate enough content to sustain itself?
5. Is it an open platform that invites partnerships?Of course, a lot more goes into analyzing new technologies: Do the privacy policies make people feel secure, for example, or can these technologies get a boost from existing big players like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia or Comcast? But, in general, technologies that get a ‘yes’ on all the questions we described are the ones mostly likely to take off.
