Web, Wikis and Workplace Technology

I went to IABC's seminar today on the topic of Web, Wikis and Workplace Technology. One of the most interesting topics to me was around the discussion of the online life and offline life. The 15-year-old World Wide Web is rapidly changing and has profoundly influenced how organisations manage information and link people together. Although social media is not the only way of communication, and I believe it will never be the only way for communication, it will be (or in fact has become?) a very significant and important way of facilitating communication that can effectively reach the target audience. It impacts on communication skills needed in organisations, the complexity of managing information and the speed of processing information. For many, web 2.0 does not merely link information, it links people. It allows people to communicate, share and collaborate on a many-to-many basis. Facebook, Wikipedia and Blogs, are so well developed and people are engaging in these online communities. "If you ask people under 20, they will probably tell you there is no difference between the online 'life' and the offline 'life'." said the guest speaker, Ross Monahan, a Lecturer from Deakin University.

Surprisingly, when audience heard the above comments , there were little mumbling among the audience. I say it is 'surprisingly' because I have made an assumption that most of them, if not all, are from the communication field and hence would be active contributors in the 'online world'. Well, this 'surprising' reaction from the audience makes me think about generational differences once again. It cannot be denied that there are a lot of Gen X and Boomers who are actively users of web 2.0 technology, perhaps the majority of them are still going through the learning curve. I am really interested in what they were mumbling about....

Another guest speaker, Nick Hodge from Microsoft, brought up another interesting topic - trust. He said that in the online world, people can smell the fake. It is important for organisations to tell the truth and be as honest as they can. It may be true that it is easy to lie online because no one gets to 'see' the fact. However, it is also easy to tell if this is not the truth. Everyone has access to the www and can freely say almost anything online. What they say can hardly be controlled by the organisation. It is a challenge for many organisations.

To me personally, I don't always expect organisations to tell the truth online, but what they say does shape my impression on the organisation and I guess it happens to many people too. However if I found out they lied, it would be VERY hard for me to trust them again.

Enterprise 2.0

Exploring the future of Enterprise 2.0
By Alex Manchester, Editor, The Internal Comms Hub (Australia), Melcrum

There is a general perception that Gen Y and the Millennials are more technology savvy and therefore logically link them with collaborating with Web 2.0 technology. However, as Alex Manchester comments, this is unwise to make such assumption and disregard Gen X and the Baby Boomers.

During my research, I have found that many of the Gen Xers make the arguement that they use and love Web 2.0 tools as much as (if not more than) the younger generations. And the fact that Gen Xers are still in the workplace for the next few decades, maximising their contributions through collaboration is essential.

Enterprise 2.0 Executive Forum
Conference Speakers:

• Andrew McAfee, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School
• Andrew Mitchell, National Manager, Technology and Knowledge , Urbis
• Brian Haverty, Editorial Director, CNET Networks Australia
• David Backley, Chief Technology Officer, Westpac Banking Corporation
• Euan Semple, Former Head of Knowledge Management, BBC
• Jennifer Wilson, Head of Innovation, NineMSN
• Jonathan Stern, Business Unit Executive, Lotus Software, Australia and New Zealand
• Joshua Gliddon, IT Editor, Australian Financial Review
• Nathan Wallace, Associate Director - Technology, Janssen-Cilag
• Peter Evans-Greenwood, Chief Technology Officer, Capgemini Australia
• Ross Dawson, Chairman, Future Exploration Network
• Sheryle Moon, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Information Industry Association
• Tim Birdsall, Asia Pacific Executive for Portal and Workplace, IBM
• Victor Rodrigues, Software Development Manager, Cochlear

Participate in Research

Do you find it difficult to communicate with different generations? Are you having problems ensuring your organisation to maximise the benefits of corporate wikis and blogs? If you answered yes to both questions, an inspiring research with your contributions may help.

An Honours student from the University of Melbourne is currently conducting a research on the use of collaborative technology in the workplace, such as wiki, blogs, and discussion forums. The research seeks to find out how different generations utilise corporate wikis to share knowledge and create innovative ideas.

The researcher invites 5 individuals from each generation, Baby Bommer, X’er and Y’er, to participate in an interview about their experience in using collaborative technology in the workplace. The interview will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

After the research, you will be able to acquire information about: 1. the differences between generations in experiencing collaborative technology; 2. who are the group of people who have greater capability in maximising the benefits of mass collaboration; and, 3. to what effect within the workplace. It will lead to better use of resources in training and development and a more effective workplace.

If you would like to help the researcher or to learn more about maximising the benefits of collaborative technology, please email Sharon Ho on s.ho3@ugrad.unimelb.edu.au