A recent Baseline article starts with the tag line “Global enterprises must develop a business process framework to ensure the success of collaboration technology implementations.”  Overall the article makes a number of good points — but it also left me feeling a little uneasy.  The whole social networking/collaboration workspace seems so dynamic I wonder if the typical time cycles of an enterprise decision process can keep pace with rapid technology growth and end-user expectations.

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Alright, I know this post may make me sound like I’m arriving late to the Google Docs party So fine, I can take it.  And I’ll admit that I haven’t had any real opportunities to use Google docs for shared document creation.  But in a recent workshop I was part of a team where we had a lot of collaborating to do in very little time — and we used Google docs as our collaboration platform.  It was simple, easy to set up, and worked REALLY well.  The coolest thing was that we all had the document visible on our computers and could watch the edits unfold as each person took turns on it.  No need to refresh the screens — no need to hand off the editing.  In fact the document showed who was actively editing which section.  It was easy, dynamic, and a crucial resource to support our collaborations.

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In a group discussion on gaining WordPress adoption we all agreed the word ‘blog’ can cause problems.  The general public has an impression of what a ‘blog’ is, and many don’t see why they’d want to use one.  I fear ‘wiki’ may hold a similar status.  So ditch the buzz words and use descriptions — an online staff phone list that everyone can edit themselves (in a wiki), or a website for the newsletter that you guys can easily update yourselves (powered by WordPress.) 

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Is there something about SharePoint that makes it unique?  Is a SharePoint site in a category all by itself?  Or is this just another Microsoft thing?  Why can’t a wiki site or a WordPress site or any of a number of other technologies accomplish similar ends to Sharepoint.  This post explores several ways Sharepoint can be used to support needs in an educational setting. 

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Why do some social-centered (or in old lingo web 2.0) services soar and others sink?  And more to the point when we introduce wikis, SharePoint, IM, blogs and other technologies into the workplace or campus, how can we insure that they succeed.  In this Museum 2.0 post Nina references an article by Jyri Engestrom and argues that successful social networks are built around, and defined by, a common object.  She refers to LinkedIn, and their recent focus on jobs as the common object.  And it is true, LinkedIn has more of a business feel to it, and I am more comfortable connecting with work-related people through that forum. 

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It isn’t hard to find ways to improve processes in the workplace — but why does it always feel so hard to get people to use it?  I’m going the the NYC Web 2.0 expo this week, and have been thinking about the adoption rate of new technologies around my office.  It is not hard to get interest in something — recent initiatives include SharePoint, Project Management, group document editing, wikis — but after initial interest from users practices revert back to the old way of doing things. 

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