The State of Enterprise 2.0

Three articles caught my attention this week and together they create a snapshot of the current state of affairs of Enterprise 2.0.

The first is BusinessWeek's CEO's Guide to Enterprise 2.0 written by Rob Hof. It's a terrific overview with examples of how innovative companies are using blogs, wikis, search and RSS to improve customer communications, overcome information overload and streamline collaboration. The article concludes with an observation by Tim O'Reilly that companies who embrace Enterprise 2.0 technologies will outperfrom those who don't.

Next I read Enid Burns' piece on Executives Slow to See Value in Corporate Blogging on ClickZ. In a survey with 150 senior executive from Fortune 1000 companies only 5 percent said they see corporate blogging as a communications medium; 3 percent see it as a brand-building technique; and less than 1 percent see it as a sales or lead-generation tool. Many respondents doubt the credibility of blogs as a communications tool (62 percent); brand-building (74 percent) and a sales or lead generation channel (70 percent). Robbin Goodman, EVP and partner at Makovsky & Company, the firm that released the study, said in what may be the understatment of the week, "There is a learning curve that needs to take place." Robbin also points out "The benefits of blogging for a business can significantly outweigh possible risks."

I also listened to David Berlind's podcast Reality Check: Wikis? Sorry. Never Heard of Them. He turns the table on a technology tradeshow by interviewing the attendees instead of the exhibitors. His conclusion, technology executives who are beginning to explore these new technologies and tools are extremely clear on why they need to embrace the newer technologies but they're just not sure what those technologies are.

Taken together, the articles are a clear indication that companies including Attensa need to do a better job explaining the benefits of adopting our technologies. They also point out that technology executives who embrace Enterprise 2.0 tools early can have a significant competitive advantage.

Comments

[Scott Quick]

Scott,

Your conclusions at the end of this post are right on. Everything about Attensa's external communications need to be retooled and focused on the "real enterprise" (as opposed to "enterprise 2.0" - which is sometime off into the future). Attensa needs to build a bridge between current state and future state ... and crisply articulating what people should focus on, why they should care, and if they adopt these new web 2.0 technologies, what benefits they will enjoy.

[Scott Niesen]

Scott

Right on the money. The Business Blogging seminars we are sponsoring and presenting with Six Apart, the co-marketing we are doing with Central Desktop and new educational materials including our Enterprise RSS white paper are part and parcel of our ongoing efforts to help companies make sense of how Web 2.0 technologies can provide a sustainable competitive advantage. Thanks for keeping us on our toes.

[Chris Herbert]

Web 2.0 tools and services are fanstastic and extremely effective ways to communicate, have meaningful conversations and accelerate knowledge. This is a great opportunity for open minded and innovative businesses to become more efficient, effective and relevant to their customers. Scott, thx for the post and the article/podcast links.