Archive for Stakeholder Tech

Teamwork, But Less Technology

Teamwork, But Less Technology

Mid-tier firms don’t use collaboration tools as much as larger companies do. Is that wise?

Small and growing businesses are not technology laggards. Mid-tier companies are more likely than large companies to be early and midstream technology adopters, and they are increasing IT spending faster, according to past CIO Insight surveys.

Fascinating article which looks at the differences in IT use between large and small/medium firms. If you look at the chart there are differences across the board, but the largest differences appear to be in specific collaborative technologies. The article speculates why this might be the case, but it would be useful to dig a bit deeper into how the large companies are using these technologies. What are the demographics that are different? Are the companies more productive or less when they use these technologies. On chart is particularly interesting:

25 March, 2008 | No comments

Age Determines Technologys Value

Age Determines Technologys Value

Younger generations rarely notice the technology in the devices they use. Baby boomers raised in the 1960s only saw the programming and didnt think much, if at all, about the technology and infrastructure that brought them Bonanza, The Ed Sullivan Show and Laugh-In. Not only do younger generations perceive technology differently from their elders, including the CIOs and other executives who manage IT organizations and corporations, but they use it differently, too.

I know it’s been awhile since I posted, I’ve been busy. My class server crashed (we did not have a backup) and I just reconfigured my new Tablet PC (Lenovo X61 - Vista is wonderful on a Tablet - so far), so life has kept me busy. But this article kept coming across my desk…um’ e-mail and it is causing me to think. The other day my son and I were discussing something and I said “did you follow up on those e-mails I sent?” to which he replied “no, if you want me to read something, send it to Face Book.” Now I thought that a bit odd, but it did not jump out at me until I read this article and then it all made sense. The cool thing is my son has no problem with me being one of his friends on Face Book. When I asked to be added he immediately added me and then changed the setting so it says i am his Dad. Pretty cool I thought. But it’s nothing new for him. Just SOP.

We are starting to take technology for granted as it continues to improve and we are just now seeing the start of social networking. The future will amaze us and the way we connect with other stakeholders will amaze as well.

28 November, 2007 | No comments

Blog Away

SI.com - NCAA eases restrictions on live updates

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA eased its restrictions on blogging and said live updates from its events are permitted as long as they are limited to scores and time remaining.

Well it appears that NCAA is getting this one figured out and in my opinion they got this one right….now if they could just do something about the BCS…

22 June, 2007 | No comments

NCAA’s stance on blogs hurts the sports fans

NCAA’s stance on blogs hurts the sports fans- al.com

The NCAA has done such a superior job of improving academic fraud, gambling, recruiting violations, drug use, proper tuition in scholarships and escalating athletic costs that it’s now tackling more serious matters: Blogging.

The public relations fallout from this story is so absurd, only the NCAA could be involved. The NCAA wants more control of its product in what could be a landmark case between the media and sports organizations over how news is reported.

This has been an interesting story to follow. At the College World Series a blogger was asked to leave as he was posting “real-time” information which violates some contracts the NCAA has with various organizations ($$$). Some would argue, was it really real-time? Lots of questions followed. This is causing even more people to take note about the role of Blogs.

I found this particular commentary particularly interesting.

20 June, 2007 | No comments

Tech blogs go from hobbies to businesses - USATODAY.com

Tech blogs go from hobbies to businesses - USATODAY.com

Suddenly, TechCrunch could make or break a start-up. Entrepreneurs swarmed Arrington at conferences. Several showed up at his house one morning and banged on the windows until he let them in, he says. He hired five full-time and 16 part-time employees, and broke the news that Google was acquiring YouTube.

Seems blogs are receiving a bit more attention lately. This article is an entertaining read that shows exactly how influential Blogs are becoming. It’s interesting to think about how the influence has moved from companies, consultants, or organizations, to specific individuals. Find someone whose opinion you value and you can read their blog.

20 June, 2007 | No comments

Twelve-steps to curing e-mail addiction

Twelve-steps to curing e-mail addiction - CNN.com

An executive coach in Pennsylvania has devised a plan to teach people how to manage the electronic tool, which some users say can be as much an intrusive waste of time as it is fast-paced and efficient.

Developed for cases such as a golfer who checked his BlackBerry after every shot, and lost a potential client who wanted nothing to do with his obsession, Marsha Egan’s plan taps into deepening concern that e-mail misuse can cost businesses millions of dollars in lost productivity.

Fascinating article that for me touches on many levels. First is the addiction part. Sure I think many are addicted to the instant gratification that e-mail can provide and also the idea of living up to expectations. For academics this can be very real. Last semester I had a student e-mail me at 6:30pm with a question, but I was out at a family function. When I returned home and checked e-mail at 9:30pm (just 3 hours) I was greeted with a nasty note “why have you not responded”.

But the reality of this article is that it is more about time management and setting priorities than then addiction. There are some good tips for keeping e-mail under control. As our attention spans continue to get smaller and smaller we need to work hard to bring them back up or the IQ of the entire nation will eventually suffer.

20 February, 2007 | No comments

Students use IM-lingo in essays

Students use IM-lingo in essays - CNN.com

But junior high and high school teachers nationwide say they see a troubling trend: The words have become so commonplace in children’s social lives that the techno spellings are finding their way into essays and other writing assignments.

Most of the time I am excited about how technology is impacting digital relationships. But this article has me concerned, not because students do it. They always look for the path of least resistance. But some educators have me scratching my head:

Some educators, like David Warlick, 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, see the young burgeoning band of instant messengers as a phenomenon that should be celebrated. Teachers should credit their students with inventing a new language ideal for communicating in a high-tech world, said Warlick, who has authored three books on technology in the classroom.

Ok, I get his point. But the kids we have now are relatively new to IM compared with those we will see in the future. Will the entire business environment change to compensate for these students? Some seem to think so (see Got Game).

12 February, 2007 | No comments

Microsoft in hot water over Wikipedia edits

Microsoft in hot water over Wikipedia edits - CNN.com

While Wikipedia is known as the encyclopedia that anyone can tweak, founder Jimmy Wales and his cadre of volunteer editors, writers and moderators have blocked public-relations firms, campaign workers and anyone else perceived as having a conflict of interest from posting fluff or slanting entries. So paying for Wikipedia copy is considered a definite no-no.

Ok, here comes another article link I find this one intriguing because it involves MS and Wikipedia. In the past studies have show Wikipedia to be just slightly more “unaccurate” that the established Encyclopedia Brittanica. But this seemed marginal and one would wonder if it was statistically signifcant. Anyway, Wikipedia has become a beloved source of information and this is not the first time someone or something has tried to change its content. MS would have us believe that it was trying to get it right, but who’s right do they consider right? They have a way of seeing them through Redmond glasses and they think they know more than the rest of us (IMHO). One always has to wonder about the objectivity of a MS sponsored report/white paper/correct. Anyway, perhaps you will find this interesting as well.

24 January, 2007 | No comments

First Virtual Millionaire

FORTUNE: Legal pad

Anshe Chung, a real-estate tycoon in the digitally simulated world known as Second Life, has apparently become the first virtual millionaire–i.e., someone whose holdings in a make-believe world are legally convertible into genuine U.S. currency worth more than $1 million.

I don’t know about you, but I find this very interesting. That someone can now make $1,000,000 in a virtual world? How cool is that.

27 November, 2006 | No comments

Podcasting: Its not just for geeks anymore

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Podcasting: Its not just for geeks anymore

Meanwhile, the number of podcasts has increased exponentially. In November 2004, Podcast Alley, an online portal for all things related to the phenomenon, listed fewer than 1,000 podcasts. Today, that number is 26,627, with almost 2,000 pending approval.Walch attributes the boom to the release of a new version of Apples iTunes software in June 2005 that made it easier for nongeeks to connect with podcasters without downloading additional software.

Pretty amazing really. What a couple of years and adoption by one product can do.

27 November, 2006 | No comments

Wikis Are Alive and Kicking in the Enterprise

Wikis Are Alive and Kicking in the Enterprise

A wiki, which means “quick” in Hawaiian, is a Web site that enables users to easily edit and update shared content. Computer programmer Ward Cunningham originated the wiki concept and gave it its name more than a decade ago.After slow growth initially, wiki use has exploded in the past couple of years. Wiki technology, which has been popularized by the widely used Web encyclopedia Wikipedia, took a big leap in mind share when Google purchased wiki software maker JotSpot for an undisclosed amount on Oct. 31.

Wiki usage in enterprises could further proliferate when Microsoft ships a wiki feature in Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007 next year and IBM includes a wiki technology in a social computing product code-named Ventura, due in the first half of 2007.

It’s about time

20 November, 2006 | No comments

Websites make donations easy - and free of charge

Websites make donations easy - and free of charge | csmonitor.com

Launched in 1999 and operated with five other similar sites by CharityUSA based in Seattle, The Hunger Site raises money for charities through sponsors whose ads appear after visitors click on certain links. After The Hunger Site became hugely successful, CharityUSA opened other sites, including The Breast Cancer Site and The Animal Site. CharityUSA sites primarily do not advertise their sites, but President Tim Kunin says they sometimes use Google ads to promote products the site sells to raise additional money for charities.

It’s great to see that they are still around. Years ago when I was working on my Ph.D., I came across the hunger site. I visited daily and I included a link on all my pages. Somehow over time I forgot about this great group….I think I will have to add them to my daily surfing again!

20 November, 2006 | No comments

TiVo stretching into the Internet

TiVo stretching into the Internet - CNN.com

The way it will work: From One True Media’s Web site, a TiVo user would invite other TiVo owners via a one-time e-mail to subscribe to their private video channel. The videos would then show up under a new “Homemade Movies” category in the “TiVoCast” section in which TiVo distributes media from other Web-content partners, such as the National Basketball Association and The New York Times.

Now this will be really cool and could make smaller video based TV stations (would need a new name for them) a reality. Any small organization could create their own channel and people could subscribe. The potential is amazing!

14 November, 2006 | No comments

Growing number of educators explore ‘Second Life’ online

Growing number of educators explore ‘Second Life’ online - CNN.com

A growing number of educators are getting caught up in the wave. More than 60 schools and educational organizations have set up shop in the virtual world and are exploring ways it can be used to promote learning.The three-dimensional virtual world makes it possible for students taking a distance course to develop a real sense of community, said Rebecca Nesson, who leads a class jointly offered by Harvard Law School and Harvard Extension School in the world of “Second Life.”

Another note on Second Life. First it was Adam Reuters, now it is truly online learning. Fascinating.

14 November, 2006 | No comments

Wal-Mart blogs revealed to be done by PR firm’s employees

Wal-Mart blogs revealed to be done by PR firm’s employees - Oct. 20, 2006

The blogs Working Families for Wal-mart and subsidiary site Paid Critics are written by three employees of PR firm Edelman, for whom Wal-Mart is a paid client, according to information posted on the sites Thursday.
walmart_store_front.03.jpgBefore Thursday, the authors of the blogs were not disclosed. But Web critics had been skeptical of claims that the blogs were grass-roots efforts, and pushed for greater transparency.

An interesting development to say the least. But did anyone doubt this was not happening? I wonder how many other sites will be found out?

20 October, 2006 | No comments

« Next entries