Happiness CCCXV

Mar 21, 2009 | happiness

Realizing technology has only ever been a hobby, and creating things a true passion.

Getting Along with the IT Gatekeeper

Mar 20, 2009 | blog

Stay Puft & the Gatekeeper - Photo by Great Beyond I’ve been an IT guy for a darn long time, and as I’ve said before, it was a great career.  I’m sure I’ll revisit it from time to time – I’m too much a tech-geek to abandon it completely.  One thing I know from experience is that IT is many times a bigger bottleneck than we tend to admit.  So as I move into new areas as an advocate for and a professional in social media I understand the issues from both sides of the fence.

Some folks scoff at how IT always seems to pull the security card on attempts to do new, inventive, creative things.  It’s but one of many things that corporate IT departments have to consider when someone brings up something new.  Other things can range from support costs (obviously) to recovering from disasters.  New systems really do consist of much more than just buying and installing software.

Interestingly, it’s not always management in IT that causes the roadblock.  In fact, IT leadership is often well equipped to be advocates of change in the organization.  Even with tight budgets, IT is almost always looking to help position the company for growth.  However, remember they’re biggest responsibility is to maintain existing systems and provide a secure, reliable environment.

So the question is then, how can you get IT to be interested and prioritize your project?

The answer is to get them involved early.  Very early.  In fact, they should be among your first stops when you’re looking for supporters and stakeholders.  What usually happens with many a project is that the technology aspect get’s pulled in way too late for the project’s original timeline.  All this does is turn it into another firedrill project with folks working long hours and weekends to make it happen.

However, if you get IT involved at the beginning, they’ll help with estimating real costs.  They’ll help figure out realistic timelines.  They will be a key part of making your project succeed.

Contrary to what you may think, Information Technology isn’t just about databases, operating systems and all the computers in the office, they too get excited about learning new things.  The realization that social media, and new ways of doing business is important to them too.

Photo credit: Great Beyond

Happiness CCCXIV

Mar 20, 2009 | happiness

Reaching out and learning new things from people I didn’t know I needed to learn from.

One perception of social media

Mar 17, 2009 | blog

'Perceptions' by Ezu It’s been an interesting week or so.  I’ve again learned that my perception of social media is just one of many interpretations.

What is this socialization of media anyway but a simpler means of collaborating upon work with peers from differing backgrounds.  Social media, really, is a movement and not technology.  The technology and tools are simply enablers.

While we explorers of social media out on the Internet talk about transparency, and openness, businesses are struggling to figure out how to get involved but be able to balance all the parts that are important to them.  Some will say this is the problem, that there are too many layers in your average corporation that get in the way.

That may be true, but we also have to remember all the parties involved in that corporation we like to lump in with so many others.  The needs of the shareholders, the responsibilities to the consumer, proprietary technology or processes, responsibilities to it’s work force, legal liabilities, risk of damage to a valuable brand, and the need to be a good corporate citizen.

These are all things that an established organization needs to take into account, and it doesn’t even begin to touch on internal power struggles and political plays, or the resistance to change that the majority of corporate workers embrace.  One look a the newspaper industry in the United States can give you a glimpse of the worst-case possibilities of all this.  They recognized the need for change too late, but your average corporation isn’t quite as blind as that, they just have a lot to juggle to be able to come to the table to play the game.

So as we compare decades-old companies to a couple year old startup when it comes to participation in social media, it really comes down to perceptions of what’s right and what’s wrong.

What’s your perception as you work with older organizations under the theme of social media?

Photo credit: Ezu

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