MiramarMike - Blog

Basic A great list of "Web 2.0" definitions from Miraz that we people that live on the Web use all the time but may confuse and intimidate those that don't know. As Miraz ably demonstrates, most of the words are actually very easy to understand once someone takes the time to explain them: The Internet is abuzz with a whole new vocabulary: memes and tags, posts and mashups, LOLcats, tweets and RSS. Friends, characters, flag, subscribe and interesting have a whole new meaning. This article helps you find your way in the new Web 2.0 world. My particular favourites are: LOLcats - pictures of cats, with humorous captions, written to a certain style. LOL is short for ‘Lots of Laughs’. Example: www.lolcats.com/view/55 . tags - Words that help describe something. A photo might be titled ‘Solace in the wind’, but have tags such as: wellington, waterfront, sculpture, statue, and so on. Web 2.0 - Websites and services that make it easy for people to connect with one another by

At the bottom of Google Apps get mixed report from De Bortoli Wines (an interesting yet unsurprising article about Google Apps in a large-ish organisation) is the following excellent comments from De Bortoli Wines CIO, Bill Robertson: "There's an assumption that if you build it, they will come," he says. "In theory this is true, but our experience suggests it will be unbalanced. Some bright sparks will always be keen but it depends on their skills and background." And that's life me old muckers. Some people will dive on in, some will dabble and some will pass it by through no more malice than, "it just doesn't help me". NO technology is a silver bullet. In fact no tool is the panacea to all your business woes no matter what type is it whether it's a process, a piece of software or a methodology. The skill is applying is letting the staff apply the tools they find relevant to complete the job in hand. I also agree with Bill regarding: Rober

A massive 92% of Kiwi's have no idea how (or choose not) use the RSS technology as reported by Russell Brown * Why is that? (If you're unfamiliar with the term RSS check out the excellent RSS in Plain English video) I commented on the NZ State Services Commission blog where Jo reminded me of this amazingly high statistic: I know, 92% have no idea … and whilst I still a little unbelieving at how high that seems from my experience introducing this “stuff” into organisations I am no longer stunned by it. Mind you, the “young ‘uns” might not be able to tell you what RSS is but they probably use it in Facebook and the like. Maybe it’s a technology that (like TCP/IP) doesn’t need to be known but just works. Having said that. I bet close to 90% wouldn’t know what “reader”, “subscribe” or the wee orange logo are referring to. Good thing is, hardly anyone hates it when they discover it … all growth ahead! The clients I work with are generally not bleeding edge but they are slightly

If this extract from The Charms of Wikipedia by Nicholson Baker doesn't give make you smile as well as explain how Wikipedia started then you're probably best re-reading the latest management monthly report you're about to email to your boss. And when people did help they were given a flattering name. They weren't called "Wikipedia's little helpers," they were called "editors." It was like a giant community leaf-raking project in which everyone was called a groundskeeper. Some brought very fancy professional metal rakes, or even back-mounted leaf-blowing systems, and some were just kids thrashing away with the sides of their feet or stuffing handfuls in the pockets of their sweatshirts, but all the leaves they brought to the pile were appreciated. And the pile grew and everyone jumped up and down in it having a wonderful time. And it grew some more, and it became the biggest leaf pile anyone had ever seen anywhere, a world wonder. And then self

Mike Riversdale Originally uploaded by webstock . Watch the videos (yes, there's more than 1 angle for you to enjoy) and see more Webstock photos of my session Thanks to Mike and the Webstock gang for the photos - Day 1 / Day 2

Whilst the 21 days of Wiki adoption (Wiki Patterns) is an excellent set of techniques for growing your adoption of a wiki it doesn't cover the stage before the wiki is installed. There are those out there that start from the following premise: We have (can get) a wiki ... I wonder how we can use it!? In fact that is an all too common first thought for a lot of software. Because the common arsenal of Enterprise 2.0* software (blogs, wikis and the like) have mostly been derived from the consumer world, and even more specifically from the open source world, there is the added problem that they are: easy to use ( more ) easy(ish) to install free to licence Why is this a problem? Surely this is all good and stop whining about usable software Mike!!! Wellllll, true ... but it's not about software. In fact it's not about technology at all. If you start off with the mindset of the tool (in this case a wiki) and then search around for a problem to solve then you're going to hav

Completely independently these two articles recently applied to some thinking to the subject of "heavy/crap" software being the norm within organisations: Jason Hiner: Should IT support user-owned smartphones? Eric Bourke: Simplicity I think their arguments are fundamentally the same ... Eric makes it a little more succinctly but there's depth and reasoning behind Jason' reporting of the Gartner findings. Ask yourself the question, "Does it have to be this way?" If the answer is, "No!" - go fight those that are forcing it upon you, whoever you decide that is. First here's Eric's view And here's the Gartner diagram from Jason's article that may give some answers to the "why":

No, not TradeMe, which I am sure has more, but Facebook. Not many, you may think, but add it to the global melting pot and then: And this is something companies, governments and individuals need to look seriously at –- even if they don't consider this phenomenon relevant to them. Mike made an excellent point that "you can't choose to 'sit out' of social media. You can choose to ignore it, but I don't recommend it." People are talking about you, your business, your government in social media right now. Just because you aren't there doesn't mean there aren't photos of you on Bebo and whole discussions about how much better your competitors are on blogs and in Facebook groups. Read the Gordon White's full and most excellent Public Address article - A few fun Facebook facts And when you're done check out: 5 easy ways to protect your online presence with Dr Miramar Mike 5 articles about keeping your identity ("persona") safe

A cracking Barcamp description from Rob O'Brien (with a little editing from yours truly): BarCamp is an ad-hoc Unconference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an event with discussions, demos and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. After conferences may people say that the best aspects of the event were the people they met and the impromptu hallway conversations they had. An unconference amplifies these connections and conversations. Barcamps are unconferences organised by a community of interested individuals and participated by those same individuals. Anyone can organise a Barcamp around any area that interests them. There is no corporate agenda, no vested interests, no absolute authority and often no cost to attend. Instead Barcamps are a way for like minded people to come together, collaborate, innovate and make things happen. Instead o

And Siggie knows how to have fun - niice - and with the Silverstripe US Democratic National Convention website win who wouldn't be celebrating

[Updated] Added potential "Internet Identity" , "User Experience" and Christchurch "Social Networking" Barcamps With the passing of this year's Webstock the calendar is clearer for a few more Barcamps (definition). There are two three four and half that I am aware being generated at the moment, all in Wellington but I'm sure that Ludwig will be kicking off an Auckland one soon. Previously NZ Barcamps have mostly used the barcamp.org wiki to keep a track of the events. We now have the barcamp.org.nz site aimed at our own NZ/Aotearoa world of Barcamps. It's easy to use, anyone can create a barcamp and post info - have at it! Feedback - love to have some, drop me a line ( mike.riversdale@miramarmike.co.nz ), leave a comment here or over there This has had the most planning and is nearing the, "It's all on ladies and gentlemen!" - just the venue to finalise. And it's gonna be over TWO DAYS! What's it about: mobile - t

Not sure if this fits with this blog! Covering all bases though, I have posted about the Common Craft video explaining Twitter in plain English over on my personal blog. Check out the other "plain English" videos posted on this blog ...

This'll be my last posting for a while regarding the future of IT Departments as I think I've said all I need to say - they're history! Wellll, not really. Having spoken to a friend who has a healthy scepticism for all this "new cloud computing" within organisations I do agree with his view that IT Departments are more than just people looking after the networks to store Word documents. The key split is between the "knowledge worker" and their needs - store, find and use information (at it's simplest) which is my area of speciality and the bespoke, business differentiator software that some organisations have. For instance, within a bank they will have a lot of generic office type applications and requirements that I believe can be met much more efficiently, cost effectively and with agility through an Enterprise 2.0 approach. Also in the bank they have their own banking systems. These systems are probably not (yet) ready for life in the cloud. They

This from Tom on Facebook ...

With Outlook * not supporting iCal ( definition ) the only way to get calendar entries into Outlook is either type them in by hand or export/import. Of course I use a web calendar (happens to be Google Calendar ) that supports iCal and therefore I can subscribe to as many calendars as I want ( wellingtonista , weather , NZ holidays , Super 14 ...) and they overlay onto my personal one. I can also publish my calendar And so there I am - subscribing to calendars, publishing calendars all in one place (viewable in one place, not actually stored in one place). EXCEPT my day-to-day work diary because my clients generally use Exchange/Outlook which don't understand iCal. Google know this and have therefore released Google Calendar Sync (read their announcement ): Google Calendar Sync allows you to sync events between Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook Calendar. You'll be able to determine the direction of information flow, as well as the sync frequency. Staying on top of your Go

Further to my IT Departments in the spotlight post I'd also like to draw your attention to a CIO article, Users Who Know Too Much and the CIOs Who Fear Them I am particularly drawn to the phrase "shadow IT Department": The consumer technology universe has evolved to a point where it is, in essence, a fully functioning, alternative IT department. Today, in effect, users can choose their technology provider. Your company’s employees may turn to you first, but an employee who’s given a tool by the corporate IT department that doesn’t meets his needs will find one that does on the Internet or at his neighborhood Best Buy . The emergence of this second IT department—call it “the shadow IT department”—is a natural product of the disconnect that has always existed between those who provide IT and those who use it. And their example of how CIOs can learn from HR is thought provoking whilst being a great example of "you're not alone": It’s natural for corporate IT t

If you're not already familiar with Wiki Patterns and are thinking of using/starting/implementing a wiki within your organisation ... STOP! Visit the site , read/subscribe to the blog and/or buy the book before continuing. And now you have done that, welcome back. Stuart Mader has been running a fascinating (and must see) podcast of how to encourage wiki uptake within your organisation - and here it is in all its glory The complete series so far looks like this: Introducing 21 Days of Wiki Adoption Day 1: Grassroots is Best Day 2: Wiki vs. Email Day 3: Your Wiki Isn’t Necessarily Wikipedia Day 4: Run a Pilot Day 5: Hold a BarnRaising Day 6: Don’t Rush It Day 7: Better Meetings Day 8: Meeting Agenda Day 9: Meeting Minutes Day 10: Action Items Day 11: Project Management Day 12: Documentation Day 13: Wiki vs. Content Management System Day 14: Is data safe in a wiki? Day 15: Request Procedure & Retention Policy Day 16: Afraid to Share? Day 17: How open or closed should your wiki

A cracking post from Andrew McAfee, What's Most Important for Success with Enterprise 2.0? , that I think everyone looking to bring in "Enterprise 2.0" ( definition ) should consider before (BEFORE) starting on the track. From my own experiences I would highlight the following as sticky points that I have stumbled across (and worked through but it's been hard work): Tools are intuitive and easy to use I have a view that web software (as it's always web based apps we're talking about) should never need a manual, FAQs, help or training sessions. If it's come via the consumer world (YouTube, Yahoo!, Twitter ...) then that's generally the case but, unfortunately, hardly ever the case for software designed for the work place. MOSS (SharePoint 2007) is a case in point. A while ago I had a discussion with Michael Sampson about what training should be made available for users with a MOSS implementation. I re-iterated my view that it should be so obvious that

The world's view is slowing turning its gaze onto IT Departments and I applaud that people are starting to think about why they exist (no presumption implied that they shouldn't). Maybe from this discussion we'll get a far reasoned view of what IT actually does for a business and then a more appropriate level of business support. A little list (some old, some new): The end of the IT department? I don’t think so Comment of the Day: Google Apps Still Needs the IT Dept Google Sites the Next Sharepoint? Maybe Not....Why Google Apps Could Lose the Enterprise Market The virtual workplace Enterprise 2.0 May be Fine for the Business, But What About the IT Department? Who leads the Social Media Programs in the Enterprise: IT or Business? The IT Perspective on Bloated Unfriendly Enterprise Software: More Reason to Buy SaaS And that'll do ... there's many more but let's savour those for a mo' - go on, go and read them and then come back ... The blog that'

[Updated] Ed's version from a different angle - thanks mate Thanks Siggie ... I think My 8x5 talk at Webstock 08 titled, Enterprise 2.0 - Why it scares the pants off IT Departments Watch the Slideshare and read the notes