This deck describes the benefits and value from SharePoint My Sites. It also has slides to counter resistance ((yes, I've seen this at several large companies who are obsessed with liability). Feel free to download the slides and edit for your needs.

1. The Case for SharePoint My Sites

4. Some organizations have decided they just don’t see any overwhelming benefits from My Sites. Therefore, here is a short history lesson…

5. This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. Western Union internal memo, 1876

6. Radio has no future! The radio craze will die out in time. Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1897 Thomas Edison, 1922

7. Television won't last. It's a flash in the pan. Mary Somerville, radio presenter, 1948

8. “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” -Ken Olson President, Chairman, Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977 “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” -Thomas Watson Chairman of IBM, 1943 # of Personal Computers Worldwide = 1 Billion Estimate for 2015 = 2 Billion

9. Moral: The value of a new technology is not always apparent.

10. Moral: The value of a new technology is not always apparent. Even to geniuses.

11. So what is the value? Capture tacit knowledge This is information not compiled in formal presentations, reports, and filings. If everyone in your organization walked out, how would their replacements find this information? How long could you wait for them to learn on their own? My Site features, such as personal blogs, are an important part of capturing this knowledge. Break down organizational barriers How do employees find expertise when they have a question? How do you build teams? How do employees meet others outside of their department? The People Profiles that are part of My Sites are a great way to let people make connections based on skill sets, practice areas, and interests. Without My Sites, your employees have a single point of entry to expanding their network: direct contact. With My Sites, you’ve just given everyone the ability to make n connections. 1 2

12. So what is the value? Increase employee engagement When employees are enabled to better control their own identities, network, and share information freely, engagement with the company increases. Increased engagement means happier employees and less turnover. Attract talent Some Fortune 500 companies still use Office 2000. What do prospective employees think of these companies when they find out how technologically ancient they are? For people under 30, social computing is part of the culture. If you don’t have internal social computing, what will they think of you? 3 4

13. Part 2: Lack of Control

14. “You want to just let people post whatever they want? Are you crazy?” “That kind of freedom is a huge potential liability.” “Our legal department isn’t comfortable with giving users that level of control.” “It just isn’t a productive use of time.”

15. Traditional organizations exert hierarchical, top-down control. Employees are very restricted in what they can and cannot do. My Sites and other social computing features distribute control across the organization. This scares companies.

17. 50+ million Blackberries have been sold

18. Millions of other smart phones are also in useWhat does this mean? Company firewalls can’t stop users from accessing whatever they want whenever they want.

19. You probably don’t need so much control anyway. The traffic example: A traffic engineer in the Netherlands removed signs from a busy intersection with lots of accidents. What happened? Traffic flow improved and accidents decreased. A lot. Without all the controls, people had to use their judgment…and they were pretty good at it.1 Moral: Your employees are adults. Treat them like adults. Giving up control doesn’t mean giving up all control. Employees should still be given basic guidelines.

20. End User Training, Support, and Advice on Launching SharePoint www.sharepointsupported.com On Twitter @SPSupported