1. Case for Organizational Web 2.0 and
Social Media in Your Business
The Case for Implementing, Adopting, and
Engaging Your Workforce with Web 2.0
George Taylor, MBA, SPHR
Vision Achieved Strategies (VA Strat) ™
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2. Overview
– What is Web 2.0/Social Media
– Organizational Impact of Web 2.0/Social Media
– Reasons for Organizational Resistance/Acceptance of Web 2.0
– Web 2.0 – Implementing within Organizational Strategic Framework
– VA Strat Web 2.0 Consulting-Strategy Mapping
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3. Web 2.0 Tools Defined
• Social Networking: Social media is a STRUCTURE of interdependent groups in which
common-shared interest promote dialogue, interaction, debate, creativity, and collaboration
via transparent public profiles and user-generated content.
• Blog: User(s) generated form of a website with entries made in journal format; may also
contain audio and video with material displayed in reverse chronological order.
• Podcast: Multimedia audio files designed for download and playback over the Internet.
Commonly utilized in mobile devices and made popular (though not invented by) Apple.
Format for delivering is donated by RSS feeds.
• Twitter: Update tool that allows users to update “status” via 140 characters or less.
Interfaces and add-on developed by independent users.
• Video Sharing: Websites and/or software that allows users to upload, view, distribute/share
video clips.
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4. Web 2.0 Tools Defined
• RSS Feeds: Really Simple Syndication – web-feed format that allows for consistent updates
on various social media tools to include blogs, podcasts, videos, and newscasts.
• Wiki: Collection of websites that allows users to contribute, place, and edit content.
Commonly utilized to power virtual community websites and community forums.
• Slide Sharing: Software that allows end-users to share in a public or private format
PowerPoint presentations.
• Virtual Worlds: Computer-based simulation environments built upon two dimensional
textual or 3-D graphical representations allowing users to participate in individual and group
activities, creating trade property and services with another, or travel throughout the world.
• Folksonomy: A process in which collaboratively create and manage tags, annotating and
categorizing content by end-users (bottom-up) as well as experts.
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5. Web 2.0/Social Media
Knocking Down Boundaries/Opening Doors
What’s Out There – The Tools – The Brands!
• Social Networks
•Linkedin/Plaxo
•Facebook/MySpace
• Blogs
•WordPress/Typepad/Blogger
• Podcasts
•MyPodcast
•Twitter
•Video Sharing
•YouTube/Meatteam
•Ustream/Uttlerlie
• RSS Feeds
•Bloglines.com/google.com/reader
• Wiki
•Wikipeda.org/pbwicki.com
• Slide sharing TM
•Slideshare
•Virtual Worlds
•Secondlife/Vivaty

6. Web 2.0 Impact
• During initial widespread use of Internet, CEO Bill Gates (Microsoft) predicted that we were
only scratching the surface.
• Web 2.0 technologies initial emergence largely viewed as Generation Y/College students
“toys”
• Today: McKinsey reported in annual survey (2008) a 25% increase in application adoption -
in ONE Year!
• First widespread use occurred in the business functional areas of sales and marketing
• Initial research done shows professionals using Web 2.0/SM are more likely to be promoted
and perform better on performance appraisals
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7. Web 2.0 Impact
• Current use is impacting all traditional functional business areas with human resource
professionals becoming perhaps the most aggressive “new” functional users
• Web 2.0/Social Media strength and attraction comes from participation and engagement by
employees who previously had no voice
• Web 2.0/Social media also increased transparency and allowed for information sharing
among best in class employees, researchers, professors, and students
• Result of engagement has had a measurable impact on all core business operations/functions
to include strategic decision making, financial performance, readiness, market penetration,
and research and development.
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8. The Reality of Web 2.0
• Like the Internet – Web 2.0 is here to stay
• The platforms/Tools of Web 2.0-Social Media will be built upon
• Remember this statistic: 25% increase in application adoption in ONE Year
• Adoption is not a choice - It’s a business necessity
• The choice you have: Be in front – Decide How Your Organization Will Employ/Deploy
• Companies that remain in front of Web 2.0/Social Media know AND implement to fit their
culture, business strategy, customers/clients, and impact on bottom-line
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9. Clarifying Web 2.0
• Web is the Platform
• User Interaction is the essential ingredient
• Collective Intelligence is the end-product
• Gray Areas: Likely come from advances in software NOT concept – Flickr vs. Ofoto Websites
vs. Blogging Wikis vs. Content Management
• Greatest Leap: Single User-One-Way Communication to Multi-User-Dialogue between Users
• Greatest Impact: High usage growth within organizations to deliver value
• Most Accepted Concepts (to include above) Attributed to Tim O’Reilly
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10. Reasons for Slow Adoption or Resistance
• Lack of privacy
• Too Transparent/Loss of Control
• Too Much/Too Soon (Overwhelmed)
• Privacy/Potential Breach of Confidential- Propriety Business Information (Intellectual
Capital/Trade Secrets/
• Loss of Human Touch
• A Fad/Generation “Y” Tool
• Not Business-like/Professional
• Distracts from Business
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• Cultural Mismatch
Sound Familiar???

11. Web 2.0 = The Tool Feeds Business Strategy Cycle
Strategy
Web 2.0
Measurement Process-Policies
Applications
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Implementation
Do Not Get Wrap Around Tool/Function Axle
Web 2.0 is the TOOL

12. The Intangibles That Matter
Leadership Industry
Web 2.0
Culture Resources
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13. ROI Does Matter
• Development of measure/metrics still in infancy
• Though difficult, return on investment has to be shown BUT does not have to be perfect
• Early measures/metrics value intangibles that may prove to be difficult to measure
• Return on Relationships/Return on Influence/Return on Specific Functions –
researchers/social media gurus/academicians developing metrics/measures
• Human Resources/Marketing/Sales functions developing measures based on traditional
functions in which social media contributed to outcome of business goal/objective
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The Value is the Return Over the Cost

14. Measuring Value
• You can put dollars on referrals/qualified applicants from social media pool
• Prediction: Research and Development will greatly benefit – initial collaboration Web
2.0/Social Media had R&D focus – sometimes with competitors
• Traditional business metric inputs can (and should) be revised to take into consideration Web
2.0/Social Media centered on the relevant measures consistent with the business strategy
• Like all disruptive technology – you have to start from somewhere – so start measuring
• The dialogue, “everybody is somebody’ and “cross-communication are all good results of
Web 2.0/Social Media – However, for you the bottom-line is the bottom-line
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15. Where to Begin
• Engage business leaders “best practices” within industry, company size, company
revenue, produce-service lines, etc.
• Evaluate social media benefits, tradeoffs, and cons within context of business strategy –
where does it fit.
• Execute social media enabling strategy that links directly to vision and business objectives
• Ensure measures insertion points implemented within business strategy that measures
impact of social media enabling strategy – costs, benefits, ROI, transparency, organizational
understanding and organizational acceptance.
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16. Key Decision Factors
• What do you want
– Data for key business decisions
– Insight/Feedback from end-users/customers
– Peer-to-Peer/Business-to-Business Interaction
• Who do you want
– Internal Customers
– External Customers
– Target Customers (Suspects/Prospects)
– Like-minded Businesses/Business Leaders /Though Leaders
• Where do you want
– Access throughout organization
– Key personnel/Stake
– holders (Internal-External)
– Front-line personnel
• How do you want
– Within widely SM outlets TM
– Select internal/external wikis/Second Life Technologies

17. Key Decision Factors
• Data for key business decisions
What Do We Want • Insight/Feedback from end-
users/customers
• Peer-to-Peer/Business-to-
Business Interaction
• Internal-External Customers
• Thought Leaders-Like Minded
Who Do We Want Businesses/Professionals
• Key Stakeholders-End-Users
• Access Throughout
Organization
• Pre-Determined/Designated
Where Do We Want
Group of Key Personnel
• Internal-External to
Organization
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18. Supporting Infrastructure – Setting the Tone
• Social media policy is critical – even in the absence of formal social media enabling strategy
• Train – Train – Train on proper use of SM tools
• If embracing ensure social media enabling strategy is contained within the organizational
change management strategy – select change management champions
• Ensure IT infrastructure supports what organizational goals
• Analyze and Decide what employees what standard employees will be held
• Review SM enabling strategy at critical strategic review points in which organizational
strategy is reviewed
• Ensure SM communications/collaboration consistent with organizational brand/consistent
with ethical guidelines
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19. It’s Not Easy – But Don’t Make it Hard
• Keep strategy/implementation simple and easy to understand across the organization
• Tie-in functional strategic objectives with social media enabling strategy
• Ask the critical questions/Get the critical answers: “How will we train?” “How do we
incorporate into project planning/change management initiatives” “What key business
results are we looking to obtain and act upon?”
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20. Social Media – Playing Within Organizational Framework
Strategy Programs-Policies
Web 2.0/SM
Communications Delivery-Execution
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21. Web 2.0/SM – Enabling Strategy – Key Steps
• Building the Business Case
• Web 2.0 Policy Statement/Policy Guidelines
• Functional Plan – Functional Employment
• Tool Selection
• Training
• Execution
• Feedback
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22. Employee Engagement
• Forums/Communities
• CEO/Senior Leadership Engagement
• Vertical vs. Horizontal Communications
• Core HR function Alignment
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23. Vertical vs. Horizontal Strategy
• Vertical strategy of Web 2.0 – Utilization of SM tools across peers inter-intra to organizations.
– Commonly utilized to share best practices
– Engage in non-competitive/competitive information sharing, or collaborate in joint projects/initiatives (joint ventures,
strategic alliances)
• Horizontal Strategy of Web 2.0 – Utilization of SM tools up-and-down professional spectrum.
– Most common use of Web 2.0/SM that is characterized by use of professional blogs, wikis, nings, and social profiles to
communicate with like-minded professionals
– Strategy also allows for peer-to-peer experimental learning activities with advanced business
concepts/theories/initiatives
– Allows for ideas to go viral – controlled or uncontrolled
– Web/2.0 strong vehicle to build upon existing IT infrastructure (enabler+enabler)
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24. Current/Future Challenges of Web 2.0
• Deciding what to glean and how to utilize information appropriate for organization
• Developing policy statements that foster usage – respect privacy
• Keeping dialogue focused on research-business oriented issues/challenges to gain maximum
value
• Creating business models that highlight tangible value obtained from Web 2.0/SM
• Maintaining suitable transparency-involvement mix
• Bridge-crossover: Privacy of employee vs. right-to-know of employer
• Integration into existing or proposed Enterprise Architecture
• Linkage to existing HR-IT, ERP/SaaS initiatives (KM, Project Management, On-boarding)
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25. Web 2.0 – Value Across Enterprise
Business
Strategy
Bottom-line Functional
Tangibles Employment
Web 2.0/
SM
System/
Research/
Enterprise
Collaboration
Integration
Customer/
Client
Delivery
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26. Web 2.0 – VA STRAT
• Our role is to provide your organization the roadmap and foundation for robust Web 2.0/SM
strategy
• Strategy rooted in HR concepts with eye toward organizational-wide relevance
• Keen focus on alignment with business strategy, developing employee competencies, and
innovative employment based on OD concepts
• Keen focus on development and employment of relevant processes and policies for your
organization
• Deliverable is to educate, engage, and sustain workforce in Web 2.0 business practices that
impact profitability, readiness, and delivery

27. Contact
George Taylor, SPHR, MBA
Managing Partner
1779 Kirby Parkway, Suite 1-79
Germantown, TN 38138
901-240-2058
info@vastrat.com
georgetaylor@vastrat.com
www.vastrat.com
www.oneminutehrconsultant.com
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