Beta Program for Enterprise Social Network Roadmap Unveiled by Web 2.0 Strategy Consultancy

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 11, 2008 -
CSRA, a management consultancy that advises firms on Web 2.0 strategy and programs, announced today a new beta program for its Enterprise Social Network Roadmap.  Beta clients will use the roadmap to evaluate and apply social networks and Web 2.0 to their business processes in a rigorous yet fast-cycle approach.  They often focus on popular sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Second Life and YouTube as well as more targeted properties.

Managing Director Christopher Rollyson presented the roadmap in public for the first time at the Social Networking Conference in San Francisco on July 11, 2008 (http://www.socialnetworkingconference.com/speakers-sf-20 ...).  Its Feasibility, Strategy and Implementation phases are designed to guide executives through a risk-mitigated process to evaluate social networks' applicability to their businesses, map out a strategy and implement the strategy by interacting with stakeholders in new social networks and Web 2.0 venues with which many executives are barely familiar.

"Social networks represent a classic risk-reward proposition because customers, partners, investors, employees and other stakeholders have the unprecedented ability to influence each other's opinions about products and services," Rollyson remarked.  "They quickly find each other according to very specific interests and communicate in social networks about companies and products that inspire or disappoint.  This represents a loss of control and a potential gain in influence for our clients," he remarked.  CSRA formally published its Web 2.0 vision in the 2007 Market Advisory: Consumer Empowerment—A Rare Innovation Opportunity (http://www.rollyson.net/download/Soc_Nwkg_Mkt_advisory.pdf)

Companies that qualify for the beta program will work with CSRA to put the new Roadmap through its paces by using it to identify and act on quick-hit opportunities to use social networks and Web 2.0 for specific applications in business development, client service, recruiting and human resources, research/product development and public relations.  CSRA anticipates that the program will strongly appeal to companies that want to position themselves as early adopters of Enterprise 2.0/Web 2.0 and social networks to engage key customer and stakeholder demographics.  In addition, it is likely appeal to companies that are feeling social networks' disruptive effects most poignantly.

"We find that early adopter marketers and social media executives now have experimental pockets of activity in numerous venues, but they struggle to show value and get mindshare with other executives," Rollyson added.  "They will benefit significantly by using the Roadmap's structured approach, which can help them to mature their programs and increase credibility and budgets."

The Roadmap (http://www.socialnetworkroadmap.com) will also be of interest to IT executives.  It features an explicit focus on helping executives to appreciate how their "enterprise Facebooks" can interface most effectively with external social networks—from employee behavior, technology and business process perspectives.  Most enterprises are currently engaged in—or strongly considering—building enterprise "social networks," using enterprise software like Lotus Connections or Microsoft SharePoint.  As Rollyson has written extensively, these solutions can add incremental value by helping employees connect with each other inside the enterprise, but they largely miss the point of Web 2.0: innovation through cross-boundary collaboration.  To maximize innovation potential, employees must be able connect seamlessly with expertise wherever it emerges, whether inside and outside the enterprise.  "Enterprise social networks" do not readily allow internal-external collaboration.

"Our approach is breakthrough because it’s a practical method for harnessing internal and external information now in a way that doesn't compromise intellectual property or security," Rollyson said.  "The secret is optimizing internal and external information so that you align company and people goals.  Paradoxically, when enterprises embrace employees' freewheeling desires to connect and communicate everywhere, they gain more secure and productive workers, and companies with the most connected workers win."

The Beta Program

To qualify for the beta program, a company must meet several criteria:

Executive sponsorship and staff available for fast-cycle beta projects
Market leader in strategic sector as defined by innovation track record, raving fans online, market share...
Resident experience with some of the following Web 2.0 venues: LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Flickr, FriendFeed, YouTube, Second Life, blogs, wikis…
Committed to go public with the results when goals are met

Benefits of participating in the beta program include:

Industry-defining opportunity to prove brand relevance to customers, investors, employees, partners…
Executive attention and focus; this is a mission-critical, top-priority move for CSRA
Marketing cooperation with CSRA to publicize results; we will leverage our Web 2.0 marketing, PR and relationship building prowess to reach appropriate stakeholders
Financial support from CSRA in the form of significantly reduced fees.

The SNR Beta Program offers various levels of participation with varying costs and time frames.