Management & Technology

The Intranet is Dead! Long live the intranet”A t l b t ti t l l d i f ti A tale about time travel, people and information

M tth H dMatthew HodgsonACT Regional-lead, Web and Information ManagementSMS Management & TechnologySMS Management & Technology

LG Web Network Conference, Aug 2008

... if you suffer from temporal travel y psickness...

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Last year ...Last year ...

“G” for GeorgeG  for George

Sir Francis Walsingham?Sir Francis Walsingham?

Geoffrey Rush as WalsinghamGeoffrey Rush as Walsingham

Walsingham ‘the Master Spy’Walsingham  the Master Spy

One of the earliest practitioners of:One of the earliest practitioners of:

• Modern intelligence and espionage• Domestic security policy• Foreign policy• Foreign policy• Armed forces coordination and communicationArmed forces coordination and communication• Intranets

Walsingham ‘the Intranet’Walsingham  the Intranet

Walsingham provided Elizabeth with:Walsingham provided Elizabeth with:• Trusted information• Reliable information• Current knowledge• Current knowledge• Relevant information• Timely communication• Intelligence that kept enemies at bay and the country safe• Intelligence that kept enemies at bay and the country safe

Disadvantages:• Limitations of the physical not always around• Limitations of the physical - not always around

ROI for Walsingham ‘the Intranet’ROI for Walsingham  the Intranet

René DescartesRené Descartes

Intranet for Queen Christina of SwedenIntranet for Queen Christina of Sweden

Environment:• Rapidly changing world• Scientific revolutionScientific revolution

Trusted source of:• Knowledge• Knowledge• Information, and • Learning – “I think, therefore I am”

Early intranetsEarly intranets

Enabled the emergence of an information age:Enabled the emergence of an information age:• Information shared more widelyy• Scholars look at the world in a different light

Religion superstition and fear replaced by:Religion, superstition, and fear replaced by:• Reason Reason • Knowledge

Industrial revolutionIndustrial revolution

Foreman as an intranetForeman as an intranet

Compliance:Compliance:• Ensured safety standards were met (mitigating risk of death)

Knowledge sharing:Knowledge sharing:• For mentoring, training and development of crew

For information:For information:• Single point of contact up to the boss or down to the crew• Someone the boss could trust• Someone the crew liked and wants to work with• Someone the crew liked and wants to work with

People as intranetsPeople as intranets

In the past we’ve always relied on people for:In the past we ve always relied on people for:

• Trusted, timely, and relevant information• A primary source of knowledge• Help learning and development• Help, learning and development

... but then ... we got web technology ...

Where did the term ‘intranet’ come from?Where did the term  intranet  come from?

Intranets fuel growth gof Internet access tools

Term first appeared?Term first appeared?•Stephen Lawton, 1995

What were these intranets?• People were creating small websites• Share knowledge and communicate information

“ d th l f k l d t”• “..underscore the value of knowledge management”

Intranet expectationsIntranet expectations

We had certain expectations about what Intranets would deliver We had certain expectations about what Intranets would deliver for us …

1. Better communications 90%

2 Improved processes 80%2. Improved processes 80%

3. Knowledge sharing best‐practice 72%

ff4. Improve efficiency 65%

5. Reduction in paperwork 65%

6. Avoid duplication of effort  62%

7 Real‐time information sharing 55%7. Real time information sharing 55%

8. Cost savings  55%

Source: Melcrum Intranet Survey (2001)

The needs of the manyThe needs of the many

When we focus on technology, not peopleWhen we focus on technology, not people

InformationOut-of-date, incomplete or inaccurate informationDoesn’t reflect the different ways people think about informationy p pBrowse paths to information are inconsistent

GovernanceNo formal roles are defined for managing the intranetNo formal roles are defined for managing the intranetPublishing processes are lengthy, long and full of gatekeepersInadequate people resourcing – who’s going to edit all that Inadequate people resourcing who s going to edit all that stuff?

TechnologyMajor source of internal communication is often not technology, j gy,but 'word of mouth'

The result ...The result ...

How do I know if my intranet is dying?How do I know if my intranet is dying?

Symptoms may include:Symptoms may include:

• No idea who your end-users actually are• No documentation of users’ requirements of your site • No documentation of users requirements of your site

and its services• No strategy about how you meet users’ needs• You CIO thinks intranet is just an information resourceYou CIO thinks intranet is just an information resource• Lack of pulse – no one cares

The here and nowThe here and now

Social revolution taking place:Social revolution taking place:• Social computing – social interaction onlinep g• Technology – supporting role• Breathing new life into ‘dead’ intranets

Focus:Focus:• People having access to people• Simple light weight tools – the ones we’d use

ourselves at home on our own PCsourselves at home on our own PCs

Shocked about new social technology?Shocked about new social technology?

Technology adoption & social needsTechnology adoption & social needsTechnology has always helped us fulfil social needsTechnology has always helped us fulfil social needs

Great Depression

Source: Felton, N (2008) New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/opinion/10cox.html

Examples of social computing toolsExamples of social computing toolsMessaging• Google Talk, Twitter, Instant Messaging

Collaboration• Wikis, Facebook, Delicious (social bookmarking)

Online communication• Blogs, syndication (RSS), YouTube and video blogs

Identity• Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Blogs (I blog therefore I am)

‘Corporate’ social computingCorporate  social computing

Corporate wikis: Corporate wikis: • US Intelligence Community – for communicationg y• Qld Public Libraries – for building and sustaining

communitycommunity• Department of Defence – ‘sharing unrestricted’ information• National Library of Australia – managing IT projects • AGIMO keeping internal policy up to date• AGIMO – keeping internal policy up-to-date

US Intel. Community ‘Intellipedia’US Intel. Community  Intellipedia

Designed for:Designed for:• 16 Intelligence agencies – CIA, FBI, NID, Army, Airforce,

Stargate Command, Navy Intelligence, Area 51, etc• People to share intelligence on global securityPeople to share intelligence on global security• Open collaboration (there are no closed sites)• Bridge agency silos

Technology:gy• Wikis

Bl• Blogs

‘Intellipedia’ (cont.)Intellipedia  (cont.)

Security:Security:• No anonymous logins – trust established in profiles and

who says what, where, when and why• Caters for different levels of National SecurityCaters for different levels of National Security

Benefits:• Instant access to trusted, reliable intelligence officersInstant access to trusted, reliable intelligence officers• It worked, when intranets didn’t!

ROI:ROI:• Prevent another ‘September 11’ attack

Qld Public Libraries WikiQld Public Libraries Wiki

Designed for:Designed for:• Both librarian and library staff access• Advertise library events• Training• Training• Discuss best practice protocols, incl. Library 2.0 innovation• Social interaction – share funny library YouTube videos

Platform:• MediaWiki

Qld Public LibrariesQld Public LibrariesSecurity:y• Profiles and logins• Soft security model – edit first, review afterward

Benefits:• Cheap• Controlled environment

Access to other librarians• Access to other librarians• Instant access to trusted Librarian PracticeInstant access to trusted Librarian Practice

Twitter in corporate environmentsTwitter in corporate environments

Twitter in corporate environmentsTwitter in corporate environments

Instant access to:Instant access to:• ‘Trusted’ network - you decide who you follow and who y y

follows youE t i id th i ti• Experts inside the organisation

• Experts outside the organisation• Experts outside the organisation

Better than:• Sending ‘all staff’ emails (corporate spam)• Silence on a discussion forum• Silence on a discussion forum

Del.icio.us in corporate environmentsDel.icio.us in corporate environments

Sharing bookmarks of things I think are importantSharing bookmarks of things I think are important

... without having to use internal IT infrastructure

Del.icio.us in corporate environmentsDel.icio.us in corporate environments

Benefits of sharing bookmarks:Benefits of sharing bookmarks:• Access to what ‘trusted experts’ find importantp p• Better than starting from scratch• Doesn’t require sharing the contents, just the title

‘Corporate’ social computingCorporate  social computing

Benefits:Benefits:• Access to what trusted people think is importantp p p• Many-to-many communication• Targeted messages, questions and answers• More efficient than other tools (email = spam!)• More efficient than other tools (email = spam!)• Brings people back into the ‘intranet equation’Brings people back into the intranet equation

It’s a waste of time!It s a waste of time!

Information as a factory product?Information as a factory product? 

Constantly busyConstantly busy

Get busy! Produce somethingWork in isolationy something

What the KM guys sayWhat the KM guys say

The reality of ‘information work’The reality of  information workSolicit

feedback

D h T lk ith ll B t fDo research Talk with colleagues,friends & experts

Burst ofworkp

Communicating with peopleCommunicating with people

TelephoneTwitter

TelephoneTwitter

BlogsgFace-to-face

Talk with colleagues Text MsgTalk with colleagues,friends & experts

g

Discussion

E ilForums

Email

ROI for corporate social computingROI for corporate social computing

Accessibility:Accessibility:• Instant access to your trusted network of people• Anytime• Anywhere y

Greater personal and corporate control over:Greater personal and corporate control over:• Who you trust for information – your identified ‘friends’• How you share your stuff

Greater transparency:• You can tell who the real ‘thought leaders’ and experts are

ROI: Gen‐Y and ‘The Connected’ROI: Gen Y and  The Connected

It’s not all doom and gloom!It s not all doom and gloom!You can still use elements of social computing in your intranet

Tags:Tags:• How should it be categorised in your own wordsIdentity:• Puts a human face to content• Puts a human-face to content• We tend to trust people more than machinesProfiles:• Building trust in people content authors and contributors• Building trust in people - content authors and contributors• Establishing expertise and credibility

But ‘I’ know what my staff want!But  I  know what my staff want!

Methodologies & Tools Best PracticeMethodologies & Tools Best PracticeBest-practice tools and methods turn your subjective ‘feeling’ p y j g

into objective evidence

Analysis of requirements:• ISO13407 – User-centred design• Jesse James Garrett’s ‘Elements of User-Experience’ –p

strategy, technology & scope to design (www.jjg.net)

Documenting requirements:• Personas• Storyboards – i.e business process mapsStoryboards i.e business process maps• System functional and non-functional specs

The future of intranetsThe future of intranets

Context aware systems

Semantic systems

Context aware systems

Most Intranets

‘Calais’ by ReutersCalais  by Reuters

The Future: Intranets behaving like peopleThe Future: Intranets behaving like people

I know what you write about

I know what you like

I know what you write about“Can I suggest...?”

I know what you likeI can learn

I know where I amI know who you trust

I know what you read I know what time it is

I understand the contextI know where you are

I know who you trust I can talk to I know who you trust other devices

ConclusionsConclusions

• The intranet is dead!• The intranet is dead!– We killed intranets with technology

• Social computing has regenerated it!Social computing has regenerated it!– We’re returning to people accessing people

Timely relevant trusted current information– Timely, relevant, trusted, current information

• To be fully effective, Intranets need to be designed to:Give people access to communicate with others– Give people access to communicate with others

– Focus on people’s needs & wants for interactionB th j t l t i fili bi t– Be more than just an electronic filing cabinet

Take home messagesTake home messages

People not technology:People, not technology:• Collaborate – virtually or physicallyCollaborate virtually or physically• Share knowledgeg• Communicate information

Supporting these activities will make your intranet live!your intranet live!

...when we focus on technology not people...when we focus on technology not people

Management & Technology

FinFin

Questions?

Management & Technology

“The Intranet is Dead! Long live the intranet”

A tale about time travel, people and information

Management & Technology

Matthew HodgsonACT Regional-lead, Web and Information Management

SMS Management & Technology

Blog: magia3e wordpress comBlog: magia3e.wordpress.comTwitter: magia3e

Slideshare: www slideshare net/magia3eSlideshare: www.slideshare.net/magia3eYouTube: www.youtube.com/magia3e

Email: mhodgson@smsmt.comg @Mobile: 0404 006695