Our Day Of Fame?

If you're using TypePad like I am, you probably look at your web hit stats, hopefully on a not-too-obsessive basis.

Well, I usually get 40-60 hits in a day.  On Monday, it went to 250. 

What's up?

I think we got our day of fame, so to speak ...

The "E2.0" Crowd Finds My Little Blog

There's a swarm of people out there either very interested in the whole "enterprise 2.0" thing, or trying to make a buck from it, or perhaps a little bit of both. 

Since leading this project is only one of a bunch of things I do at EMC, I don't spend a lot of time reading their websites, joining the discussion, etc.  I only seem to have enough time for an occasional contribution on this blog.

I think the party started when the CMO at Jive software presented this blog as a popular alternative to the classic "ROI case study".  Took some courage on his part, as naturally we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but tend to agree on a lot of things.

I guess he's a player in the "E2.0" circles, because, before I knew it, a bunch of people had picked up what he had written about, and they linked to me, and more people found out, and ...

Well, it was kind of busy on the blog for a day or two.  And then most of them went away ... but not all.

What I Think Was Interesting To The E2.0 Crowd

I don't think there are a lot of people out there who've actually attempted to transform an organization from the inside out using "E2.0" thinking, and are considered successful. 

Besides the novelty value, I think it was interesting validation that this stuff can actually work to help transform businesses, and -- if I was part of that crowd -- that'd be some good validation.

I'm guessing that my picture put them off a bit.  As you can see, I'm not a hip 20-something or 30-something.  I'm going to be 49 years old this August.  I am a card-carrying member of the Old Fart Club, at least from their perspective. 

I've met a few E2.0 evangelists who think it's a generational thing, that older folks simply can't play like the younger folks can.  I think I'm challenging that assumption a teeny tiny bit. 

I also think they may be a bit put off that I can handle my own on on the technology front.  I've been doing IT strategy work (from a vendor perspective) at EMC for a while, and -- as a result -- can converse intelligently and at reasonable depth around about 90% of what's going on in IT.

I've also taken the stance that I see E2.0 as a business problem, not a technology one, and that's not exactly where a lot of people want to take the discussion.

Talking To Other E2.0 Practitioners

Through this blog, and through my customer engagement activities at EMC, I've had perhaps a dozen or so lengthy discussions with people who are heading down (roughly) the same path as we have.

I think EMC's experience can add a lot to the discussion, based on what people have told me.  We've simplified the problem a whole bunch, can communicate the key ideas effectively, and can demonstrate tangible (and self-sustaining!) business value.

BTW, some of you may have been contacted by Jive about an event they're putting on in March.  I'll try to be there, and -- if you've been invited -- maybe we can hook up and share some thoughts face to face. 

Not to mention have a few drinks on Jive's nickel ;-)

Sure, EMC has a few things to sell in this space -- watch for more discussion around Clearspace and ECM (Documentum) integration later this summer -- as well as an extended security discussion using RSA technology (again, later on this year), but that's not my primary mission here.

I see this as "giving back" to the community.

I believe in this stuff.  I want to make it work.  I want to share our experiences with others so they can be proficient as well.

I am more happy, more engaged and much more valuable when I'm working in a E2.0 framework.  Not a little, a whole bunch.  I see others who've noticed the same as they shift to an E2.0 mentality -- they're living in a better world, too.

I'm beginning to think it's a gift that changes your work life, and I want as many people as possible to experience it.

I want to live in a world, and have my kids live in a world, where this is how work gets done.

And maybe I can help that along a teeny tiny bit.

Comments

[Chris Brogan...]

Well, count me as another guy that Sam brought here. I'm adding you to my RSS so I won't miss out. Hopefully, you count those stats obsessively, too. : )

[Jed Cawthorne]

I already added you to my Pageflakes aggregation of ECM related stuff on the 'Enterprise 2.0' tab, so hopefully that might let some more people pick up on your intelligent handling of this subject matter