Information Systems Today Chapter 5: Communication and Collaboration Using Social Media

The Need for Communication and Collaboration in Organizations

  • Managing the Virtual Organization:

    • Synchronous Communication: Refers to communication that happens at the same time (e.g., live chat, video calls).

    • Asynchronous Communication: Refers to communication that is not coordinated in time (e.g., email, discussion forums).

    • Virtual Teams: Highly specialized teams where members are often not co-located and rely on these communication methods to function.

  • Collaboration Software Overview:

    • This class of software enables people to work together more effectively.

    • Distinguished along two primary dimensions:

      1. Whether it supports synchronous or asynchronous interaction.

      2. Whether it supports groups working face-to-face or distributed groups.

  • Categories of Collaboration Tools:

    • Electronic Communication Tools: Tools allowing users to convey verbal and written information and send files or content.

      • Instances: Fax, email, voice mail, blogs, wikis, static websites.

      • Examples: MS Outlook, Blogger, Wikipedia.

    • Electronic Conferencing Tools: Tools allowing information sharing and rich interactions between users.

      • Instances: Internet forums, instant messaging, application sharing, videoconferencing.

      • Examples: Apple FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts, WebEx, Zoom.

    • Collaboration Management Tools: Tools used to facilitate virtual or co-located meetings and manage group activities.

      • Instances: Electronic calendars, knowledge management systems, intranets, online document systems.

      • Examples: Google Docs, MS Office Online, MS SharePoint, Microsoft Whiteboard.

  • Electronic Meeting System (EMS):

    • Utilizes networked computers and sophisticated software to support various group tasks.

  • Videoconferencing Specifics:

    • Desktop Videoconferencing: Simple, low-cost, and Internet-based.

    • Dedicated Videoconferencing:

      • Located in organizational conference rooms.

      • Supports multiple people and/or locations.

      • Features highly realistic and excellent video/audio quality.

      • Can be extremely expensive, costing up to US$500,000US\$500,000.

  • Intranets and Employee Portals:

    • Real-Time Access to Information: Ensures updated information is instantly available throughout the organization.

    • Enterprise Search: Functionality that enhances productivity and contributes to user satisfaction.

    • Collaboration: Facilitates document sharing and co-editing.

    • Employee Portals: Offers employee benefits self-service and other HR functions.

Evolving Web Capabilities and Social Interaction

  • The Transition to Web 2.0:

    • Web 2.0 applications shift the user's role from a passive consumer of content to its creator.

    • Mashups: A mashup is a new application or website that uses data from one or more service providers.

  • Shifting Perspectives (Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0):

    • Web 1.0 Focus: Me; Consume content; Connect ideas; Search; Find; Techies rule; Focus on Organizations.

    • Web 2.0 Focus: Me and you; Consume and create content; Connect ideas and people; Receive and give recommendations to friends and others; Share; Users rule; Focus on Individuals.

  • Evolving Social Interaction:

    • Web 2.0 technologies change how people interact and put online information at our fingertips.

    • People have changed their search behaviors.

    • A notable risk is individuals posting private information about themselves or others without considering the consequences.

  • The Evolving Workspace:

    • Generation Y / Millennials: A generation of social media users with different workplace expectations.

    • Portfolio Careers: Moving away from "cradle-to-grave" jobs.

    • Collaboration: Companies no longer just serve customers; they collaborate with them.

    • Talent Retention: Embracing social media trends helps a corporate culture attract and retain top talent.

  • Future Web Capabilities:

    • The Semantic Web: A set of design principles allowing computers to better index web pages, topics, and subjects, leading to enhanced search results.

    • Web 3.0: Expected to be centered around mobility and the "contextual web."

    • Contextual filtering: Content will be filtered by factors such as Time and Location.

Enhancing Communication and Cooperation Using Social Media

  • Enhancing Communication:

    • Blogs: The process of keeping an online text diary made of chronological entries. Used by companies for topical blogs of interest to customers. Critics label this the "amateurization of journalism."

    • Microblogging: Used to post news to customers. An example is Twitter, which was traditionally limited to 140140 characters.

    • Instant Messaging: Enables multiple participants to have conversations. Example: WhatsApp allows group chat and free texts.

  • Enhancing Cooperation:

    • Media Sharing: Examples include Flickr, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube, and SlideShare. Includes webcasting and podcasting (e.g., students listening to podcasts on iTunes U).

    • Tagging: Creating a "tag cloud" representing key words and concepts.

    • Geotagging: Adding geographical identification metadata to various media.

    • Social Bookmarking: Allows users to refine data; the value for each user grows as more people participate.

    • Social Cataloging: The creation of categorization systems by users.

Enhancing Collaboration and Connection Using Social Media

  • Enhancing Collaboration:

    • Cloud-Based Collaboration Tools: Includes spreadsheets (Google Drive, Zoho Sheet), word processors (Zoho Writer), presentation tools (Prezi), and office suites (Microsoft Office 365).

    • Content Management Systems: Often used for Learning Management Systems.

    • Collective Intelligence: Supported by open-source software and Wikis.

    • Wikis: Key features include the ability to create, edit, delete content, view prior versions, and revert changes.

    • Human-Based Computing (Crowdsourcing): Allowing anyone to earn money on micro-task marketplaces by solving small, well-defined tasks.

  • Cloud-Based Collaboration: Benefits and Risks:

    • Information Technology: Benefit: Reduced costs/risks versus in-house tools. Risk: Loss of control over data and service quality.

    • Organization: Benefit: Easy to use, facilitating widespread adoption. Risk: Little documentation or training for complex problems.

    • Competition: Benefit: More efficient than email or FTP, speeding up development. Risk: Security/compliance policies difficult to enforce; increased espionage risk.

    • Upgrade Cycles: Benefit: No need to purchase upgrades. Risk: Features can change without notice, disrupting IT strategy.

  • Enhancing Connection (Social Networking and Marketing):

    • Facebook: Had 2.6×1092.6 \times 10^9 users as of April 2020\text{April } 2020. Companies use pages to track loyalty and predict demand based on "likes."

    • Social Search: Increases the relevance of search results.

    • Viral Marketing: Critical factors for success include doing something unexpected, making people feel something, making sequels, allowing easy distribution, and never restricting access to content.

Managing Social Media and Potential Pitfalls

  • Downsides and Dangers:

    • Negative online product reviews.

    • Microblogging and social network risks (e.g., bad vibes going viral).

  • Lessons Learned and Crisis Management:

    • Identify a crisis team.

    • Identify the "worst social media nightmare" for the organization.

    • Monitor the social media environment continuously.

    • Act Fast: The first 2424 hours are critical.

  • Ethical and Societal Impacts:

    • Terrorism: New technologies (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) allow terrorists to create fear and recruit members. Attempts by governments to thwart this have not been successful.

    • Neural Implants: Projects like Neuralink (backed by Elon Musk’s US$100×106US\$100 \times 10^6 investment) seek to restore senses or allow global communication, but risks include data privacy and physiological concerns.

    • Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness on social media leading to antisocial behavior.

    • Internet Trolls: Individuals who create discord by starting arguments.

    • Cyberharassment: Defamation or "cyber lynch mobs." Example: Gamergate (20142014) targeted women in the gaming industry with threats of assault and rape.

Case Studies and Industry Analysis

  • Green IT:

    • Renewable energy (sunlight, rain, tides) is continually replenished.

    • Challenges include natural variability and lack of massive energy storage solutions.

    • IoT and AI are potential solutions for a greener future.

  • Digital Density and SoLoMo: Yelp:

    • A pioneer in exploiting mobile technologies for business reviews.

    • Boasts more than 100×106100 \times 10^6 monthly app visitors.

    • Reported revenues of US$250×106US\$250 \times 10^6 in Q1 of 2020Q1 \text{ of } 2020.

  • Crowdfunding Failures:

    • Refers to raising small amounts of money from large numbers of investors via the Internet.

    • The Coolest Cooler (2014): Collected US$13×106US\$13 \times 10^6 from 60,00060,000 backers. As of 20192019, only 20,00020,000 units had shipped.

    • Moral: Crowdfunding sites are not stores; they involve risks of overpromising or scams.

  • Social Travel Platforms:

    • Consolidation: Expedia purchased Travelocity and Orbitz.

    • Airbnb: Allows renting houses/condos; achieved more than 2×1062 \times 10^6 rentals each night by October 2019\text{October } 2019.

    • Uber: Provides travel with cashless payments and rating systems.