July 27th, 2006

Global InnovationJam Is Now Over!

After 76 hours of uninterrupted and frenetic activity. After 53.000 participants (IBMers and their family members and IBM’s customers and business partners) got together to share over 37.000 posts spread around four different Forums and after nearly 3 million web pages viewed and about 67 participating companies in addition to IBM the Global InnovationJam is now over ! Yes, indeed it is all finished ! Well, at least, for now. Earlier on today the first phase of the InnovationJam just concluded after a mind-blowing experience of connecting with several thousand people coming from several dozen countries across timezones and geographies. I tell you, folks, I have participated in several IBM Jams in the past but as far as I am concerned this has been one of the best. At least, that is how I have felt it over the last three days that has taken place.

The incredible amount of great topics discussed is going to be difficult to surpass. There have been hundreds of discussions on multiple topics covering the four different Forum areas that I mentioned earlier on this week, plenty of them related to how emerging technologies could be used to ensure businesses start adopting some of the most relevant and worth while exploring social software tools, like blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, web syndication, (people) tagging, podcasting, etc. etc. At the same time there have been plenty of people collaborating on how these same new emerging technologies could actually help fix some of the different issues related to Going Places, Finance & Commerce, Staying Healthy or A Better Planet, along with many more ideas on other traditional, although out of the box, thinking for solving some of those different issues. Again, just mind-blowing.

But the hard work actually will start from today onwards. Because this event has just been the first phase, out of two. In early September, from the 12th till the 15th, there will be a second phase where we will get together "to refine and rate the ideas" that have been put together in phase 1. So there is now plenty of work ahead of the folks responsible for the Jam in gathering and analysing all those ideas so that they could then be put together for that second phase I mentioned earlier on and continue venturing into taking some of those ideas into completion.

From a participation perspective it looks like there has been lots of different contributions although not many people have been weblogging much about the event, while it was taking place, apparently. At least, that is what Technorati says. I guess everyone was at the Jam reading away, chiming in, collaborating and sharing some of those great ideas. We shall see how things go from here. One thing for sure though is that if I have been able to make it to phase one I am surely not going to be missing out on phase 2. Thus stay tuned for some further insights as I will be sharing some thoughts along the way as more new information becomes available. Now it is time to go back to our daily routine, relax from all the frenzy, reenergise ourselves and get ready for phase two, because it will be as exciting and interesting as phase one. No doubt!

Tags: InnovationJam, IBM, Innovation, Knowledge Sharing, Collaboration, Going Places, Finance and Commerce, Staying Healthy, Better Planet, Social Software, Emerging Technologies