E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez

Connected Collaboration by Alan Lepofsky

It looks like this week I have been blogging about plenty of content with visuals, and it surely seems to have sparked plenty interest; so, to that extent, I am going to finish up the week sharing with you folks another presentation I have bumped into, which, to date, is probably one of the most comprehensive, easy to digest, straight to the point, compelling, educational, inspirational, thought-provoking and engaging that I have seen in a while. So much so that I run out of words to describe it.

It was shared in Slideshare by my good friend Alan Lepofsky, former IBM colleague, now with Director of Marketing at Socialtext, a couple of months ago, and it is one of those presentations whose incredibly accurate value is going to remain valid for a long while. Why? Because, in most cases, it is self-explanatory; there would be very little I would need to add, in order to understand the concept of true collaboration and the power of social software within the enterprise. And if not, have a look into Connected Collaboration and you will see what I mean…

Great job, Alan! Many many thanks for making our job(s) easier!

Tags: Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Social Networks, Networking, Conversations, Dialogue, Connections, Productivity, Communication, Alan Lepofsky, Socialtext, Slideshare

Mac Tip #1: MacBreakZ – Healthy Computing Made Fun

If you have been reading this blog for a little while now, or if you have been following me online in multiple social networking sites like Twitter, you will know how for the last 18 months I have seen the light and have become the proud owner of a MacBook Pro as my main work machine. During that time I have tried several dozens of applications trying to help me increase my productivity into new levels and although with some of them such improvements haven’t been there, with some others the jump has been tremendous!

So I thought it may be a good time now to share with you folks a series of what I call Mac Tips, putting together short blog posts sharing some further insights on some of those incredibly helpful and resourceful tools I have been using at work all along, some of which have been incredibly instrumental in my successful quest of giving up e-mail at work.

Yes, that’s right! This is going to be the first of a series of blog posts where I will be sharing with you the productivity tools, as well as the social software tools, I am using to eventually move out of e-mail successfully, which I know is something that most of you would find interesting and perhaps somewhat intriguing.

Every now and then, what I will be doing is putting together a short blog post, shorter than this one, definitely! (This longer one is the kick-off one!), where I will share 5 different reasons as to why I really am enjoying using that tool and how it has improved my productivity at work. And all of that using my MacBook Pro.

Why using my Mac? Well, in most cases to prove the point that you, too, can be productive at work using something else than Windows. Plenty of times I get people looking at me with weird looks when I tell them I work for IBM and I use a Mac. This is just the perfect opportunity for me to share with everyone out there how it is possible to do that! So, let’s get the fun going, before this entry becomes longer than I expected!

Mac Tip #1: MacBreakZ – Healthy Computing Made Fun

In the past I have been touching base a couple of times on the important topic of working in a healthy environment, whether at the office, on the road or from home. Specially sitting in front of a computer for many hours a day, it is something that no-one should ignore. To me, on the Mac, that lovely tool that looks after my health is MacBreakZ. Preventing Repetitive Strain Injury (a.k.a. RSI) is probably one of the best things you can do to keep yourself healthy while sitting in front of a monitor for far too long. Thus here are 5 reasons why you would want to give it a try yourself:

1. Its incredible ease of use: That’s right, installing and setting it up to match your needs is very easy to do. I set up mine to kick in every 30 minutes with a 5 minute break in between and so far I am loving it!
2. It actually works: I have tried in the past a couple of other applications in this space of preventing RSI like Time Out, but somehow I noticed how they weren’t as effective and convincing as they could have been. MacBreakZ does the job beautifully, so much so my wrists are now very very grateful!
3. Its sounds: One of the issues I had with some of the tools I tried in the past was the fact their sounds were not as wonderfully annoying are those from MacBreakZ. I mean, if you exceed the time for a specific break, this application will keep nagging on you with a lovely sound till you eventually give up and move away from the keyboard. Love it!
4. Its price: Yes, I know, it is not freeware. It costs 24.95€, but if I look into the potential amount of money that it has helped me save keeping me in good shape with my wrists, elbows, etc. etc. and away from the Mac when I should, I think that amount of money is a very worth while one! Don’t you think?
5. Its tips: Finally, this is probably one of my favourite reasons to use MacBreakZ, and, in a way, it kind of reminds me of Workrave for Windows. Every time you take one of those breaks, MacBreakZ actually shows you a few tips with graphics showing you different types of very easy stretches you can do while at your desk; some of them which I am sure you are all familiar with (As you will find them in other programmes), but with plenty others I was not aware of and which after executing them on a regular basis not only is it good fun, but you get to feel the stretch and how it helps release the pressure of your muscles and tendons. Amazing!

   Never thought that so relatively easy stretches, yet so powerful, would have such effect and since I have set up the system to kick in every 30 minutes it helps me stay on top while I learn new ones! Ideal as well for when you are on the road and you have a spare minute in between to keep stretching! Just brilliant!

Oh, and one other really neat feature that I certainly like about MacBreakZ is the fact that if you try to type for an extended period of time, right after you have just finished with one of those breaks, it immediately tells you to slow down with a beep, beep, beep sound that reminds me I need to stop now!

Thus there you have it, my first Mac Tip on one of my favourite Mac programmes available out there looking after my health while I am typing away on those long days in front of the Mac: MacBreakZ.

Tags: Tips, Hints, Mac Tips, MacBook Pro, MBP, MacBook, Apple, Twitter, Productivity Tools, e-mail, email, Productivity, Re-purposing E-mail, No-Email, Challenge Your Inbox, Progress Reports, Thinking Outside the Inbox, IBM, Mac, MacBreakZ, Health, Fitness, Fit, Stretch, Stretching, Repetitive Strain Injury, RSI, Time Out, Workrave, Prevention, Work, Workplace

The Impact of Corporate Culture on Social Media (IBM’s Case Study) by Adam Christensen

While most people out there think that Social Software is all about new, fancy social tools, available on a more engaging and participative Web, I thought you folks would enjoy the following quote from one of my fellow IBM colleagues, Adam Christensen, who happens to know a thing or two (And plenty more! heh) around the subject of social computing:

"[...] here’s the main point: That culture is, in my view, the most overlooked, underestimated factor determining whether social media succeeds or fails in a company. And when corporate culture and social media are pitted against each other, social media will always fail. Always."

That’s a quote taken from one of his recent blog posts titled: "The Impact of Corporate Culture on Social Media (IBM’s Case Study)", where he introduces one of his latest slide decks that he has used to present at the Social Networking Conference in Miami that took place last week. So I thought I would share it over here with you folks so that you can have a look on how Social Software has changed the way IBM employees reach out and connect not only with one another, but also with customers and business partners to collaborate, share their knowledge and innovate faster than ever before.

It is a very shortly deck, but worth while your time, I am sure, specially if you are interested in the whole subject of Social Media and how it could impact large corporations out there like IBM itself, for instance.

Then to conclude such an excellent piece of work, here is another quote from him from that same "The Impact of Corporate Culture on Social Media (IBM’s Case Study)" post that sums up, pretty nicely, all what he said during the event and what I have been saying all along with that recurring "It’s all about the people" theme:

"[...] any company’s use of social media needs to start with 1) the company’s core business model (what are you in the business of doing and with whom?) and 2) corporate culture"

Just perfect! Thanks, Adam!

Tags: Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Remote Collaboration, Innovation, IBM, Networking, Social Networks, Social Networks, Networking, Conversations, Dialogue, Connections, Relationships, Communication, Adam Christensen, People, Culture, Case Study, Business Case, Corporate Culture