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

IBM’s Lotusphere 2010: What About BlueIQ?

Over the last couple of days, and as I have been wrapping up things at work to start making my way to Orlando, Florida, in order to be able to attend next week’s IBM’s Lotusphere 2010 conference event, a few people have been asking me whether I would be having a speaking slot at the event itself as well; so today I thought I would take this opportunity and share with you folks what I will be doing myself during the course of next week (Apart from being one other regular attendee, that is). To start with, no, I won’t be speaking during the event.

My BlueIQ team and myself have submitted a couple of abstracts, as well as a BoFs session on Social Software Adoption in a large corporate environment as that one from IBM, and, unfortunately, none of them got approved We know and understand how tough it is eventually to get a speaking slot on from what’s already a rather crowded and rigorous selection, so next year we are going to try harder and be back for more! Hopefully, by then the committee behind the approval of abstracts would be much more interested around the topic of Social Software Adoption in general (Hint: If you noticed, there isn’t a single session within the social software set of abstracts that made it through dedicated to the rather important subject of moving beyond the tools and their deployment and focusing on extracting value from a successful social software adoption strategy … Oh well … )

Either way, we know and understand how tough it is to get on the agenda, so we are committed to try much harder next year and see if that time around we can make it. Ok, but that doesn’t mean that we would not be doing anything during the course of the event, right? Of course, not! Like I have been saying already for a few more days, my entire team is going to be there and we got a bunch of different unevents piled up that we hope folks interested in the subject of social software adoption would be willing to participate and share some more insights with us exchanging experiences, know how, lessons learned, good practices, etc. etc.

Thus we will eventually be hosting a couple of lunches under the heading "Adoption and Value", both on Tuesday and Wednesday from noon EDT to 1:30pm EDT. You may be wondering what kind of conversations we would be having with those present both my team and myself, right? Well, here is a short blurb that describes what we thought about:

"Learn how to conduct social software advocacy in the enterprise – a chat with IBM Software Group’s internal adoption team.
 Look in the lunchroom for balloons marking "BlueIQ" tables
"

Now, you would remember how in the past I have been talking in this blog about the program I am part of and what my team does, right? BlueIQ, indeed! But you may be wondering what do we do exactly beyond helping accelerate the adoption rate of social software at IBM. Basically, some more specifics on what it is to drive the social software adoption inside IBM and for 500k employees.

Well, here is another short blurb that may help out a bit addressing those questions:

"Code-named "BlueIQ", this internal program coordinates the IBM Software Group adoption of social tools like Lotus Connections, Lotus Quickr, and Rational Asset Manager, as well as pilot work developed in IBM’s Technology Adoption Program and research labs. We provide both high-level value analysis as well as deep-dives on the technology; and we’re called on to provide training worldwide, engage with clients, and speak at conferences.



BlueIQ’s methodology for social software adoption combines task-focused education materials, jumpstarts, metrics, motivational activities, and enablement social tools with our most valuable asset: volunteers. 



Over 900 BlueIQ Ambassadors voluntarily carry the message of “productivity through social software” to the furthest corners of the company. In exchange, they’re the first to learn about new technologies, receive specialized content to share with their clients and peers, and grow their careers through an internal network of like-minded experts.



Through reverse-mentoring, we also pair subject matter experts with executives in order to provide task-focused social software education tailored to their unique needs"

That’s just not too bad, eh? Finally, I have found a chance to share with everyone out there what it is that I do on a daily basis while at work in my role as a Knowledge Manager, CommunityBuilder and, specially, Social Computing Evangelist. That’s why we are really excited to move forward with these unevents so that folks who may be interested in these topics would have an opportunity to come along and exchange plenty of ideas and experiences with us in order to make it a mutual learning experience, which, I guess, is what matters the most. Always! I mean, the learning experience heh

So, if you are a fellow IBMer who is interested in finding out what it is like helping accelerate such adoption of social tools, or if you are within Sales and would want to find out plenty more about how these social tools could help you, your customers and business partners, feel free to bring them along and let’s get the conversation going! Alternatively, if you are none of the groups mentioned above, BUT still with a keen interest in exchanging some more ideas on these topics, by all means, come on up, too, join us and let’s get the dialogue going!

In fact, that’s the whole point of having these kind of informal unlunches with the BlueIQ team I belong to; learn plenty more around the art of doing things right while helping your entire organisation, or business unit, adopt social software tools, so you would have an opportunity to show them how these social tools can be effectively business tools that would certainly help you, your team and your communities improve your / their day to day productivity.

Thus we hope to see you there! (Remember to re-read the text above on how you can find us on the huge lunch room and don’t be shy; come and say "Hi!" and share lunch with us for a few minutes. I promise we won’t bite … )

Tags: Lotusphere, Lotusphere 2010, LS10, Lotusphere2010, Lotus Knows, Lotus-Knows, LotusKnows, #ls10, BlueIQ, Social Software Adoption, Unevents, Unlunches, Informal Conversations, Dialogue, Sharing Experiences, Lessons Learned, Good Practices, Value, Business Value, Adoption, Lotus Connections, Connections, Social Tools, Metrics, Task Centric Computing, 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, Connections, Productivity, Events, Conference Events, Orlando, Florida

IBM’s Lotusphere 2010: Getting the Most out of It (Virtually)

Yesterday I mentioned how the last couple of days I have been preparing, and getting everything ready, too!, for my first business trip of the year, which happens to be the first conference event as well. IBM’s Lotusphere 2010 is just around the corner (Starting next week already!) and there are lots of things to take care of. This year will be my third consecutive time I will be going there and, like every single time, the excitement is piling up rather quick! Yes, indeed, I can’t wait for it to get started!

A bunch of the folks I usually interact with online through various different social networking tools are going to be there and it’s going to be great seeing them again and continue, face-to-face, with the various conversations that we have been covering on line for the last few months. However, some other folks have reached out to me and mentioned that they won’t be able to make it this year, yet they would want to know what online spaces they would need to keep on eye on in order to get a glimpse of what the event will be all about…

Well, this is one of those blog posts that will try to address some of that. This is also one of those entries that will try to cover a little bit where all the hot action of event will be taking place for those folks who may be attending the event live. Lotusphere, as most folks who may have attended it already would know, is a huge event. So, if you’re not well prepared, there is plenty of the stuff that will go by without you not knowing much about it all. So this post is an attempt to help folks channel through some of their attention into what may well be some of the most relevant resources available out there.

By all means this is my list of suggestions; definitely, not the most exhaustive and comprehensive that you will be finding out there, but certainly it could well be a good start for those folks who may be interested, especially, in the area of social computing, knowledge sharing, learning and collaboration. Basically, most of the stuff I would be interested in myself. Yes, that’s right, this is going to be an article where I will be sharing with you folks the list of online resources that I will be paying attention to while I am of the Lotusphere event in Orlando starting to January 17th.

If you think that I may have missed a key important online resource that we should all be paying attention to, don’t be shy, go ahead and leave a comment below and let us know about it. The more comprehensive that list of online resources is, the better it will be for all of us. So go ahead and let us know what will you be paying attention to while Lotusphere takes place in the next few days…

So here is the list of online spaces that I will be checking on a regular basis during the course of the Lotusphere event:

• The Lotusphere Agenda: which you can find at the main Lotusphere Web site, but that this year comes together in a whole bunch of lovely formats. Going from IntraVision’s lovely mobile Lotusphere Web site, to Turtle’s super nifty iPhone application (Available at the Apple Store for free) or Genii Software’s helpful Lotus Notes database, amongst several other options. Really nice, don’t you think?
• Planet Lotus: for those folks who may be looking into what the blogosphere may be saying about the overall event I can certainly recommend Planet Lotus; that incredibly powerful online resource where several hundred bloggers, I’m sure, will keep (live) blogging away non stop from the beginning to the end of the event. A special mention will be going as well to my good friend, and fellow IBM colleague, Ed Brill, who, another year, I’m sure would continue to channel through plenty of that energy from the overall "yellow" blogosphere.
• Another blog worthwhile taking a a look at, and which also gets a special mention from me, is the Lotusphere Blog, for obvious reasons, but don’t forget to also keep an eye on Lotus Knows itself, because I’m sure is going to thrive with plenty of activity as well, as well as plenty of goodies!
• Ok, now, if you didn’t have enough with those various links I just mentioned above to keep you going, let’s have a look into what I think it is going to be really hot this year at Lotusphere… Twitter, of course!

  Yes, indeed, last year Twitter was used already quite a bit, but I have a feeling that this year is going to go crazy, more than anything else because of the sheer increase in the number of twitterers attending the event, as well as plenty of them wanting to share plenty of the excitement as they have become more and more comfortable with the medium. So, to start off, I will keep an eye on the hash tag #ls10; at the same time I would also check out the tweets coming through from Planet Lotus, @Lotusphere, @LotusKnows and all of the various Lotus related Twitter IDs.

• As you will see, apart from all the blogging and micro-blogging/-sharing that would be taking place, there will also be a Posterous Web site that anyone can post items to, as well as a couple of Facebook groups and a LinkedIn one that people can drop by to see what’s happening, and a specific space over at Slideshare where people can share their own presentations used while at Lotusphere.

Not too bad, eh? Well, those are the main online spaces that I will keep an eye on over the next few days to try to get a glimpse of what’s going to happen before, during and after Lotusphere 2010. Like I have mentioned above, I am pretty sure that there are plenty of other good, and worthwhile reading, resources that can help you complete that overview I just try to share with you folks in this post. So if you think I have missed any, feel free to comment away and let us know. We would greatly appreciate it.

For now though, I am going to leave this blog post here and finalise another one I’m working on, where I will share some further insights on what I plan to do, and use, myself in order to relate most of what I would be exposed to, including hanging out virtually, as well as face to face, with those folks I usually hang out with already and who I know will be there as well. Oh, this upcoming blog post will be a rather interesting one as well, because it would introduce the one other experiment I just started for  2010, and which I have mentioned briefly in a couple of articles already … Thus stay tuned for some more!

Tags: Lotusphere, Lotusphere 2010, LS10, Lotusphere2010, Agendas, IntraVision, iPhone, Mobile, Turtle, Genii Software, Apple Store, iPhone Apps, Applications, Planet Lotus, Ed Brill, Lotusphere Blog, Lotus Knows, Lotus-Knows, LotusKnows, #ls10, Twitter, Micro-blogging, Micro-sharing, Live Blogging, Live Con-blogging, Posterous, Facebook, LinkedIn, Slideshare, 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, Conversations, Connections, Productivity, Events, Conference Events, Orlando, Florida

IBM’s Lotusphere 2010: Will You Be There?

"Lotusphere 2010 is the premier event for the enterprise collaboration community, it’s all about helping you achieve better business results through collaborative software and solutions [...]". That’s not such a bad start, is it? Yes, indeed, it is that time of the year where, once again, things are starting to ramp up and become more hectic than ever as IBM‘s event of events (probably *the* event of the year) is approaching, fast and furious!, in the next few days. Of course, I am talking about IBM’s Lotusphere 2010 event that will be taking place in Orlando, Florida, USA, from January 17th to the 21st.

For the third consecutive year, I am just wrapping things up and prepare for what seems to be one of those events that will surely leave quite an interesting and endurable mark in 2010. I just can’t wait for it to get started! You may be wondering why I’m so excited about heading over there once again, right? Well, I guess that if you check the various different blog posts that I have put together from the previous years’ events you could get a short glimpse of where the excitement comes from.

And if that is not enough, I am sure I will have an opportunity to share with you folks over the next few days (I will be flying to Orlando this coming Friday), and the entire next week!, some of that anticipation and energy. Perhaps, starting even today! I am not certain whether you may have seen this or not, but, if you haven’t, I think it would be helpful to get things going …

Take a look into the following article published by my good friend Stuart McIntyre (From Collaboration Matters) over at The Lotusphere 2010 Podcast blog that features a short podcasting episode we recorded earlier on today and where we spent around 18 minutes talking about the Lotusphere events (Both the ones from previous years and this year’s, of course!) and what to expect from it all as well.

In that specific recording you will be able to listen to some of the things that I have enjoyed from the previous events I have attended, as well as a whole bunch of different hints and tips on how to get the most out of the overall event experience itself (Of particular interest I would say for those folks who may be attending Lotusphere for the first time ever as well).

At the same time, in the first few minutes you will be able to listen to some of the stuff I have been involved with inside IBM for over two and a half years with regards to the social software adoption efforts from the BlueIQ program I belong to. Basically, a couple of minutes explaining what it is that I have been doing helping facilitate, and accelerate, the adoption of social software for fellow IBM colleagues both inside and outside of the firewall.

So if you’re wondering what to expect next week from Lotusphere, as well as a whole bunch of different tips on what to do and how to keep up with all the events happening all over the place, or whether you are interested in finding out some more what my day job is like I would suggest then you have a look into "The Lotusphere Podcast 010 – Share Your Story – Luis Suarez" and enjoy the listening (Just as much as both Stu and myself did with our conversation).

I know you may be wondering as well what would be the best way for you folks out there to take a look into what’s going to start happening in the next few days, if not already!, as the event kicks off on January 17th, right? Well, we talked about that as well; and although we touched base on a good number of different resources I think I’m going to share quickly another blog post where I would talk about those online spaces that you may want to have a look into over the course of the next few days. Thus stay tuned for more details coming up shortly!

However, now on to the fun part … for those folks who may be lucky enough to attend the event in person, you may want to get the show started earlier than expected and read all about the upcoming Lotusphere Tweet Up event that will take place on Sunday evening and from which you will find all the details heading over to my good friend Luis Benitez‘s blog and read "Lotusphere Tweet Up – Details for your calendar".

That’s where most of us will be on Sunday evening… And that’s where we hope to see you, too! Will you be there? (I surely hope so! Sign up here!)

(A BIG and special Thanks! to Stu for inviting me to participate in this podcasting episode and, of course, for the lovely conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I guess you figured out already who’s going to pay the first round of drinks, right, Stu? -I am really looking forward to seeing him, as well as a whole bunch of the good old friends that I have been networking with online for a long while already… Yes, indeed, I can’t wait!! … Can you?)

Tags: Lotusphere, Lotusphere 2010, LS10, Lotusphere2010, 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, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity, BlueIQ, Events, Conference Events, Orlando, Florida, Stuart McIntyre, Collaboration Matters, Podcasts, Podcasting, Episodes, Lotusphere 2010 Podcast Blog, Hints and Tips, Stories, Luis Benitez, Tweet Up, Twitter, Lotus Knows