Using Web2.0 tools in the Enterprise

Prof McAfee explains how web2.0 tools can be used in the enterprise without wasting employee time, rather to make work more productive

Source: http://blog.hbs.edu/faculty/amcafee/index.php/faculty_amcafee_v3/freedom_is_overrated/

I can easily imagine a boss saying "Gang, let's not use EnTwitter (or whatever the enterprise version is called) to talk about how we felt about lunch. Let's just use it to swap ideas on the Belle Jolie account." Within an enterprise ... formal policies and informal norms can shape, if not dictate, what constitutes an acceptable contribution by a community member. Because Twitter is largely a platform, compliance with this type of policy can easily be monitored.  

Social tools that are overlaid with norms and policies, in other words enterprise social tools, can still be highly freeform and foster emergence. They can still be fun to use and highly useful for individuals, and also generate value for the group or the organization as a whole. Intranet versions of social networking software will clearly be different from their Internet ancestors. In some ways, I think, they'll actually be better, because they'll be less full of superfluous stuff that annoys many people, but that can't easily be turned off or filtered out.

Enterprise equivalents of today's Facebook and Twitter will probably be more bland, but they might also be more addictive. Knowledge workers might visit them more often throughout the day if they know that when they do they'll find content, rather than clutter.