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The Trouble With Social Computing

Is it too simplistic to state that "we've left the PC era and we're now in the era of social computing"? That's how Tony Clement, CEO of social-collaboration software house Aegeon, put it in a fascinating session at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. Here's my take on his provocative statement.

Tony's session was an off-the-cuff discussion, where 30 people kicked around just what exactly social computing means when you apply it to an enterprise setting. My conclusion is that this is still a moving target.

Posing as a devil's advocate, I asked aloud whether collaborative computing wasn't being hindered because of the perception that (I'm being reductionist, but let's just say it) Facebook is for kids. What exactly is the benefit of social computing in a corporate setting?

"I think it's the flattening of information in the organization," came back the reply from the audience. According to this line of thinking, a collaborative computing pulls the rug out from under the old-fashioned corporate hierarchy. Information is out there for everyone to look at and validate.

Well, I wondered, isn't it possible that this broadened availability of information actually leads to paralysis? Hierarchies might be oppressive, but they get things done, right? The response to this objection (I sure object a lot, huh?) is that an open social set-up allows many more opinions to surface, and you get them without having to spend money on a focus group. So the CEO has more information at her (!) disposal from which to formulate a decision.

Personally, I don't buy it. I'm a huge advocate of social computing, and of collaboration within environments of all sorts. However, I believe strict goals and expectations need to be set, otherwise collaborative environments in enterprise settings become little more than an online version of "death by meeting."

What do you think? Am I raising a realistic alarm or should I shut up and just get with the program? Let me know by leaving a comment below or e-mailing me directly at alex@alexwolfe.net.

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