So count me out …

They remind me of chain letters, which have always creeped me out (I still have this horrible memory of receiving one from a girl named Kerry Jean Jenkins when I was about 8. Kerry had moved to the neighboring town and we would never speak again — but she did send me a chain letter. Yuck.).

So what’s a blogger to do when he’s tagged and doesn’t want to play along? I occasionally ignore the nomination completely, but usually good manners take over and I’ll send a short note explaining why I’m such a party pooper.

Plus, in the case of the current “7 Things” meme that’s bouncing around the blogosphere, I have another valid excuse: I’ve done this one before. OK, it was only 5 things rather than 7, but, well … close enough.

… but let me tell you about 7 friends instead

But here’s my confession: Though I’m not interested in telling you more random facts about myself this time around, I am reading the nuggests that other bloggers are sharing with great interest. Their tales — many from time of yore — certainly offer interesting peeks into their personalities and (in some cases) foreshadow or lay the foundations for their current professions.

I thought I’d share one fact from each of the seven “7 Things” entries that I’ve read:

• Scott Monty is a former altar boy trained in dressing properly, and he still scoffs at servers who sport sneakers under their robes today.
• Sticking with the religious theme, Tim Walker notes that he spent a year studying at a seminary.
• Aaron Strout has not only spent time in Russia (and the then Soviet Union), but Norway as well.
• Toby Bloomberg dreams of conducting a social media workshop … on a cruise ship!
• After high school, Jay Ehret spent three years working as a corrections officer.
• Holly Jo Matson survived a car crash that left her in a coma for two days.
• B.L. Ochman’s paternal grandfather was a musical conductor.

Playing it forward?

Nope. Not going to happen. Pass along these or other stories if you’d like, but the pressure to do so won’t come from me.

Flickr photo by metaxin.

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But before I go, I’m squeezing in one last Boston-area Tweetup. Here are the details:

Summer Tuesday Tweetup with Bryan Person: Coffee and Conversation at Peet’s (Upcoming.org listing)

• Day/date/time: Tuesday, August 12, 2008, 8:00-10:30am
• Location: Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Harvard Square
• Address: 100 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (Google Map)
• Cost: Pay for your own food/drink

There’s nothing formal here, but if you can make it, please do stop by for a few minutes or an hour to grab some coffee and say hello.

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Well, that’s exactly what’s happening next Tuesday, June 10, at Enterprise2Open, a four-hour unconference built into the Enterprise 2.0 Conference at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel.

I’m looking forward to taking in the proceedings, which, according to the event wiki, will include a mix of case studies, product demos, and how-to discussions.

One of the discussions I have my eye on is “Barriers to Enterprise Adoption in Large Enterprises,” which will be led by Keri Pearlson and Susan Scrupski from nGenera (the unconference sponsor).

In the brief interview that follows, Keri and Susan offer some insight into their unconference session.

Bryan Person: Can you give us a preview of what you’ll be talking about?

Keri Pearlson/Susan Scrupski: We envision a very open, lively discussion, rather than a “presentation” at our E2Open session. We do a lot of work with executives from some of the largest companies in the world. We’ve noticed that while many people talk about Enterprise 2.0 and about all the tools they hear about on the Web, very few are actually using them, either personally or in their work life.

We wondered why. For the past few months, we have been engaged in a research project to look at redefining employee computing with some of our colleagues at nGenera, and part of that project is to understand the barriers to adoption. We’ve found barriers such as lack of awareness (execs just don’t know what is out there, or they have heard but don’t see the business value), technology (their systems are locked down, so they can’t get to many websites from their corporate computers), security (there is a lot of concern about company IP getting lost, stolen, or just removed from company-controlled assets), and culture (there is a reluctance to change to something so foreign to so many seasoned workers).

We’ve noticed that the new generation of workers come ready to use many Web2.0 tools in their corporate jobs, and that’s putting pressure on companies to reconsider their positions on using these tools. We suggested this session so we can have an open discussion on the barriers to adopting E2.0, what is works and doesn’t work when trying to overcome them, and how we might manage these barriers and bring the benefits of E2.0 to our corporations.

BP: What unique challenges do large companies face in adopting and rolling out Enterprise 2.0 technologies?

KP/SS: All companies trying to make a “change” to E2.0 face similar challenges. Size doesn’t stop companies from having cultural barriers, technological barriers, or security concerns. But large companies have some unique issues such as pockets of adoption and pockets of resistance, corporate policies restraining use of web2.0 tools that affect local decisions, and strong or centralized IT departments. We hope our discussion at E2Open will raise awareness of the barriers many corporations face.

BP: Introducing Enterprise 2.0 initiatives in a company is one thing, but achieving widespread adoption is often quite another. Are there two or three key steps that businesses should be taking to ensure an effective rollout of Enterprise 2.0 tools?

KP/SS: At this point in our research, we have found very few large corporations with widespread adoption of Enterprise 2.0 tools. We primarily have seen spot implementations, experimentation, and “renegade” users who use these tools individually or on their home computer. We’d like to hear from E2Open attendees what their experience has been to ensure effective rollout.

From those who have rolled out Enterprise 2.0 tools, we’ve found that the most effective process is one where a small business experiment was created to prove the value and concept, build a business case, and identify change management issues. The experiment was followed up with a larger pilot and ultimately with rollout to the enterprise. This process isn’t unique to Enterprise 2.0 tools…it’s the process many have followed to successfully implement change initiatives.

BP: Apart from your unconference presentation, what other conversations are you hoping to have at the event? Are there other burning issues you’re planning to explore or discuss with colleagues and customers?

Keri: I’m personally interested in the vendors’ vision of employee computing…what is their vision for how large corporations should manage the increasing pressures for a more open, individualized, personal employee computing environment, and how are they helping their clients achieve this vision?

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Yesterday morning, I asked my Twitter pals to drop me a line if they were planning to attend next week’s Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston.

Alicia Staley answered the call.

Alicia is the executive director of the nascent Staley Foundation, which raises money for Boston’s Tufts Medical Center. She’s also one of the countless business professionals who’s grappling with the critical challenges of implementing social media tools inside the enterprise.

Alicia agreed to share some of her thinking on that topic with me, as she prepares to attend Enterprise 2.0 and learn plenty more.

Bryan Person: I see by way of your Twitter profile that you have a new blog. Is this your first blog, or have you done others?

Alicia Staley: Yes, I just launched my first blog – AwesomeCancerSurvivor.com. It’s my first real effort to establish myself online and share my stories. My blog was created to establish a community of followers for my foundation, which will have its first official kickoff in October 2008. The blog will help track [the foundation's] progress on a personal level.

BP: Why are you attending the Enterprise 2.0 Conference? What are you hoping to get out of the event?

AS: I’m attending the conference to see if there’s any tools/ideas that we’re not leveraging within my foundation. I’m trying to develop a better understanding on how enterprise 2.0 might influence the development of strategies and use of tools within my foundation. I’m hoping to see some examples of how other organizations have structured themselves to incorporate social tools in the workplace.

BP: Any sessions, presentations, or keynotes that have caught your eye?

AS: I’m very interested in attending:

• “Social Media and the Enterprise”
• “Enterprise 2.0 Tools: A Critical Evaluation”
• “Power to the People: Driving Business Innovation Through Communities”
• “Realizing Business Value with Enterprise 2.0 Solutions”

[Editor's note: See session descriptions on the E2 conference schedule page.]

BP: You’re a regular Twitter user. Do you see applications for microblogging within the enterprise?

AS: I got started on Twitter about two months ago. I initially joined thinking it would be a fun way to keep in touch with some of my friends. After a few days, I saw an immediate benefit in building out my network for my cancer foundation. In a short period of time, I’ve connected with cancer survivors all over the US. It’s really amazing to me. Now I’m looking to see how Twitter might help out in an enterprise sense. I’m not quite sure how it would apply yet to my foundation, but I’m hoping the conference would clear that up.

BP: Do you have any best tips or tactics you can share on how to prepare oneself to attend a conference like Enterprise 2.0?

AS: I review all the conference tracks and sessions. For each session that sounds interesting, I research the background of the main speakers. I also try to research companies that I haven’t heard of before reading the conference materials. I like to have a good sense as to who will be there, who’s presenting, what companies have an interest in the conference topics.

—

I’m planning to attend at least part of Enterprise 2.0 next week, and I’ll report back on what I’m seeing and hearing.

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It’ll be an unusual start to the baseball season for my beloved Red Sox this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05am on Tuesday, as Boston and Oakland play the first of two games from the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Kind of cool, huh?

There aren’t many better days on the calendar than Opening Day for those of who’ve lived and breathed baseball all our lives, particularly (or at least we like to think so) here in Boston. And coming off a World Series title last October, there’s no reason not to be more excited than ever in 2008.

I’ll also admit to being especially giddy about resuming my baseball Twittering action with fellow Sox fans like @RedSoxCast, @JackHodgson, @SarahWurrey, @ChipGriffin, @KyleFlaherty, @DougH, @ShelIsrael, and @TDefren, along with newcomers such as @AStrout and @JStorerJ.

It’s not a stretch to say that the communal Red Sox Twittering last season — starting right with @RedSoxCast’s pseudo play-by-play messages in April — played a big role in hooking me into Twitter. That sense of community built around our shared interest in the Old Towne Team also made the playoff run in October and ultimate the championship celebration all the more enjoyable to revel in.

So fair warning, Twitter followers. For the next, oh, six or seven months, watch for a high level of messages using the #RedSox (or similar) hashtag starting at around 7:00 Eastern most evenings. We Red Sox fans are a passionate bunch.

Play ball!

Following Red Sox Twitter posts:

• Pseudo-play-by-play updates from @RedSoxCast
• #RedSox hashtag aggregation on Hashtags.org, Twemes, and Tweet Scan.

(Flickr photo by Oscalito)

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