Auf dem Enterprise Software Summit, der zur Zeit in Sundance im US-Bundesstaat Utah stattfindet, hat heute Jeff Nolan einiges über den Einsatz von Social Software bei SAP erzählt. Nolan, früher als Venture Capital-Experte für den Softwarekonzern tätig, entwickelt heute bei SAP in Palo Alto (Kalifornien) die "Social-Media-Strategy" und ist wesentlich dafür verantwortlich, dass der Einsatz von Weblogs und Wikis bei SAP mittlerweile schon recht verbreitet sind. Außerdem schreibt er selbst seit 2003 das Weblog Venture Chronicles.

Dort ist auch ziemlich ausführlich zu lesen, was es auf der Veranstaltung am Fuße der Rocky Mountains (dort wo Robert Redford das Sundance-Filmfestival gegründet hat) Interessantes gibt. "ber seinen eigenen Vortrag hat allerdings Phil Windley gebloggt. Auch Ross Mayfield von SocialText berichtet darüber.

Jeff Nolans Kernthesen:

- SAP is changing the way information is created and distributed. Whereas information was formerly created in discrete, static chunks and distributed in a one-way manner via email, information now needs to be boundariless and received through subscription. The latter methods enables conversations to start.

- RSS will absolutely change the way companies communicate internally. Wikis are essential to capturing institutional knowledge and improving productivity. SAP uses "SocialText" in a bunch of business units. For example with SAPedia, an SAP Encyclopedia on products, people, technologies. Blogs and wikis can be combined to form effective project management tools.

- Most confidential information at large companies isn't. It's labeled "confidential" to make the writer feel more important. Start with the assumption that nothing is confidential and then categorize appropriately.

- Trying to manage external bloggers like you do the media isn't effective. Find the influencer in the blogosphere. SAP called up influential bloggers on enterprise software and asked if they'd like to talk more and better access to information about SAP. They don't try to manage the content, just send information. SAP will make executives available to bloggers to talk. For example, Jeff will comment on blogs that are critical of SAP to engage in the conversation. When the criticism is valid, fix the problem rather than covering it up.

- Changing the direction of the battleship takes time. There are legal challenges (your corporate code of conduct might not allow blogging). The message is not longer a top-down, managed message, but a distributed, more confrontational market communication strategy. You probably need software that isn't currently supported by your IT team. If you manage the message you'll be ignored.

- Finding people who have voice, willing to communicate, is the challenge. People have to be conversational, not formal. If you write like a press release people will think it is a press release.

Ein konkretes Beispiel, wie Social Software in der Auseinandersetzung mit dem Erzrivalen Oracle genutzt wird, hatte Nolan auch parat:

SAP set up an internal multi-author blog internally called "The Daily Oracle." Whenever anyone sees some news item that has to do with Oracle, they post it. This is more effective than the clipping service that SAP pays for. SAP uses this and other topic specific blogs to respond to Oracle. Powerpoints, etc. get created or changed within minutes or hours for field people to respond to Oracle's actions.via Wolfgang Müller