I was skeptical when I joined Yammer at work, but I was wrong BIG time. I felt the constant updates from my peers would be a distraction. Instead, I learned the power inherent in a network of technologists with similar interests. Via Yammer, folks who I did NOT know would join the same groups … or by reputation follow me. The end result was my knowledge has been, and is continuing to be extended. This has benefited both me, and the job of perform on a daily basis.

Thus, I am forced to address the question of Twitter. Will a similar Web 2.0 service from outside my company provide equal value? After all, I don't have my company's pre-defined network. Remembering a presentation by Guy Kawasaki that I attended in the early days of the internet many, many years ago … he said with respect to eCommerce and eBay: "If you have never sold something upon eBay, you can never understand it!" I took that advice to heart and went home … signed up for eBay … and within a week sold to large lots of accordion sheet music for almost $100. I was amazed.

Therefore I have decided to give Twitter a test. The service gives the advice to "not overly think your micro-blogs". I ask, is the world ready for the Northstar Nerd as he posts about testing wax for the Mora Vasaloppet 42k Classic tomorrow (I think purple)!

Once the decision was made to join Twitter, the next question I had to address … how should I define my network? I decided to use my LinkedIn contacts … I followed the Twitter instructions and exported my 275 contacts. After an analysis I discovered 40 of my LinkedIn contacts are on Twitter. They became the basis for my initial network.

I will be happy to add anyone who reads this post to my "Followers" … or you can just follow me:

• My Twitter Page
• Send me an email requesting a follow you (richardhoeg@gmail.com).

Here is a screenshot from my first activity … I noticed while typing this post I've risen from 2 to 5 followers (yippee … I guess?!). Click upon the image to view full sized.

This evening I will do a different kind of bar hopping … I will attend an off shoot of BarCamp Minnesota … Minnedemo. Even though none of the demos directly apply to the work I do for a large Fortune 100 company, the ideas and conversations I have help me understand the pulse of software technology and Web 2.0. You can attend a BarCamp in your neighborhood; take a look (scroll down on the linked page for a list of BarCamps). There is no charge except a willingness to participate and learn.I've presented at BarCamps in the past, which is really the way to experience this phenomenon.

Quoting directly from the Minnov8 Blog, this is what I will see:

Action Chess
is a game app for the iPhone, described as a cross between Tetris
Attack, Tetris, and the classic board game Chess. The developer claims
it “makes your brain work in interesting ways.” It will be released for
the iPhone in the coming weeks and will be demoed on stage. (Martin
Grider will present.)

Association Manager Online
(AMO) is a new web application from local development shop ArcStone
that let members, staff, and administrators of associations and
non-profits manage tasks (such as sending emails, posting documents,
collecting payments, etc) in a secure manner from any internet browser,
whether at home or work. (David Carnes will present)

BevPost
is a site that lets consumers select coupons for their favorite adult
beverages and have them delivered directly to their cell phones, so
they can redeem them at their local liquor store and save cash. (John
Ballatine will present)

enStratus
is a brand-new startup that’s addressing the “confidence” questions
businesses naturally have as they move their systems into Amazon EC2
and other “cloud computing” environments. The company, recently
launched by the founders of successful local software firm Valtira,
provides a suite of cloud infrastructure management tools that enable
companies to automate the secure deployment, scaling, monitoring, and
disaster recovery of their cloud computing infrastructure. (George
Reese will present.)

LoudClick
is a free website builder program that people can use to build web
sites around their interests together, all without the need of a
techie. (Alex Huff will present.)

Nabbit
lets you identify a song you hear on the radio using your mobile phone.
Just text Nabb and include the call letters of the station you’re
listening to. The service will fetch the song information for you and
deliver it to your account page on its web site. The company also
recently introduced a native iPhone app. (Norton Lam will present.)

re-searchr
is a social search app that lets you “find stuff easier” online. It
helps you get search results from people you trust, using data from
your friends to influence the re-searchr score presented on top of your
search results. Another feature pushes your questions out to your
social networks, where your friends can then answer or comment; the app
then lets you push back their answers or comments for others to see. 
(James Ostheimer will present.)

SendOnCue
is a browser plugin that lets you schedule email delivery for later. It
integrates directly into your email or webmail client. Send an email
reminder at a later date and time. Slow down a conversation by delaying
when your reply is sent. If you work odd hours, you can adjust the time
your email is sent. (Aaron Kardell will present.)

Socialbrowse
is a YCombinator-funded startup that provides social bookmarking with
discussions in the browser. It lets you share and discuss the web in
real time, and see what’s good on every page. It  combines your social
network with your everyday web browsing. You can share and discuss any
page with a single click. Pages you share or comments you make are
automatically sent to other users in your network. You receive
real-time updates of cool links shared by people you like. (Zack Garbow
and Dave Fowler will present.)

ZippyStat (no web site yet) is a simple online
service to record and monitor nearly any type of information such as
your gas mileage, business cards collected, “poops by your newborn,”
books read, miles run, etc. (Kelly Heikkila will present.)

An IBM employee, Jen Okimoto, who works in the domain of Web 2.0 has posted upon a very important issue … access to and governance of social networking tools in Corporate America. Her questions are great, and are problems many corporations are trying to understand and address. It is not enough to just say … my company should provide open access to all these various tools. One needs intelligent conversation on this topic. Thus, I will defer to Jen's blog post and ask you to link … read … and discuss on Jen's blog. Here are the questions she posted (see her blog for significant additional commentary):

1. How detailed should social media guidelines be?
2. When introducing social media into the workplace, how do we address HR concerns about reduced employee productivity?
3. How do you guide employees or manage employees in navigating the gray with respect to posting content that is or is not appropriate in the work environment?
4. What about content that falls squarely in the HR domain? What if employees use social media to publicize HR issues, or to gain "supporters" to their cause?
5. Do we have IBM or client examples of stats, use cases or any other stories that address these concerns?

This is an important discussion to be conducted.