DACHIS GROUP COLLABORATORY — There’s too much data. Way too much, and it’s not helpful. There, I said it. Social media monitoring, web analytics, quantitative market research, trackers, clickthroughs and opens...your ecosystem produces a firehose of data, but not a whole lot of meaning. How about some insight instead? Insight – what we’re really after – can create new businesses, grow existing ones, solve problems, tell stories and deliver real value to your organization. Businesses today are drowning in data and missing real insight. But they don’t have to...

DACHIS GROUP COLLABORATORY — My former employer, the BBC, has issued new guidelines for the official use of third party social networking and micro-blogging services. The new guidelines should not be confused with the guidelines issued several years ago on the personal use of blogging and social networking sites by BBC staff but instead are intended to cover official, albeit non-contractual, BBC activities on third party websites. I was originally interested in reviewing the new guidelines because I saw a tweet last week that said...

DACHIS GROUP COLLABORATORY — Tumblr is a fascinating example of how to get user generated and community sites right. Fundamentally it’s a microblogging platform, but I think this sells it very short of the whole picture. It’s succeeding by taking the interaction patterns that are part of a whole variety of other services, and creating something which is more than the sum of the parts. Not only is it a compelling user experience, but it’s also become the basis of some very interesting virtual communities. Amongst a certain subsection of teenagers, Tumblr has gone viral and is getting a significant amount of their online time – in fact, for heavy users, I’d say it’s overtaken Facebook as their "platform of choice"...

DACHIS GROUP COLLABORATORY — Bose Corporation is one of the great American success stories. MIT Professor Amar Bose founded the company in 1964, and 45 years later still runs the privately held company with a reported $4B in sales. As a well-known brand name, the company is very interested in protecting its brand and its reputation in the marketplace. Based upon a recent experience with Bose by a friend of mine, the company is also actively listening to their constituents on today’s popular social media networks. But the experience points out how good intentions can be subverted by improper execution of the people, process, and technology aspects of being a social business...

DACHIS GROUP COLLABORATORY — Anyone who follows my movements online will have noticed that I’ve been rather quiet recently. This is because I have, for the past month or so, been part of a Headshift team, which at various times drew upon the experience and skills of more than ten people, working to deliver a piece of strategic consultancy on creating successful customer communities for a client. It has been one of the most interesting pieces of social business design I’ve ever played a role in delivering. The project made use of Headshift’s existing framework for conducting extensive reviews of user behaviour, staff workflows and technical infrastructure, as described in the case study of a similar piece of work we did for the BBC. The project included extensive research and analysis of existing customer community building activities already undertaken by the client, including...