Social media and connectivity for DoD

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2011

July, 2011

Connectivity:Expanding the Role of Social Media beyond Communications

Gadi Ben-Yehuda, Social Media DirectorIBM Center for the Business of Government

[email protected]


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The Necessary Quote

“The spread of information networks is forming a new nervous system for our planet. When something happens in Haiti or Hunan, the rest of us learn about it in real time—from real people. And we can respond in real time as well.” - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton


Connectivity as a function of specific media

Tweet

@GBYehuda: we’re born alone and only through media layers can we extend our cognitive capacities. #socmed #bleak #weltanschauung

In reality, we are born alone and exist in our own minds (except for the Na’vi).

Only through layering connectivity media can we extend our cognitive capacities.


Layers: Visualizations


Layers can be applied or ignored, but once available, they can rarely be removed.

Layers: Cognitive, Physical, Digital

Layer Benefits Liabilities

Reality – Base Layer Gravity, Sun Light, Organs Diseases, predators, GIGO, floods,

Family/Relationships Additional perspectives, resources Offering up resources, time

Language Allows for complex thought Mediates reality, shapes perception

History Anchors people in shared culture Traps people in cycles of action/reaction

Government Sets rules for everyone, helps plan Limits freedom

Financial Credit, amassing resources Can lose capital, harder to start over

Electricity Extended Workday, livable regions Pollution, stress

Digital Social Media Taps into larger resources Distracting


Four Laws of Layers and Media

Law Why it matters

Every layer exists within a medium that enables and circumscribes its attributes. A layer cannot exist independent of a medium, but each medium limits the layer it supports.

Choosing the right mix of layers based on the available media.

Some layers can share media (think Twitter and Facebook via SMS), some cannot (blogging via SMS?!).

Adopting the right media based on what layers you want to use.

All layers are encoded and take time to learn both to read and to write.

Understanding the resource requirements of staff to encode and of users to decode.

Media give rise to layers, which in turn give rise to new media.

Adapting to new uses for media without losing the functionality of traditional uses.


The Social Layer: Enabling Connectivity

What we can connect through digital media

• People to each other

• People to applications and files

• People to data

• People to things


Connecting People to:Data, Documents, People, and Things


Benefits, metrics, and media

Beware The Dangerous House!


Connecting People to Each Other

Benefits Reducing wasted time, effort; increasing transparency; sharing, speeding expertise; streamlining management; encouraging participation

Metrics Number of connections, yes, but more importantly: more efficient creation of working groups; less time spent on project management; faster cycle-time from conception to completion of projects.

Media Social networks, microblogs, email, instant messenger (IM) clients

Corridor; GovLoop; AIM; Microblogs; Ideation platforms

How to get started Allow internal social networking, create and encourage the use of internal microblogging, host internal profile directory, launch internal IM client

Helpful Policies Mandatory completion of profile page with fields for areas of expertise

Mandatory handle for IM client

Senior-level participation in microblogging


Connecting People to Applications and Files

Benefits Reducing wasted time, effort, cost; increasing transparency; enabling mobile workforce; allowing greater flexibility for front-line staff;

Metrics Polling employees to set benchmarks on metrics: time from document request/conception to completion? Number of rounds of vetting? Time spent between revisions? Also: time lost for updates of applications that can be saved with single updates to online applications.

Media Cloud storage; Intranet and/or ExtranetSharepoint; Google Docs; SaaS

How to get started Saving documents to cloud drives and enabling collaboration; smaller hard drives on computers; capping inbox and email sizes (could be draconian)

Helpful Policies Mandatory storage of agency-wide documents (e.g. HR policies) in cloud storage

Senior-level usage of cloud storage

Encouraging the sharing of documents and use of links rather than sending attachments


Connecting People to Real-time Raw Data

Benefits Increasing transparency; encouraging participation; innovation; improving decision-making

Metrics Polling employees to set benchmarks and gather information: ask managers if they have made different decisions because of available data and visualizations. Track time from reports of measurable phenomena (street traffic, e.g.) to response (adjusting traffic lights or allocation of police to effected areas)

Media Cloud storage, office-bound and mobile internet devices.

How to get started Set up a data.gov type site and mandate agencies to publish available data in machine-readable formats. Contact relevant third-party oversight groups and developers to use the data in applications and visualizations.

Helpful Policies All data must be published in machine-readable formats;


Connecting People to Things

Benefits Lower energy costs, lower spoilage/over stock costs, ability to allocate resources quickly and effectively, ability to forecast maintenance needs for mechanical supply, use of object-data in applications and visualizations

Metrics Less money spent on materials; better management of stock

Media QR codes, near field communications, computers, mobile devices

How to get started Take stock of your stock! Place tracking technology on certain kinds of materials (vehicles, or laptop, e.g.) and install the software to track them.

Helpful Policies Add QR codes, RFID tags or NFC


Key tasks accomplished through connectivity media

Monitor – hear the conversations about your issues and keep tabs on the human and physical resources under your purview.

Collaborate – share information, ease management, and work together on tasks more efficiently and effectively.

Organize – hew to strategic demands, not bureaucratic strictures in allocating human and material resources to accomplish mission-critical tasks.

Activate – give people tasks, goals, and tools to accomplish meaningful assignments with minimal, but still effective, oversight.

Empower – Provide a platform for people to self-organize and set their own goals, develop their own tools, and accomplish their own mission.


10 Benefits of Connectivity

1. Reduces wasted time,

2. Finds missing materials,

3. Saves effort on individual tasks (for use later!)

4. Enables mobile workforce

5. Affords flexibility to front-line staff

6. Enhances the utility of everyone’s knowledge (by increasing its availability)

7. Eases management (including self-management)

8. Increases transparency

9. Encourages greater levels of participation

10.Fosters innovation


The Connectivity Ladder – Step it up!

1. It stars with people. Social Networks: Don’t just build it – send out invites. Better yet, send a van around to pick people up!

2. It accelerates with applications and platforms

3. It grows through data sharing

4. It deepens with sensors

5. It takes a village – which takes us back to #1 – never forget to be inclusive, to reach out, to recruit.


Questions?

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

[email protected]

Twitter: @GBYehuda

G+: GPlus.to/GBYehuda

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Social media and connectivity for DoD