Social Networking, the cloud and Pet Rocks

OK, it's a stupid title, and maybe pet rocks don't really fit with the other two, but the point of the title is, even when you think something is just a fad that won't take off... surprise, it does anyway. I mean really, people actually paid $10 to buy a rock in a paper pet carrier? Yes, they did... lots of them!

And sometimes I ask myself the same thing about social networking... like "people really spend hours of their precious time spying on their friends personal (albeit public) lives? And of course, the answer is, they do. And I'm even guilty of of it. Facebook can be fun! And the reason I think it's so popular in our personal lives is that it scratches an itch that most of us human beings have in our personal lives... lurking. And I don't mean that in a negative way... it's human nature to want to know what's going on with friends, family and sometimes, complete strangers. It's a natural fit with the culture of our personal lives. And apparently there are at least 600 million​ lurkers in the world, and those are just the ones on Facebook.

So, the question I pose is this: just because social networking is viral in the personal space, does it mean it it should have a place in the business world? Does this need to stay connected and watch what others are doing fit the corporate culture? And more importantly, are there great things that can happen to a company that becomes social? I think the answer is undoubtedly yes, but it's a completely different paradigm than social networking in the wild. Because connecting and sharing are not natural parts of corprorate culture, especially ones that are steeped in 100 years of tradition. We can't just expect to "build it, and they will come" (to abuse an already abused cliche). Instead, social-enable applications need to be implemented that replace "the old way of doing things" so that use of the new applications is mandated. If you want to perform function X, you have to use the new social application. Otherwise, left alone, people wil naturally revert to what they are comfortable with. And for people that are entrenched with their old processes (and aren't a member of Gen Social) their primary excuse for not participating in that new social intranet is "I'm already too busy with my work tasks... I don't have time to socialize and play with new tools that don't directly support my job".

Only when these applications offer compelling content, and even mandated features will they catch on. And as much as we would like to tell the Baby Boomers to get with the program (and I'm one of them, so watch what you say), until everyone from that era has retired, and corporate America is run by the X/Y/Social, we will have to figure out how to incent these legacy employees to participate in the social enterprise. And watch out you younger generations... soon enough, you'll be seen as the old fuddy-duddies of the company, and the "Technology Implant Generation" will be pushing you to have the chip surgically installed! Don't laugh... you couldn't have told me 20 years ago that I'd be carrying a phone that's so smart it can impersonate a Bic lighter!

Next, the cloud... what is it good for? (and no, it's not "absolutely nothing" for you old people that know the song I'm referring to).