Protected: How One Judge Sees E-Discovery
July 4, 2012
Google Plus Can Be What You Want to Make It
July 4, 2012
Many people see Google+ as a ghost town, and that may be the case in their circles. However, some companies are turning things around. The article “A Case Study in Private Google Engagement” shares the information that employees at companies such as Distilled can avoid the trickiness of circles and multiple accounts by using Google Apps and sharing with an organization as opposed to circles.
This feature allows Google+ to be used as an internal communication tool to augment email. Distilled is a great case study. With three offices in different time zones, Distilled still wants to maintain a connected culture and Google+ provides the space to share memes and positive interactions and engagement.
In the article referenced above, Tom Critchlow states:
“I’m going to admit that the first few days were a little bit of a nightmare – everyone has (at least) two Google+ accounts tied to various personal and professional identities and so we had to get everyone in the right circles etc. Once that’s set up however it works like a charm.”
At Distilled, employees refer to the app as D+. Clearly it has caught on. We are happy to see the plus sized batch of lemons Google delivered turned into lemonade.
Megan Feil, July 4, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Google Mini? Loser in the Search Appliance Game
July 3, 2012
Navigate to “Google Shutdowns Continue: iGoogle, Google Video, Google Mini & Others Are Killed.” Among the products and services “killed” is the Google Mini. That was the entry level Google Search Appliance. Our question: When will the Google Search Appliance walk the plank? Competitors point out with glee that it lacks some of the functionality of the next generation systems from vendors ranging from Attivio to Polyspot. The General Services Administration’s price list for the GSA 9009 takes my breath away. The write up asserts:
Note that Google isn’t exiting the enterprise by any means, it’s just that Mini’s functionality is now offered by other products like Google Search Appliance, Google Site Search and Google Commerce Search, the company blog post reminds us. Google will honor its existing contracts for Mini customers, though.
Doesn’t cloud based search make more sense as Google continues its push for cloud based services in the enterprise?
Stephen E Arnold, July 3, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Microsoft through X Ray Glasses: Oh, Ugly.
July 3, 2012
Vanity Fair is a magazine I associate with fashion. Sun glasses, movie reviews, and perfume. I was incorrect. Vanity Fair is a business analysis journal. I suppose it wants to become the four color version of the estimable Harvard Business Review or the HBR before the editorial excitement over the alleged mixing article subjects with editorial fun.
I read “Microsoft’s Lost Decade.” I suppose I will buy the hard copy issue with the story. I hope I don’t get funny looks about my choice of reading material. I suggest you read the article. Quite a dark look at the Redmond-based giant.
Here’s the passage I liked:
When one of the young developers of MSN Messenger noticed college kids giving status updates on AOL’s AIM, he saw what Microsoft’s product lacked. “That was the beginning of the trend toward Facebook, people having somewhere to put their thoughts, a continuous stream of consciousness,” he tells Eichenwald. “The main purpose of AIM wasn’t to chat, but to give you the chance to log in at any time and check out what your friends were doing.” When he pointed out to his boss that Messenger lacked a short-message feature, the older man dismissed his concerns; he couldn’t see why young people would care about putting up a few words. “He didn’t get it,” the developer says. “And because he didn’t know or didn’t believe how young people were using messenger programs, we didn’t do anything.”
Notice that it was an older man who was the dolt. Since I am 67, I can relate to this. But I am not a dolt; I am an addled goose.Vanity Fair does do quite a hatchet job. Is it warranted? Who knows? What I took away from the Lost Decade piece is that Microsoft does nothing right in the eyes of this particular HBR like write up on the Vanity Fair Web site.
Stephen E Arnold, July 3, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Corporate Secrets, Not So Secret
July 3, 2012
Corruption often lurks in the shadows of the corporate world, and even companies that start with the best of intentions often find traitors hidden within their midst. The Star Online recently published the article, ‘Ex-McKinsey CEO’s case highlights swapping of secrets in corporate world’ confirming that even the best kept secrets can be exposed when put in the right light.
What those on the outside seldom see is:
“It is easy for most people to dispense inside tips. After all, such information costs nothing and is a lifestyle where inside tips are the currency of friendships and elite business relationships. It sharply explains why corporate players are often willing to break the law to share confidential information.”
“In the clubby, high-powered corporate world, the ability to offer confidential information is definitely a way to stand out.”
Many companies include a non-disclosure agreement as part of the normal hiring process, but when nameless entities tell their tales in the shadows those legal agreements can become obsolete. It appears that executives are often unaware information has been leaked until it is too late.
The article provided a fascinating glimpse of the big time information exchange that takes place in today’s corporate world. The only true way to keep a company’s secrets intact is to keep them within the confines of the board room, and even then there are no guarantees. The old saying ‘loose lips sink ships’ rings true, especially in regards to the business world.
Jennifer Shockley, July 3, 2012
Another University Jumps on the Social Media Analytics Bandwagon
July 3, 2012
Digimind’s Web Intelligence Blog recently reported on a new partnership with the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort University in order to prepare the next generation of competitive intelligence students in the article “Digimind Partners With De Montfort Univeristy.”
According to the article, this partnership was initiated in order to introduce Strategic Marketing students to research techniques that are used by today’s intelligence practitioners. The hope is that it will help prepare them for their future careers by letting them use Digimind’s automated software platform.
Dr. Sheila Wright, the spearheader of the initiative, stated:
“By giving students access to the Digimind platform we’re giving them experience of the real world as well as opening their eyes to the range of sources available beyond Google. I want to prepare students for the daily reality of working in an intelligence department by giving them access to the tools needed to build real-time information dashboards, competitor benchmarks and company profiles. The skills the students acquire throughout the course offer them a distinct advantage in today’s competitive job market.”
It appears that Digimind has a new positioning and it is Marketing Intelligence. The question we have is, is this about education and learning or revenue generation? perhaps, it is some combination of the two.
Jasmine Ashton, July 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Protected: Predictive Coding is Changing Court Case Research
July 3, 2012
Tips for Businesses to Take Ownership of SharePoint Management
July 3, 2012
Sometimes tensions exist between legacy management issues in SharePoint and new business goals and values. In her blog post, “How to Get Business to Take Ownership of SharePoint,” Veronique Palmer addresses the issue and offers some tips on how to get a business to take the SharePoint reins.
The author explains one of her tips:
Do you have a training plan and support path? If you want business to take ownership, you have to train them to do that. If you want them to use the platform in a certain way, you have to train them…Once they start building their own sites, do you have a dedicated help desk that can assist them with queries quickly without having to log a change request? What type of support do you have in place for them?
Palmer also points out that the system needs to be flexible and open to change and a governance forum initiative that involves key business people is imperative. To bypass the need for some expensive or time –consuming training, consider a third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, which extends the capabilities of your SharePoint system. Their Web Parts based information pairing capabilities give you powerful searches and a complete picture of your business information, allowing you to get the most out of your enterprise search investments. And your end users will benefit from the fast and intuitive search with clearly displayed results and simple navigation.
Philip West, July 3, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SolidWorks Introduces Mobile Design App
July 3, 2012
Although engineers and designers alike have been begging for mobile design apps they are the most reluctant to accept the apps released onto the market. Security is a major concern as is a mobile device’s ability to provide enough juice to handle a 3D CAD/CAM app. The latest app to hit iPads everywhere is SolidWorks’ eDrawings as described in the Design News article, “eDrawings App Launches on the iPad”.
As the article explains of the new app:
“eDrawings lets anyone involved in product development (not just CAD users) load and send 2D and 3D designs via email. The viewing tool essentially creates a lightweight representation of 3D models or 2D drawings created by SolidWorks and other widely used CAD systems, opening the door for anyone with a PC to examine and provide input on design data. With the iPad version, anyone with that device can view, interpret, and peruse the design data, making it a viable option at client sites, in the field at a sales meeting, or at home.”
While critics of mobile design apps have been burned a time or two and have solid reasons for doubting the ability of a new app to turn the design industry on its ear, we believe hope springs eternal. Product data management and product lifecycle management providers like SolidWorks and Inforbix, both leaders in the industry with reputations for innovation, are working fervently to make PLM more adaptable for users as well as relevant. All the kinks may not be worked out of mobile design apps but we believe with a little time mobile apps will be just another aspect of PLM.
Catherine Lamsfuss, July 3, 2012
The Effects of Color Correlations
July 3, 2012
The education methods Web site joehallock.com published the 2003 lengthy research study “Colour Assignment” based on Faber Birren’s research about color associations and how his findings compare to other studies.
When discussing the emotional connections that people make to color through language, the article gives examples of “seeing the world through rose tinted glasses” or being “green with envy.” in addition to this, a survey asked for 500 participants to correlate colors with words that aren’t already inherently linked to a specific color. The words included: trust, security, speed, and high technology.
When looking at the color associated with the word trust, the survey found:
“The color blue gathered the most results from the participants. Birren correlated the color blue to the emotional feeling of sadness or depression (Color Psychology and Color Therapy, 170). This came about, Birren continues, because the color blue once referred to the insane, then expanded to symbolize mental depression in a general sense. A correlation between sadness and trust couldn’t be found, therefore, for the purposes of this study, this represents the first contradiction between published research and this survey.”
This was an interesting study on color correlations but not the most relevant to search.
Jasmine Ashton, July 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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