Can Microblogging Help The Enterprise

Can Microblogging Help The Enterprise?

By Bill Ives
Expert Author
Article Date: 2009-01-07

Earlier I wrote about QikCom, an enterprise 2.0 microblogging solution (see - Bringing Micro-messaging to Enterprise 2.0 - QikCom). There are at least two other major players in this space, Present.ly and Yammer. I have not had a chance to s speak to them but I hope to soon. In the meanwhile these two have been getting a lot of press from some of the top bloggers.

For example, TechCrunch wrote, Yammer Takes Top Prize At TechCrunch50. Then they followed it up with, Present.ly Takes On TC50 Winner Yammer. This second post provided a nice comparison between these two microblogging tools. The post said that "Yammer performs the same basic functions as Present.ly, but the latter adds a few extras that may entice some companies to switch."

These additions include supporting file attachments and allowing companies to segment groups so different groups can have their own portions of the site. In addition, Present.ly does not require all users to have the same email domain, as Yammer currently does. Present.ly also allows companies to deploy it on existing IT infrastructure for better security. Both Yammer and Present.ly have subscription fees and Qik.com is free for the basic service. Present.ly lets the first five users in for free but that is only good for five person companies.

Mashable got into the conversation with the post - Is the Enterprise Ready for Microblogging Tools like Twitter? The post offers a number of ways that microblogging can help the enterprise including: emergency broadcast system, knowledge management, training, expert identification, seeing the connectors, and inclusion of external stakeholders. Aaron Strout and Joe Cascio provide details on each benefit, as well as a link to Business Week on How Companies Use Twitter to Bolster Their Brands.

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About the Author:
Dr. Bill Ives is an independent consultant and writer who has worked with Fortune 100 companies in business uses of emerging technologies for over 20 years. For several years he led the Knowledge Management Practice for a large consulting firm.. Now he primarily helps companies with their business blogs. He is also the VP of Social Media and blogger for TVissimo, a new TV schedule search engine. Prior to consulting, Dr. Ives was a Research Associate at Harvard University exploring the effects of media on cognition. He obtained his Ph. D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Toronto. Bill can be reached at his blog: Portals and KM. He also writes for the FastForward blog and the AppGap blog.