Tags: GreaterIBM, IBM, ibm.com, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Software, Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, Web 3.0, Enterprise 3.0, Second Life, Virtual Worlds, Metaverse, Virtual Bloc Party
There is no denying that as of late plenty of things have actually been happening in IBM around the subject of Social Computing and Social Software. Check out, for instance, the superb Executive Interaction Channel – Innovating under the radar: the benefits of asymmetry and play around with it for a bit. (I will probably talk about it at a later time as well). Yes, you could say I am really glad I recently started a category over here around IBM happenings because it looks like they keep piling up further. Good stuff !
Here is the latest one though. And it is coming up again from GreaterIBM, the IBM social networking application for current IBMers and IBM’s alumni, and which I talked about yesterday as well. This one though actually shows as well how much IBM is actually opening itself towards that on-going social software adoption within the Enterprise, because if you head over the GreaterIBM weblog you would be able to see an entry shared today where it is announcing the availability of the GreaterIBM Web site as part of the ibm.com homepage.
Yes, that is right ! You would be able to find it over here: The Greater IBM Connection. It looks very good and over there, IBMers and alumni, would be able to find all of the necessary details to join this social network and become one of us (I always wanted to say that! heh).
"The page offers links to join the network’s main portal, the new complement to that base, a Group we’ve just launched on LinkedIn, as well as the opportunity to get a bi-monthly greaterIBM Update e-newsletter.
Of course, we’re also pointing out the exciting new virtual component of greaterIBM, as well as the Machinimania Challenge, which has gotten a tremendous response."
Most of that I already talked about but the interesting thing is the actual virtual component of greaterIBM, where you would be able to read some more about how this particular social networking initiative will also be making extensive use of Second Life (We are already, by the way, in case you are wondering…):
"The Connection Center will be the home for all kinds of events and exhibitions, as well as a destination for where greaterIBMers can do real collaborative work in this strange new environment. Or just hang out with each other."
That is certainly going to be really cool and fascinating; to be able to hang out with people I used to work with (Or still do) in an environment where, they say, the next wave of Web interactions have already started to take place and continue to share and collaborate with them but in a brave new world: Second Life.
In case, you are wondering, yes, I have entered the Second Life world a few weeks back (Using the same nickname as this weblog’s name) and during this time I have been exploring things, getting comfortable with my avatar, smashing against every possible thing you can crash to and have an incredible amount of good fun. Yes, virtual worlds for the Enterprise (Enterprise 3.0) are already here and GreaterIBM will actually be playing its part over there, too!
But for the time being go and check out The Greater IBM Connection if you would want to find out what we are up to. Oh, and if you want to taste a little bit what GreaterIBM is doing in SecondLife check out the following YouTube embedded video from the recent GreaterIBM Virtual Bloc Party held not long ago:
Yes, I know, way cool ! Have a good one !
I have covered IBM for 12 years, though i never worked for the company. GreaterIBM won’t be about collaborative innovation until folks like me can contribute. the greateribm should be about the ecosystem
Luis:
Glad you picked up on the important and interesting overlaps between our online social networking efforts for the Greater IBM alumni program, and the plans to incorporate a virtual connection center. I personally think that this seam between web 2.0 types of social networking and virtual environments is a really intriguing one. After all, both of these fronts are, in the end, really about new ways to get people to interact
Thanks a lot, folks, for dropping by and for the feedback comments ! And welcome to elsua !
James, you are absolutely right that it makes sense that the ecosystem tries to cover as much ground as possible, including the group of folks that like yourself have been involved with IBM for quite some time sharing further insights with everyone else. However, for that full ecosystem to take place in the best conditions possible you would have to agree with me that first we would need to start somewhere and place the focus on a particular area to start building further up on the ecosystem from there.
That is why GreaterIBM started a couple of months back with the focus on IBM alumni and IBM regular employees as an initiative for a social network to get both groups of people together in order to share their knowledge and collaborate with one another so that they can help out building stronger relationships that would then manage to prepare the ground for that ecosystem that you are talking about. So I am really sure that once the initiative settles in nicely that we would be able to expand further into that ecosystem, but initially the focus is just on the alumni and the IBM population.
Once things continue to grow further I am sure that I would be able to update this particular weblog entry with some further details as they may become available, and like Jack mentioned, it has got to start somewhere, in this case putting together a social network with the virtual worlds. So stay tuned because as soon as more details become available on the subject of the ecosystem I shall be updating this weblog with it.
Thanks again for the feedback and for dropping by ! (Appreciated the insights as well, Jack! Thanks for chiming in!)