First Post is always the hardest

Hi team!

Welcome to our blog. Here's to a fantastic report!


Dimitar:
Oh, ok, now i see how i can edit this! yay! :)

I talked to representatives from Deloitte at their info session and they mentioned having a blog-like program where they share tax tips. It's some sort of a hybrid between a blog and a database i think. Maybe we can use this to say that using blogs allows for knowledge sharing and synchronized work on projects from across the country. Just an idea

Dimitar:
Hi team!
I'm apparently quite eager to do this assignment. So, here what i came up with. I figured Raisa would provide a definition of Enterprise 2.0, so i skipped that. Let me know if you need me to make any big changes or help out in any otehr way :)

Enterprise 2.0 is collaborative in nature, and it encourages the sharing of information. It does so in a flexible way and can be introduced incrementally in the operations of our firm. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=75) For example, no large capital expense will have to be made or a brand new IT system introduced. Instead, a system of blogs, customized content websites and interactive message boards can be gradually set up, at a lower cost.
An obvious benefit of Web 2.0 is the fact that it can be used to not only connect computers, like Web 1.0 currently does. It enables an organization to connect the individuals who are involved in the affairs of the organization. In the current, static Web 1.0 information is available only in specific places and available only to the users for whom it was intended (an email message is only available to its recipient). However, if a blog is used instead of email, all of the users in the organization can access that information. Sharing of knowledge between employees is much easier to accomplish with Enterprise 2.0. (http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197008457) To give a more specific example of that, consider that complex tax project that our firm was working on last month. It turned out that an employee in Alberta had a great idea of how to approach it. Had we not circulated a posting that we need help with the project we may never have been able to complete it. In fact that posting was similar to how an Enterprise 2.0 firm may have approached the problem. Utilizing the new generation of the web will allow us to capitalize the intellectual capital that the firm has in all of its locations and with all of its employees. An interactive message posting board accessed by all employees will allow for more cases of success like the one involving the employee in Alberta.
Digitizing of social behavior, relationships and communication within the organization is possible through Enterprise 2.0. Think of all of the oral communication which takes place between our employees. A great deal of information is shared between them, ranging from cases in tax treatments to advise on auditing practices to little tips and hints about how to navigate the many invoices in a client’s filing facilities. All of that information is not recorded anywhere and it is lost after it has been spoken. Even worse, if the employee who has provided tips and advice to other members of his team leaves the firm, the knowledge she has could never be accessed. However, if a public discussion page is set up where people can share the same information in a blog-like setting, the communication will be preserved and in the future it can be accessed, thus speeding up the work process. Even if that employee leaves, she will not take with her the knowledge necessary for our firm to operate smoothly.
Furthermore, because Web 2.0 is a socially-oriented medium, it can be used to built and fortify stronger relationships between our firm and its clients. Having a myspace-like website which puts a face to our firm and introduces its employees to the world will make it easier for current and potential clients to connect with the firm’s representatives. (http://facebookeconomy.tumblr.com/post/12507140) Also, it will give our organization a personality, which it may otherwise lack. Sleek-looking as our current website is, it does not offer the opportunity to connect with the firm through channels other than the rigid, bureaucratic email inquiry. It does not present the teams of professionals we employ as three dimensional people. For a client, knowing more about the people who will be providing financial advise takes away some of the guess-work out of making a decision which accounting firm they should contract for a particular project. This could be an opportunity to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and become more appealing to clients.

While Enterprise 2.0 may so far sound like a great way to improve the operations of our firm, to capture its elusive intellectual capital or attract more clients, as with everything, there are some drawbacks to it use. The addition of new blogs may encourage employees to share their weekend experiences as opposed to work-related knowledge, resulting in the loss of productivity. Also, allowing clients to see personal profiles of our employees may allow them to read details which may dissuade them from choosing us as their firm of choice. Security of data is another possible drawback of Web 2.0. (http://oracleappslab.com/2007/09/19/mcafees-own-9x-problem/) In sum, while the new dynamic tools of the internet can be a great addition to our firm, some thought and planning should go into their adoption in order to avoid the threats they may pose.


Other sources of knowledge and inspiration:
http://earlystagevc.typepad.com/earlystagevc/2006/06/the_coming_wave.html
http://www.shapingthoughts.com/2007/09/19/sharepoint-enterprise-20-via-the-front-door