Enterprise 2.0:
Social Software on Intranets
Patty Caya and Jakob Nielsen
www.nngroup.com/reports/intranet/social
$298

At last-a sensible, practical report on the ways in which Enterprise 2.0 tools can be used within intranets to provide a significant amount of added value for users. I have seen so many reports on Enterprise 2.0 that are based on either the statistical analysis of an unrepresentative survey or that consist of bland platitudes about Enterprise 2.0. The Nielsen Norman Group is renowned for reports on usability, though it has ventured into new territory with this subject. "Enterprise 2.0: Social Software on Intranets" is based on 14 case studies from six countries. While these case studies do not appear as individual profiles, they provide the basis for 168 pages of analysis, synthesis, and wisdom.

A main finding from this research is that most companies are not very far along in a wholesale adoption of Web 2.0 technologies-unless "thinking about social software" is considered progress. Many potential interviewees wanted to be called back next year! But for organizations that have taken the plunge, a few things are already clear: Social software is not a trend that can be ignored. It's affecting fundamental changes in how people expect to communicate, both with each other and with the companies they do business with.

The report covers the entire gamut of applications, under the main section headings Practical Considerations, Users and Use, Technology and Tools, and Lessons Learned. That's not to mention the introduction, which is probably the best I have read on the value of Enterprise 2.0 for intranets and intranet managers. The report includes screen shots, though perhaps not as many as I might have liked. It would have been nice to have a summary of how each of the companies has adopted Enterprise 2.0, even though there are quality quotes throughout the report. I also feel that a report that runs roughly 80,000 words would be improved by more section breaks and an index.

I started reading the report on a train in London and finished it just as I got to Paris. It was an ideal travel companion, full of ideas, opinions, and collated wisdom. It is, without doubt, the best report yet on Enterprise 2.0 and probably the best for some time to come.

Intranet Strategy and Governance
Audrey Scarff
www.ikmagazine.com/bookshop.asp
£245 (roughly $390)

Judging from the number of requests I receive for my intranet strategy framework document, there is a growing realization that intranets cannot drift along in a sea of apathy, but need to be the subject of a business strategy, which would be seen as essential for most other applications in an organization. Intranet Strategy and Governance is broken into two sections. The first comprises five chapters, titled "Getting Started," "The Main Components of an Intranet Strategy," "The Living Strategy," "The Intranet-A Critical Business Tool," and "Governance and Metrics." The second includes case studies from BT Group, McDonald's, JetStar Airways, British American Tobacco, Churchill Capital, the Cancer Council New South Wales, and IBM, as well as some short expert opinions.

The author clearly has a good understanding of the complexities of intranet strategy and management. The advice is sound, and there are some very good diagrams to illustrate the points made. I especially liked "12 Steps to Getting Started on a Strategy." There is a selection of references at the end of each chapter, but how the author can write about benchmarking and not refer to James Robertson's "Intranet Review Toolkit" is so baffling that it makes me question how much effort went into what could be a very good resource.

It is a great pity that Ark Group Ltd. has taken so little care over the production of the report, which is in two-column style with lots of bullet points. The report desperately needs the skills of a good editor, and the lack of linkage between the two sections significantly reduces the value of the case studies. The index is a total disaster for a report that retails at £245. And that price is a problem. The people who really need this report are unlikely to persuade their companies to pay that much.