Sketchcast from Jack
Posted by Shaun Callahan Fri, 09 May 2008 15:45:00 GMT
My son Jack thought he’d experiment with a viral campaign for CollectiveX from the view of a 5th grader. Here’s his masterpiece.
User Tip - Bridging & Bonding
Posted by Shaun Callahan Fri, 09 May 2008 00:25:00 GMT
I recently read Bowling Alone by Dr. Robert Putnam where he mentions two types of networking: Bridging and Bonding. Bridging networks allow you to connect more dots and reach out to new and different contacts. Bonding networks help you build deeper relationships with the existing contacts you already have. Some see this as quantity vs. quality. Both are important. CollectiveX is a tool that can both “bridge” and “bond.”
As a social species, we all communicate, share and network to make things happen. It’s what we do. Some of us communicate a little louder and faster than others (guilty as charged) and some of us have the wisdom to listen first and then choose their responses wisely.
Some of us are looking to find others while some of us are looking to be found. All of us are trying to make things happen.
Whatever your personal communication style, we believe groups matter. Groups help provide the context for what we are sharing and define a purpose for what we hope to achieve. Trying to have fun? Raise money? Meet a project deadline? Help others? A Groupsite is the perfect tool to help tap into the wisdom of groups. Groups help us “bond,” and build trust.
A “bonding” network helps you build deeper “thick trust” relationships with contacts you already have. A Groupsite is perfect for this. Perhaps you have a very active professional group of 25 members. By using a Groupsite to communicate, share, and network, you may begin to learn things about the group members that are not business related. Perhaps you learn that your children play in the same lacrosse league, or that one of the members is an avid cyclist or another has a grandson who is applying for admission to your alma mater. All of these additional facts help you build deeper levels and trust as you discover new ways where you may be able to assist each other in achieving your goals.
But what about meeting new people? “Bridging” networks are those that help connect un-connected dots building “thin trust” initially. It’s one thing to get to know your existing contacts better; but how do you make new contacts? CollectiveX can help here, as well.
While each Groupsite is its own destination – a sanctuary for “bonding” where your group can make things happen – the CollectiveX tool is equally powerful for “bridging” networks. You can take advantage of this by creating or joining a second (or multiple) Groupsite(s), and then selecting “View All Mode.” (View All Mode provides a combined view of all of your Groupsite activities and allows you to easily perform cross-group searches. Want to find more people who play golf? Just search for them from your View All Mode).
With multiple Groupsites, you’ll realize the true bridging power of CollectiveX. It becomes your extended “Social Collaboration Network”. You can communicate, share and network among all your groups with a single sign-on. This collaboration network also helps others find and connect to you – the ultimate in “bridging” network power.
CollectiveX lets you bridge in other ways, too. Try clicking the “Find a Group” link at the top left of any Groupsite. This will take you to www.groupsites.com where you can search for other groups to join. Or, how about asking members of your current Groupsite for recommendations to other Groupsites that you might also find interesting and productive?
Additionally, you can select the “Create a Group” link at the top of any Groupsite and create your own new Groupsite. This way, you can have access to multiple parts of your life (work, school, church, family, friends) all on the same platform, using the same single log-in; yet, each specific group will have their own place to bond and make things happen.
Use a Groupsite to build strong trusted relationships. Use our Social Collaboration Network (and, your multiple Groupsites) to reach out beyond a single group and stay connected with everything you do.
Communicate – Share – Network. Make things happen—today!
Manager Tip – Let them know what’s coming.
Posted by Shaun Callahan Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:59:00 GMT
Recently, I met with my friend Jerry Schwartz who heads up Business Networking International (BNI) here in Maryland. When I shared with him what we were doing with CollectiveX, he immediately thought we would be a resource the leadership of BNI could use.
The top BNI leaders meet once a year to compare notes and share ideas on how to improve their organizations success. With CollectiveX, they could stay in touch, communicate, share and network all year round.
Jerry asked if I could write up a 1-page explanation of what CollectiveX is all about and what a new member could expect to accomplish by joining their first group.
This 1-page Word doc was printed and handed out at this year’s annual meeting to get the group ready for what was coming.
The result, they had a tremendous acceptance rate and are now a very engaged Groupsite.
Here is the letter I drafted: CollectiveX Intro
Feel free to copy, modify or springboard off of this idea as a way to get greater acceptance and increased involvement from your members by telling them what they can expect so you get buy-in even before they accept their first invite.
Thanks for the idea Jerry.
Green Groupsite Success Story
Posted by Shaun Callahan Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:39:00 GMT
This week’s Groupsite Success story comes from Keith Losoya in Maryland. Here’s what Keith shared:
“The Green Building Network was initiated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and is now administered and supported by the Green Building Institute.
We are an ad-hoc group of architects, builders, contractors, developers, planners, landscape architects, related professionals and interested individuals. The network focuses on promoting and facilitating design and development in a manner consistent with efficient and appropriate use of natural resources, environmental protection, and the promotion of sustainable communities.
Before Collectivex we hosted monthly networking meetings and sent out a monthly newsletter. Attendance at meetings was variable (10-40 people) and growth was anemic at best. While we had a large subscriber list for the newsletter there was not much excitement in our networking events.
When we went live with Collectivex we were cautiously optimistic about the success we would have given our demographics and set our expectations low.
Since inception we have experienced a 60% acceptance rate from our subscriber list and have over 800 members networking now! This group represents the brain trust of Maryland’s green building industry and it is exciting to see the discussions, referrals and general content thrive with the Collectivex platform.”
Thanks Keith. We love all of the green groups that are making things happen on CollectiveX. Keep up the good work!
Another Yahoo Group Success Story
Posted by Shaun Callahan Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:02:00 GMT
What is Motor City Connect?
It depends who you ask.
Some people would say MCC is a networking group. Others would say MCC is a community service group. We’ve also heard social group, mastermind group, business builder group, personal improvement group and a bunch of nuts. We think they’re all a little bit right—but our mission statement says it best.
Motor City Connect shines a light on great things happening in Metro Detroit. We are top professionals who gather both online and offline to meet, understand and connect with business leaders. Motor City Connect is a welcoming place to network, take an active role in the community, and grow your business.
In short – we are a catalyst for great things happening for our members and our community.
In the beginning…
Motor City Connect started as a small group getting together for lunch and to trade referrals. We chose Yahoo Groups to help us stay connected in-between our lunches.
Before too long, a couple hundred of our closest friends had joined us online. The Yahoo message traffic became overwhelming! We were starting to scare away some of our best people and our events were getting lost in the shuffle.
Saved by Cx!
We moved to the Collective X platform a month ago—and like an old house plant that gets repotted, Motor City Connect blossomed!
Our email traffic went from 200+ a week down to 5 targeted messages. Our membership has bloomed—nearly 50% in less than a month. Our calendar is full of vibrant events. Attendance is up at face-to-face meeting. And the profiles section is helping us to learn new things about each other.
Most importantly, participation levels are also on the rise. Cx’s threaded discussion forums, homepage summaries and weekly what’s new blasts help members find relevant conversations—turning our lurkers into active participants.
We’re continually surprised by the popularity of the kudos/endorsement feature. MCC is looking like a mutual admiration society. We couldn’t be happier.
What’s next for Motor City Connect?
Nothing less than changing the economic future of Michigan and who knows, maybe even the world.
We don’t have a lot of rules and rituals—we’re still working on our secret handshake—but Collective X adds a framework that helps MCC grow and achieve our mission.
At Motor CIty Connect, we think business should be fun. Together with Collective X, we’re making a positive impact every day.
User Tip - Make Things Happen - Have Fun
Posted by Shaun Callahan Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:17:00 GMT
Manager Tip – The Drum Circle Myth
Posted by Shaun Callahan Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:24:00 GMT
Have you ever seen, heard or participated in a drum circle? The basic idea is a self-organized percussion jam session where anyone can bring their favorite drum, join in and bang out whatever beat moves them and the collective clatter will become beautiful music.
How does this work? Sporadically.
One thing that helps is the fact that percussion relies on tempo and rhythm not key, melody and harmony. If the same group showed up with oboes, tubas, saxophones and a church organ the resulting racket might be a colossal train wreck.
When a drum circle works is when a few of its members actually have rhythm and drive the underlying tempo and beat pattern so the novices can follow along for the ride making their contributions.
As soon as those rhythmic leaders stop drumming, the circle falls apart and everyone usually does a final drum roll and waits for another rhythmic leader to start another pattern.
So what does this have to do with managing a Groupsite?
It is simple, if you want to keep the beat, you need to either set the agenda by defining your group’s purpose and goals as well as inviting a few members who have the ability to keep the beat (initiate meaningful discussions) so others can feel comfortable making their contributions on top of the underlying beat.
User Tip – 10-Step Challenge
Posted by Shaun Callahan Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:44:00 GMT
Here is a challenge for you. If you accept this challenge and actually complete all 10 steps, you will have a very good understanding of how to be an active member of you group. Our mission is to help make groups work. Here are 10 steps that will help you make a difference in the success of your group:
1. Upload your photo to your profile (Click here for previous post that can help)
2. Set your preferences under My Preferences (Click here for previous post that can help)
3. Share a personal objective (Click here for previous post that can help )
4. Add a Key Connection (Click here for previous post that can help)
5. Search for something. (read someone’s profile and learn something about them you didn’t know.) (Click here for previous post that can help)
6. Endorse or Kudo someone in your group (Click here for previous post that can help)
7. Send a private message (Click here for previous post that can help)
8. Reply to a discussion or start a new one. (Click here for previous post that can help)
9. RSVP “Yes” to a calendar event – and actually show up! In person! (Click here for previous post that can help)
10. Invite another member to the group (or suggest someone who should be invited to the manager of the group) (Click here for previous post that can help)
11. Bonus: Create your own group (Click here for previous post that can help)
The Power of Inclusive Leadership Success Story – Part 1 (Getting Ready)
Posted by Shaun Callahan Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:38:00 GMT
This week’s Groupsite success story will be told in 3 parts and comes to us from The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) in Alexandria, VA.
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The Executive Leadership Council is “the preeminent organization that strengthens the success, contributions, and impact of African-American corporate business leaders.” The Council’s mission is to provide African-American executives of Fortune 500 companies with a network and leadership forum that adds perspective and direction to the achievement of excellence in business, economic and public policies for the African-American community, their corporations and the community at large. Visit their website at www.elcinfo.com for further information about The Executive Leadership Council.
They have been fulfilling this mission for 22 years and currently have over 400 members who are the most senior African Americans in corporate America. The Council is an active community with a purpose. What they were missing was an effective way to leverage technology to enhance their members’ engagement and productivity – until now.
The Executive Leadership Council has selected CollectiveX to power their Online Platform which will be their online member engagement tool of choice. As an Enterprise Client, The Council is using 30 sites powered by CollectiveX for the following initially:
- Secure Member Intranet
- Staff Intranet
- 3 Boards of Directors
- 18 Committees
- 4 Program Alumni Community Sites (for non-members)
- 3 Working Group Sites for Members
In Part 1 of this story we’ll look at some of the key steps The Executive Leadership Council has taken to ensure a successful adoption of this new tool. Here’s what they have done:
1. Initially they took a period of time to learn system capabilities and beta test with their technology committee and a couple other external constituencies.
2. They rolled out their staff intranet first. They even created a custom PowerPoint presentation that walked each staff member through the system’s core functionality. Getting staff members trained and up and running is a great place to start.
3. They then set up their two board groups. By making sure all staff and Board members understand the platform and have begun using it (including completing their member profiles and uploading photos) they were leading by example before launching their member intranet.
4. They also concentrated on making sure each site contained meaningful content (links, RSS feeds, Forums, Pictures, Documents, and Leader profiles) before the first member-at-large was even invited.
5. In addition, they made sure that each committee has a staff member assigned to be a member and key contact for assisting fellow committee members with using the system.
6. Finally, the member roll out will begin with an e-mail from Carl Brooks, President & CEO of The Executive Leadership Council, explaining the significance of the new secure Online Platform, a copy of the updated users guide, and a link to the CollectiveX video. He clearly communicates how the new secure Online Platform powered by CollectiveX enables significant capabilities for Enhancing Member Value, which is one of the five strategic goals outlined in the organizations 2008-2010 strategic plans.
Over the next few days, The Executive Leadership Council will be inviting their entire membership to join and begin using their member intranet. During the following months the amount of usage is expected to increase while the number of mailings and e-mail communications to the membership will be reduced. There is also an expectation that the number of phone calls and e-mail requests to the office will decrease. In addition, they expect greater communications, networking, and involvement with/between members. Thereby the new Online Platform powered by CollectiveX is expected to enhance member value, increase efficiency/effectiveness, reduce costs, and multiply the impact of The Council’s various initiatives.
We will follow-up with Part 2 in a few weeks with an update on the success they are having.
All of the right variables are in place: they have a defined purpose, an active community, they have picked the best tool and most importantly, they have taken the time to get their staff and leadership involved in being an active part of the dialogue right from the start.
Manager Tip - Progressive Engagement
Posted by Shaun Callahan Mon, 03 Mar 2008 11:15:00 GMT
We believe group engagement is based on communication, trust and taking action. A Groupsite is a great tool for both meeting new people as well as learning new things about the people you already in contact with. Sharing information about yourself with the group helps them understand who you are and what you bring to the table.
We realize that not all groups have a deep level of trust among all of their members on day one. We also realize that time is a precious commodity. For both of these reasons, not everyone will take the time to complete every bit of their profile information and not everyone will tell their entire life story.
We believe in “progressive engagement”. Inviting people to continue to tel more f their story over time (as they become comfortable with the group, trust its members, and have something meaningful to share).
One way to help encourage this participation is to ask a few (not the Spanish Inquisition) questions when they first join the group through the use of our “Custom Profile Questionaire” feature.
Here’s how:
Select the “Manager” tab in your Groupsite. Then select “Custom Profile Questionnaire”. You will see the following screen. Click on “Add a question”.
The following screen will appear where you can type in your first question as well as decide what type of question it will be.
Here are the type of questions you can choose from:
You can add as many questions as you like and choose whether they are optional or required. When complete, simply choose the “Update” button at the bottom of the page.
These questions will now appear as part of the acceptance process when new members join your group. Their answers will appear on their Member Profile page (see below). Which makes their answers searchable as part of our general search function.
Additionally, if you select the “Members” tab, you will see that at the top you can “Filter by Group Q&A” which let’s you select any of your Custom Profile Questions and see which members share the same answers.
If you added these questions after people have been part of your group, they can always answer them whenever they choose under their “My Settings” tab.
Custom Profile Questions are a great way to invite your members to start telling their story which leads to communication, trust and engagement.