I’ve never entirely be convinced by the suggestion that using social networking technologies to form a business intranet.  That is, until today when I heard a podcast presented by the Chief Technologist of Ektron as part of the SWSX conference. To date I’ve viewed the intranet as needing to be able provide static content (e.g. standard documents such as benefits etc) and a dynamic area for knowledge sharing.

What Bill Cava highlighted is that a large percentage (50%) of people found site searching for information can be ineffective. But by exploiting people’s innate understanding of human relationships and roles.  So by leveraging that, you improve the chance of finding what you need.  For example configuration information for a VPN, well talk to a system admin as they’ll know where the documentation is, and may well even have links from their profile to the information. This really plays dividends on distributed or larger organisations.

Secondly, social networking sites also have forum style areas where a written exchanges can be posted. But unlike the forum, the participation in the discussion can be more easily configured and dynamically controlled (self organising). But there is also context to the conversation as the social network provides detail about the participants.

Lastly the intranet only delivers value if its used, and to get use it must provide the engage-ability that social networking functionality can offer.  As Bill points out we perform web analytics on company business sites, and should we not also do that for the intranet to understand that its value and contribution to the business operation.

I’d recommend listening to the podcast if you’re looking how to improve your business’ internal IT resources, although it is slow slow going to get the nuggets from the ‘cast.

Protests over fuel prices are starting to kick in again, with a number of convoys around the country on a go slow impacting traffic.  More details at BBC NEWS.  According to the BBC …

Treasury spokesman said the government understood business and families were “feeling the pressure from high fuel prices”.

But they said the “immediate priority” was to encourage oil-producing countries to increase output, that a 2p-per-litre fuel duty increase had been put back from April to October and fuel duty was “still 11% below its 1999 level, in real terms”.

The fact that the prices are 11% less in real terms, is misses the most crucial the point, which is the rate of change that is the problem, and that if fuel prices are to rapidly correct based on that real terms figures is going to really hit inflation.

The Telegraph a running a campaign with a petition to get the 2p price rise scheduled for October on fuels stopped, and to take actions to slow the rate that fuel prices are increasing. As you’ll have seen by my previous posts fuel costs are increasing at whole percentage points per month (rather than per year) at the moment. PetrolPrices.com have a range of figures reporting fuel prices as high as £1.37 per litre in parts of the country. Although the principal to slowly increase taxation on fuel to help fund public transport and encourage green activity maybe fun, the current rate of change is starting to make a notable impact on inflation, sufficiently so that it has the Mervyn King the head of the Bank of England has identified it as a factor on any number of occasions now.

The campaign includes a petition here which you may wish to sign.

del.icio.us tags: fuel, petrolPrices.com, deisel, prices, inflation, petrol, Telegraph, petition

A new graph showing April’s fuel prices is here …

The figures show that in the last month prices have jumped %1.3 on average for petrol and 3.5% on a month on month calculation this is on top of last month’s 2.9% and 5.4% respectively. If fuel prices are to climb in step with inflation (suggested to be 2.5% p.a.) we should be seeing monthly changes in the order of 0.2%. The question is, how long before this kind of fuel price acceleration is going to trigger inflation in the cost of necessary products such as food.

del.icio.us tags: fuel, prices, inflation, statistics

Camping the Monster way – folding chair fitted with water resistant speakers, amplifier in a pouch at the back of the chair, cup holders the lot.  Maplins for £15 (~$30).

Robin Williams in finest form ends up ‘hijacking’ a BBC debate with a bit of stand up comedy.  The good thing is the Beeb kindly kept the footage and posted it on their site – http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7325278.stm