Baseline Magazine has a very interesting article about how Proctor and Gamble is using blogs and other social software applications inside their corporation. The article is about 5 pages in length but there is value in reading through the entire article.
According to the article,
Roughly 600 employees author all of P&G’s 300 blogs, which offer personal perspectives on topics of professional interest, such as design, marketing and emerging technology. Many of P&G’s bloggers were engaged in blog-like activities prior to blogging, such as composing and sending regular newsletters or e-mails to employee groups. However, making the case to trade in e-mail for a blog, even these days, is a call for a culture clash.
The culture clash can be powerful at first, but the article shows how it may be worth the effort.
The article also points out –
But wikis aren’t just for internal collaboration. In late 2006, call-center software maker Angel.com created a wiki for customers and business partners to exchange information about products, including likes and dislikes. Angel.com also posted technical documentation, including troubleshooting tips to which customers contributed, according to Sam Aparicio, the firm’s chief technology officer.
The unanticipated result has been a reduction in formal technical support and a 10 percent jump in productivity for the McLean, Va., company. The boost, Aparicio estimates, is equivalent to an annual saving of $500,000, while the hosted wiki cost less than $10,000 during the same period.
You can read the full article at http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/Social-Softwares-Culture-Clash/
