IBM has a long history of collaboration among employees dating back to internal discussion forums in 1986. Today, IBM's brand strategy focuses on highlighting employees and their expertise and innovations through various social media platforms. IBM employees are actively involved in social computing through blogs, wikis, and innovation programs, and their expertise and ideas are surfaced both internally and externally online. This involvement helps IBM work toward its goal of creating a Smarter Planet by developing new technologies and solutions through employee-driven innovation and participation.
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Using social media to create the world’s largest supercomputer
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Online collaboration is nothing new to IBM. Today on our intranet, you can find discussion threads that were started two decades before the Internet was introduced.
In the 1970s, IBM mainframe programmers started discussion forums on the IBM System 370 terminals so they could collaborate to solve problems.
Those discussion forums have spawned a massive array of employee-generated platforms and content types at IBM.
Over the past decade, we have aggressively launched internal social media platforms to encourage employees to self publish and collaborate.
Blogs, social networks, user-generated media, etc.
YELLOW LINE: Instances of employee/User Generated content (blogs, comments, videos, podcasts, etc.)
BLUE LINE: Instances of corporate-created content (articles, blogs, speeches, etc.).
This is flipping the system on its side. Employees are now the publishers and the corporation is simply an enabler.
Phase 2: Demonstrating substance… through IBM expertise.
Featuring IBMers throughout our efforts: advertising, social media, events, media relations and blogger outreach.
TV ads. Why did we choose these individuals? Because of their social footprint.
We engaged bloggers through our IBM Experts extensively. More than 2,300 blog posts featuring the Smarter Planet initiative.
IBM-Huffington Post program:
Why?
Scale and enagement.
A platform for IBM experts to engage directly with the worlds most active online community. <Going where the community already exists and engaging with them there>
Features IBM experts blogging about healthcare, government 2.0 and sustainability.
Smarter Ideas section curates content from IBM and non IBM experts we think is key to understanding Smarter Planet and getting involved.
Introducing People for a Smarter Planet.
Moving from Telling people about Smarter Planet to helping them Experience Smarter planet.
Collection of participatory communities where people can literally get involved on some level in creating a Smarter Planet. Help people recognize and participate in Instrumented, Interconnected, Intelligent.
You’ll see programs like, Creekwatch. An iPhone app developed by IBM Research people can use to record conditions they observe in their local rivers and waterways. That data is then aggregated together to provide data on the nation’s watersheds and supplies.
Initial launch is on Facebook
You can join.
Help us build the world’s LARGEST Supercomputer.
WCG: Ranked 6th today. With a million more, we can build the world’s largest supercomputer.
To fight cancer. To find a cure for HIV/AIDS. To find renewable energy. YOU CHOOSE WHAT ITS USED FOR.
Join us at People for a Smarter Planet.