Those of you who follow this blog know that I am an advocate of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0, but an equal zealot of Content Security. Indeed, it is no coincidence that the first two AIIM Market IQs focus on Content Security (released - available for download), and Enterprise 2.0 (in progress and slated for Q1 2008 availability.
New, more flexible and far reaching approaches to social computing and networking are very powerful, but all too often, proposers of such functionality feel that such forums need to be self-policing - free and open. Yeah - no. Earlier posts have made this case. Today, one of the poster children for Web 2.0 and social computing, Facebook, made my case once again.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly backed down on Facebook's Beacon advertisements and announced new modifications, aimed at better security and filters (see article). In my opinion, Zuckerberg is lucky that so far no one has sought legal action against him and his company. Zuckerberg is learning the hard way that even Web 2.0-inclined users still believe that some of their personal content is just that "personal". Things we may share with our "real friends", may not be things we want to publicly share with our several hundred "Facebook friends".
This event is an especially powerful commentary on the need to "manage" social networking. Facebook is often pointed to as a quintessential example of the power of social computing, popular with "generation millenials", representing the new attitude to networking and "making friends." When these millenials were personally exposed to the risks involved with unbridled access and sharing of their web experiences, they quickly cried foul, and demanded the protection that generations before them fought for - right to privacy.
In his post, Zuckerberg stated "We missed the right balance,". Oh yes indeed, and that is the balance between collaboration/innovation and protection/compliance that is the focus of the AIIM Market IQ on Content Security. Zuckerberg also apologized for the PR fiasco that followed, "It took us too long after people started contacting us to change the product so that users had to explicitly approve what they wanted to share," he wrote. "Instead of acting quickly, we took too long to decide on the right solution." Success in business today, more than ever, is founded in agility. This Web 2.0 company has many a enterprise 1.0 lessons to learn. (Interesting to note that the Market IQ slated for Q3 2008 is on process management and agility.)
It is also interesting to note that this current mistake made by Facebook is more complex than other privacy mistakes made by Facebook because it involved business partners (i.e advertisers). A number of Beacon participants are now also crying foul - stating that they will either temporarily or permanently pull out of the program. This level of complexity is just the tip of the iceberg regarding multi-client/partner relationships and collaborative processes.
The moral here, and one that is likely to be echoed in our upcoming Market IQ on Enterprise 2.0, the functionality available through Web 2.0/Enterprise 2.0 represents great opportunity, but tread cautiously and intelligently. Do not abandon "older" best practices and common sense when embracing new models. Deploying Facebook-like functionality inside the firewall (Enterprise 2.0) requires careful deployment and strategy, that includes good old fashioned management and security. Enterprises who have contemplated bringing Facebook inside the firewall may want to rethink that approach. This is not the first time Facebook has gotten access/security wrong. This popular millenial social tool may not be ready for business prime time.
