Web 2.0 & Social Media for SMEs

I've just finished a short guide for SMEs on using Web 2.0 and social media.  It is based on my experiences of working with companies in the local area and some interviews I did over the summer with a range of small businesses.  You can download it HERE.  If you think it is useful please feel free to pass it on.

I will also be running a training programme at the University of Brighton over November and December for companies that want an introduction to these technologies.  Click HERE for more information.

Confusion in the social technology space

This matrix from Jeremiah Owyang of the challenges facing the social technology industry does a good job of summarising the issues for developers and users of these technologies.  I think point 4 - Fast moving industry creates confusion - is one of the most important.  Confusion leads to poor choices being made by organisations in their selection of social technologies or, just as significant, no technology being chosen because of the fear of making the wrong choice.  Jeremiah illustrates this in the brand monitoring and community platform sectors:

"The technology is innovating faster than companies and institutions can’t keep up.  Furthermore, the list of choices is staggering, such as the 145 brand monitoring vendors and 125 community platforms."

Helping organisations cut through this confusion could be as big a business opportunity, at least in the short to medium term, as developing the technologies themselves.

Web services for SMEs

I've been doing some research into how SMEs are using the Web in their businesses.  In 2008 I did an online survey of over 500 SMEs and their use of technologies - the results are here.  Over the last few weeks I've been interviewing a number of these companies to discuss in more detail how they use a range of services from Twitter and Facebook to Google Docs and LinkedIn.  The results are interesting and show a wide range of awareness and confidence in using these tools.  Coming out of this research will be a training programme for SMEs to be delivered over the next academic year.  The graphic below summarises what these companies are using web services for and where individual services cut across multiple functions.

New ways of working for SMEs

I noticed this in the FT today - "Start-ups work online to cut cost" - the story reports on some research from the Entrepreneur Country website of 500 entrepreneurs and how they run their businesses.  The press release on the Entrpreneur Country website states:

"The research found that entrepreneurs are driving the adoption of new technology and leading new ways of working. 94 per cent of entrepreneurial companies say they are using free or low-cost technology and services, and 85 percent say they have adopted new ways of working, to help grow during this difficult economic climate.

Only just over half of entrepreneurial businesses take the traditional approach of renting their own office premises, with one in five now operating without an office and happy for staff to work from home or on the move. Hotel foyers, coffee shops and private membership clubs tend to operate as meeting and working locations when required."

The FT obviously had access to more details of the findings than in the press release and claims:

"A survey of fast-growing companies found that 94 per cent used free or low-cost online services - such as Skype, Google apps and LinkedIn - rather than pay for offices or for software such as wordprocessors.

LinkedIn, the social networking site aimed at business, was the most popular cheap technology being used - 78 per cent of the companies said they were subscribers.

The next most popular technology was Skype and other voice-over-internet services, used by 65 per cent of those surveyed."

It would be interesting to know more about the types of entrepreneurs which took part in the survey and how typical they are of start-up companies. However, it seems to chime with some research I am carrying out on SMEs and their use of web services.  I'll be reporting more on my research later in the summer as it progresses.