Collaboration, take conversations out of email, Ross Mayfield, SocialText

Build company knowledge by taking conversations out of email – Be the Voice podcast

October 13th, 2008

Episode ten of the “Be the Voice” podcast stars Ross Mayfield who is the cofounder, chairman, and president of SocialText, a social business software platform.

What is the “Be the Voice” podcast? Interviews with individuals developing thought leadership for themselves and their organization to drive business growth.
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Here are some of the highlights from my interview with Ross Mayfield:

Summary (Ross Mayfield):

You can’t dictate collaboration within an organization. Find a small area where it would excel, introduce it, and then roll it out in concentric circles to other groups that have interest and can provide unique value.
Collaboration needs a clear business purpose. You can’t have collaboration without a goal.
Take all content out of email to build a company knowledge base of the revolving door of employees, plus a back channel on what the company thinks on a given issue.
If one significant person changes their process to be more collaborative and open, it can change the process for an entire organization
PR has evolved to add value in conversations and be agents for collaboration. It’s not just about connecting clients with press.
When you ask for permission to market to your audience, immediately offer some value in return.
Even if someone’s collaboration intentions is purely to promote themselves, still engage if there’s a connection to your brand.
Collaboration needs to involve multiple individuals within an organization and not just one person, because that one person is just a resume away from leaving and taking that company goodwill with him.

Read the entire article and listen to my interview with Ross Mayfield [24:06 m].