Two signs Web 2.0 has gone mainstream

I've meant to post about this for a while, but then again I've meant to just post at all for a while: In the last two weeks I've gotten notices about two fairly mainstream organizations that I am was affiliated with introducing their new Web 2.0 functionality.

I got this one about two weeks ago:

Introducing RSS and Social Bookmarking

New services make it easier to subscribe to and share Quarterly articles.

When you subscribe to our McKinsey Quarterly RSS feed, you receive personalized headlines with summaries and links to our articles on mckinseyquarterly.com. Once you create a feed, you will be provided with a custom URL to view your feed, as well as an easy way to add the feed to your own news reader, such as My Yahoo! or Google Reader.

Click here to create your personalized Quarterly feed.

Social Bookmarking is a way to share and discuss Quarterly articles with a larger community. The Share tool integrates Digg, Del.icio.us, Technorati, and Newsvine into our article and abstract pages.

Today, I got this from my b school:

Today, we are proud to launch the School’s new social networking application. It will bring our community closer together, changing the way we communicate and share ideas, information, and interests with each other. In addition to offering improved access to the School’s distinguished alumni network, the application will enable you to more fully explore and utilize the breadth and depth of knowledge, experience, and opportunities made available not only by your fellow alumni, but also by current faculty and students.

By integrating existing directory information with job postings, industry-standard technologies such as Picasa™, Flickr™, and YouTube™, Columbia Business School-specific articles and content, and other rich social networking features, your connection to the School and to the people who make it the extraordinary place that it is will be constantly enhanced.

We encourage you to stay connected. To get started, log into www.gsb.columbia.edu/alumni.


I see this as a sign that RSS, Social Networking and tagging is going mainstream. For some of you that read this blog (and I think there are 3 or 4 of you left) you're probably saying, "no sh&t Crofton," but I'd bet if you ask the majority of the folks on the street, and certainly the majority over 35, if they know what RSS, Social Networking, tagging etc are, they'd say no. Admittedly, Columbia and McKinsey are not great signs of what's happening on Main Street, but the fact that they're offering their alumni/readers these tools is a surely a sign of the mainstreaming of the these technologies.

I'm admittedly more intrigued about the CBS "social networking application" (really? that's the name? world class marketing dept and that's what we come up with?) then I am about tagging my favorite Quarterly articles. I'm wondering if folks will really upload their info to yet another social networking site. My sense is that given that's it's the business school and the focus is on the network, that this thing is going to be as exciting as LinkedIn. Not saying that LinkedIn isn't useful, but I don't really think of it as a social networking application as much as a good way of keeping track of were former colleagues and classmates now work. I'll likely upload my info at some point. right after I get writing my next post.


[McKinsey Quarterly][Columbia Business School][Social Networking][RSS][Columbia Social Networking]

New versions of SAP GRC solutions

SAP announced new versions of several Governance, Risk & Compliance solutions at the recent GRC2008 conference. (the conference itself was very good by the way. I had the opportunity to co-present the Jumpstart day as well as an EPM/GRC presentation with our partner Protiviti). Hope that folks don't take this as blatant shilling, but these are the solutions that I spend my days (and nights/weekends) talking about. There's a link to the press release, but here are a couple of things that I personally think are cool:

SAP GRC Access Control 5.3

• This is SAP's Segregation of Duties management solution. Originally part of the Virsa acquisition, SAP has released several versions and enhancements in the last couple of years. For those who think that SAP only focuses on SAP ERP customers, note that this version brings more provisioning functionality to Oracle, JDE and Peoplesoft customers.

SAP GRC Process Control 2.5

• SAP's internal controls management solution, Process Control along with Access Control can be used to automate SOX compliance.
  
• This solutions allows for testing and monitoring of both manual and automatic controls.

SAP GRC Risk Management

• This solution is based on the tool that SAP uses internally in its own Enterprise Risk Management program.
• This version has integration to SAP Strategy Management thus bringing together Enterprise Performance Management and GRC.
  

SAP GRC Global Trade Services 7.2

• New integration between SAP GRC GTS and the SAP Environmental, Health, and Safety (EH&S)
• Expanded certifications for country-specific processes
  

[SAP] [SAP GRC] [GRC] [Virsa] [Access Control] [Process Control]
[GTS] [Risk Management]

Please let me do business with you

I'm writing this, my first post in exactly two months, from Amtrak's Acela Express train on route to Philadelphia (I'm actually heading to SAP's Newtown Square US HQ). I'm a big fan of the Acela and to a large degree of Amtrak. Fairly high level of service and especially so given its quasi-governmental status.

I'm not feeling so warm-and-fuzzy about Citibank given a recent experience. As background, I've been a Citibank customer for over 10 years and have two checking and one savings account with them. I've had personal loans and other accounts in the past. Admittedly, I have very modest sums deposited with them. However, recently I've been wanting to open a brokerage account. (I'd like to lose just enough money picking individual stocks to re-confirm my hypothesis that I should be just buying index funds).

But I digress. Point is, I call up Citibank to inquire about how to open a brokerage account, how much per trade, if there is an annual fee etc. Now I just didn't call because I like the sound of my own voice, but rather because I couldn't find this information on Citi's website. It seemed I had to have a "financial advisor" or somebody similar call me. Uh, it's a brokerage account to buy a few stocks, not a wealth management relationship. So I called. A nice gentlemen who sounded like he might actually be located in this country explained to me that the information I sought was not online. Furthermore, I couldn't open an account online or over the phone, but he'd be happy to send me the paperwork. When I asked if he could email it, he replied that the material was actually mailed, which I understand is some arcane form of communication that involves dead trees. He was nice enough, but unable to help me. At the same time, I had Fidelity's web page up. There was the information I needed online and a link to open an account. Oh, and there was no account fee and the commission was cheaper.

So, what's the deal? Does Citibank have inefficient processes? Are they not savvy enough to have the information on the website (weird as they have won awards for their online banking site)? Or, are they trying to get younger customers to self-select away from their brokerage accounts because they likely have less money under management? Whatever the answer, I know have a new brokerage account and it's not with Citi. However, this non-Citi account has just one long position. In a bit of irony, guess what the first "buy" I initiated today was? C



[Citibank]

Estonia's hi-tech "embassy"

Worked from home today so I listened to NPR (does that make me a New York Liberal?) while answering emails. Two stories on Estonia and technology on today. The first one is about Estonia opening a technology Embassy in Silicon Valley. (more here).

The Enterprise Estonia Technology Embassy will open up new investment opportunities to the Silicon Valley/Bay Area region and bring in an infusion of new ideas and technology talent.

I have a good friend from Estonia and have visited there so this is of special interest to me. What is particularly interesting and found in the 2nd NPR story here is that Estonia doesn't suffer from a brain drain as do many other small countries. That was according to Skype manager Sten Tamkivi. Also, the country is incredibly wired and Internet savvy: 98 percent of banking transactions made electronically; 80 percent plus of income tax filings by individual citizens were filed electronically.

[Estonia]

Jeff Nolan's new role at NewsGator

My old boss Jeff Nolan has an expanded role at NewsGator. He's going to be running their SaaS business.

NewsGator's SaaS business, which encompasses the company's syndication and data services offerings, today has more than 50 media and online publishing customers, including USA Today, Media General, Discovery Channel and CNN. Using NewsGator's Widget Framework, underlying content network and editorial tools, these customers are able to extend their content and brands while positively impacting important online metrics that enhance their economics.

His new employees are lucky as he's a great boss. "Low key" and "hands off" are the ways I would describe his management style. As long as you get your work done on time and it is of a high quality you've got no problems and nobody riding your back. Just watch out if you've got an MBA as you'll likely to be referred as an "MBA monkey." However, you'll probably learn more working for Jeff then you did during your MBA so it's a small price to pay.

[Jeff Nolan][NewsGator]

The other 53 % are liars

In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.

Liar, liar, pants on fire. C'mon I don't know anyone who hasn't Googled themselves. I've got to admit, and maybe I'm just narcissistic, but I Google myself at least once a month. By doing so, I recently learned that there is some guy with my name who is in the movie business. He's even worked with Jet Li. How cool is that?

Links for 12/12/07

Here are a couple of links I found interesting

Oracle acquires Moniforce

• Moniforce's software monitors network traffic to measure the performance and availability of Web applications from the perspective of the end user. Oracle said Moniforce's technology would be a valuable addition to the business software maker's Enterprise Manager software, which provides a more extensive view of application performance throughout the enterprise.
  
• I'm guessing this gets branded as part of Fusion Middleware. Which according to the ad on the back of my newest Economist is the "Leader in Middleware." hmm, who knew?
• Another in a long line of Oracle acquisitions

Larry Ellison Controls NetSuite's Destiny Despite IPO

• Ellison remains the majority shareholder of NetSuite, with his share of the company expected to drop from 61% to about 55% following the IPO. A few of his family members will keep control of another 11% of the company after its IPO. Ellison, however, plans to transfer his shares to a "lockbox" limited liability company to eliminate his voting control over NetSuite directors, and also to "avoid potential future conflicts of interest that might otherwise arise," according to NetSuite's prospectus.....Still, Ellison controls NetSuite's destiny. According to the prospectus, he has control over "significant corporate transactions," including a sale or even liquidation of the company.
  

SAP, VMWare ink support pact

• VMWare said Tuesday that SAP will support its software running on VMWare's ESX erver, in 64-bit Windows and Linux environments.
• Vinnie has his take here. Surprisingly, he expresses some scepticism
• Larry at ZDnet also weighs in

[SAP][Oracle][NetSuite][VMWare]

SAP unveils its first software for iPhone

This is pretty cool. Not that I have an iPhone, I'm solidly a Blackberry guy.


SAP said on Tuesday that new software for sales-force automation that it is hailing as one of the most user-friendly products to date would be compatible with Apple's iPhone. SAP, a maker of business management software, will include the program as part of new sales-force automation software that it is launching this month.

[SAP][iPhone][CRM]