[SPOILER ALERT - I haven't solved the problem of ROI in social media. In fact, I mostly whine about it. But if that sounds good to you, read on. ;-)]
I posted earlier about my experience at the Enterprise 2.0 conference in Boston. Now that I’ve teed up the concept of the social business, I wanted to turn my attention to a favorite related topic: ROI. The very mention of those fearsome letters causes agencies everywhere to tremble in their [Whatever shoes cool people wear these days. It's been a long time since I knew.]
Since the concept of social inside a business is still relatively new, there’s naturally a lot of question about whether it’s a fad (like the internet) or whether it’s really here to stay (macrame classes at the adult education center). Erudite soul that I am, I figured I’d throw my hat into the ROI ring.
It’s certainly possible (although not always necessary) to spend a lot of money on "social" – depending how far you want to go. Every conference I’ve been to has had a bustling vendor area with folks who are eager to sell their wares into big companies – and many are buying. But the problem is that social technologies are disruptive technologies. And trying to measure the ROI of a disruptive force means that we’re trying to measure tomorrow’s business models by today’s standards.
In wikinomics, Don Tapscott argues that we’re entering the era of the collaboration economy – and exiting what we’ve come to know as the information economy. And if social/collaborative tools are what’s going to get us there, it’s kind of a fallacy to evaluate them based on information economy standards, isn’t it?
At the conference there were a lot of references to the fact that, after WWII, there was an enormous debate as to whether office workers should have telephones at their desks. Wouldn’t they just use them to waste time and gossip? And email – enormous amounts were spent on trying to study the ROI of email. And eventually the case was made that it would be better for people to HAVE email than NOT to. But the interesting thing is that people always debate and agonize over ROI before investments are made … but they rarely go back and actually see whether the ACTUAL results matched the PREDICTED results . . . it just sort of fades into history.
There are a lot of very knowledgeable folks (mostly in PR, perhaps not coincidentally) who’ve started bandying new terms about – terms like "Return on Engagement" and "Return on Interaction." And there’s a lot of relevance to what they’re saying. But it still feels to me like a partially veiled attempt to put a new economy square peg into an old economy hole.
As I declared up front, I haven’t licked the ROI problem. But I can say this: The answer is out there. I can feel it – and we’re all going to know it when we see it. In the meantime, I’m glad to work at a company that’s willing to invest in a future that it can sense, but not quite touch. And I think that’s enough good faith to give us a significant leg up on reaching an important (but equally nebulous) goal – to become a leader in the coming collaborative economy.
For those who are interested, I’ve embedded the video from the Enterprise 2.0 conference in which this was hotly debated:
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
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I just returned from the Enterprise 2.0 Conference in Boston — my first time there. The whole concept of enterprise 2.0 is a passion for me — so I figured that in the wake of the conference I’d talk a little bit about WHAT enterprise 2.0 is all about and WHY I think it’s a big deal.
While not everyone may be familiar with the e2.0 term, most people HAVE heard (ad nauseam) about Social Media and User Generated Content. And those concepts are related — although not the same. Social Media — and another favorite buzz-term, “User Generated Content,” — have already been disruptors in numerous industries. For example, “News” isn’t just what major media conglomerates tell us it is. It’s what all of us believe it is. And that has changed the face of radio, television, and especially newspapers, forever.
And while we all know what the news business ISN’T anymore, we don’t necessarily know what it WILL BE. We’re in a state of transition — that much is clear. And there was some really interesting dialog at e2.0 about the nature of that transition. Are businesses evolving? Or are we truly in a state of revolution?
Ross Mayfield, the founder of SocialText (and one of the most quotable guys you’ll ever see) had this to say in the evolution/revolution debate:
“Revolutions only happen when people don’t have a choice. Nice, easy evolutions occur when people have lots of choices.”
I found that pretty interesting . . . and it made me think about how that might apply to the healthcare industry. How much real choice do consumers have? For that matter, how much real access to information do they have?
Some folks at the Dachis Group whose thinking I admire just released a map of their vision for the social business (another, perhaps more sophisticated, way of articulating Enterprise 2.0).
Social Business Design Originally uploaded by David Armano While you’d have to read what David Armano or Peter Kim say about this to understand its full impact, what I can say is this: The social business is not about technology. And it’s not about PR. Or, more accurately, it’s about both of those things, but also much more. It’s about company culture. It’s about the way people work together. It’s about innovation — often open innovation. It’s about collaborating differently inside and outside your company. These are all things that we’re working through now at Humana.
So is social business an evolution or a revolution? If I had to make a call, I’d lean toward the latter. I think we’re coming to a place where new business models will reign — but we haven’t discovered those models yet. But in this economy, we’re running out of choices. And just ask Ross Mayfield what happens when people no longer have a choice.
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
Monday was a big day for my family. My wife went thru commencement and obtained her second degree from Indiana University. She is well on her way to achieving her goals, and I’m very proud of her. As part of the celebration, my family followed our tradition of having the guest of honor select a restaurant of their choice where the entire happy dysfunctional family met to enjoy the moment together.
You can imagine my surprise when my wife selected our local sushi bar. Let me clarify things for you, my wife and I both love sushi but several family members including my eighty year old grandparents are not quite accustomed to it. I was a little apprehensive but things worked out great. I was more than a little surprised to see granny mixing wasabi and trying several types of sushi, while my grandfather worked on his Thai Chicken.
That’s when I wondered if maybe being receptive to new things and remaining social is the key to longevity? My grandparents have been married for over 60 years and still go out several times a week to visit with friends and socialize. What they can do physically has decreased a bit but they stay active working in the yard and around the house. I know mental stimulation is important to happiness and can
decrease the risk of dementia but does it help you to live longer?
I don’t know but I did enjoy that meal and look forward to more surprises from the family. What do you think? Have you done anything with your parents or a grandparent that has surprised you?
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
In celebration of Mothers around the world – I’d like to share my favorite quote:
The world is full of women blindsided by the unceasing demands of motherhood, still flabbergasted by how a job can be terrific and tortuous.
The quote, written by Anna Quindlen, was liberating for me as a new (blindsided) mother, just beginning to experience the demands of motherhood. Hesitant to admit aloud that the role was both amazing and excruciating (sometimes all at once), I found freedom in hearing someone else describe my emotions so eloquently. Like millions of moms today, I found comfort and community in the maternal sisterhood of online moms. Access to moms like me across the world was one thing that helped me maintain my emotional health throughout the life-altering carnival ride of parenthood.
Now, two years after the birth of my first child, the euphoria of childbirth has faded a bit and been replaced by the reality of day to day tasks. Every day that passes brings more compassion and connection to mothers in the world who are struggling with the same issues as I, a deeper appreciation for the mothers in my life, and a forgiveness of sorts for my own mother, who as it turns out – is a mere mortal.
Recently, I read several articles online about Madlyn Primoff, the mother from Scarsdale, NY who made national headlines for "flipping out" because of her bickering daughters in the car. Primoff did what mothers have threatened to do since the invention the car. After several warnings, she stopped the car and made the kids get out. Then she drove around the block without them. When she went to pick them back up, one was where she had left her, and the other had taken off on her own, soon to be found at the local police station. Primoff was promptly arrested on child abandonment charges.
While I don’t advocate allowing frustration to drive you over the edge (no pun intended) – haven’t we all been there? Either as mothers or with our mothers, the threat to ‘stop this car’ is something that most people can relate to. I know my mother used the phrase, and even escalated it at times with “do you want me to stop this car and cut a switch?’ The implication of course being that the switch would be used to spank my behind for whatever bad behavior I was displaying. I don’t think she ever actually stopped the car but she did pump the brakes for drama.
I can certainly sympathize with Primoff’s situation – the feeling of being at your wits end when everything feels completely out of control. My daughter isn’t old enough to understand threats to ‘stop this car,’ but I have found myself in circumstances where I felt certain my sanity was at stake. Listening to a child scream to get out of her carseat for an hour and a half will do that to you. I remember sitting in the passenger seat on the way back from visiting family, staring at the invitingly-shiny chrome door handle just begging to be pulled – seriously considering jumping from the car. I would roll across the highway A-Team style and find another way home. Or just jump and not worry about the consequences. Anything to stop hearing the crying from the backseat when everything else had failed.
Feeling empathy for Madlyn Primoff made me feel better about my own loss of control over similar situations. Situations that I can look back on and laugh about now, but at the time were excruciating to experience. I think a similar emotion is behind why so many women are connecting in a deeply emotional way using the internet. Regardless of our access to maternal social circles, we still seek validation, compassion and connection online with others who are experiencing the same frustrations we are. Misery loves company, I suppose, and brings peace when shared.
As our culture has shifted from entire extended families raising children to at times single parents, many parents seek out friendship in people who endure similar difficulties for the same reasons we as humans found comfort in clans hundreds of thousands of years ago. Sharing makes hard times easier and good times even better.
I found national sites like Baby Center extremely helpful because the information was a hybrid of expert advice and commentary from moms everywhere. There are also great local sites like the Fit City Indy Mom’s Blog, which deals primarily with health and wellness topics and the Louisville segment of MomsLikeMe.
I’m also interested to hear what other sites are out there that have helped you keep your sanity throughout parenthood. Any other great ones to share?
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
To be clear, there is a distinction between social health and socialized health. I want to discuss the former in this post as the country argues over the latter. Fair? So healthcare companies like Cigna and WellPoint are doing innovative things in the realm of health and social technologies, and we’re definitely doing our fair share of exploring this new frontier at Humana.
We all have tools at our disposal that enable us to connect to one another quickly and easily, but they are just tools. Our question at Crumple it Up has become: how do we create a health epidemic focused on life and happiness? What can serve as the catalyst?
In my opinion, one catalyst will be social health with social technologies used as an enabler.
Active lifestyles lead to healthy hearts and minds, and one way that makes leading an active lifestyle enjoyable is to share the experiences with friends and family members. It stands to reason that if two people enjoy doing an activity by themselves, sharing that experience with one another will enhance the overall experience and make them both want to perform the activity together more often.
To connect social with activity is to also connect social with health.
From my own personal anecdotal archives, I remember while growing up that my mother used to walk around the neighborhood with friends and neighbors far more frequently then she would by herself. That time served two purposes:
1. It was a time for her to catch up on the local gossip
2. It was good for her.
She would coordinate her walks with friends because she knew it was good for her, but she would follow through because she had someone to do it with… When I left the house and went off to college, I refused to miss my standard daily workouts with friends at the fitness center for similar reasons.
In both cases, the chance to be social outweighed the need to be healthy. However, in both cases the activity generated from being social directly led to healthy behavior.
I want to explore this concept further on Crumple it Up, but would like to stop here to find out what you think? Is there a tie between social and health or am I off my rocker? What is your evidence, anecdotal or otherwise?
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
