Social software has become pervasive including technologies such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. Interactive Web 2.0 technology is distinguished from earlier Internet channels, with content provided not only from the website host, but also and most importantly, user-generated content. These social technologies are increasingly entering the enterprise, involving complex social and psychological aspects as well as an understanding of traditional technology acceptance factors. Organizations trying to reap potential benefits of enterprise social software (ESS) must successfully implement and maintain ESS tools. This research develops a framework for assessing knowledge sharing based on reciprocal determinism theory and augmented with technology acceptance, sociological, and psychological factors. Semi-structured interviews with IT professionals, followed by a written survey of employees using ESS are used to collect data. The hermeneutic circle methodology is used to analyze the interview transcripts and structural equation modeling is used to analyze the survey data. Results show technological advantage has no significant effect on the intention to share knowledge, but community cohesiveness and individual willingness significantly affect knowledge sharing intention and behavior. The study offers a synthesized model of variables affecting knowledge sharing as well as a better understanding of best practices for organizations to consider when implementing and maintaining ESS tools for employee knowledge sharing and collaboration.

This study is motivated by several factors. First, the current increase in the number of products developed for business labeled “social software” to support social networking at work. Secondly, there is a great deal of skepticism and question marks concerning social software’s usefulness, usability and added value to the corporate world. There is also uncertainty of the side effects and how these factors can be measured and concerns if a SSE can act as an integrated part of the daily routines for employers work or not.

Dieses Paper beschreibt die Entwicklung und die Erprobung eines Fragebogens, der bisherige Untersuchungsinstrumente im Kontext der Lernstrategie-Forschung durch die Fokussierung auf selbstorganisiertes Lernen bei der Verwendung von Social Software ergänzt. Dazu wird im Anschluss an die Darstellung der Motivation selbstorganisiertes Lernen defi niert sowie hierzu bestehende Fragebogeninventare vorgestellt, bevor auf die veränderten Lernstrategien im Social Web eingegangen wird. In den weiteren Abschnitten werden die Entwicklung des ergänzenden Inventars zur Messung selbstorganisierten Lernens im Social Web sowie bisherige Ergebnisse des Einsatzes dieses Inventars dargestellt. Diese weisen überwiegend sehr hohe Reliabilitätswerte auf, was darauf hindeutet, dass die explorativ erschlossenen Items die jeweiligen Dimensionen abbilden. Allerdings lassen die z.T. hohen Korrelationswerte zwischen einigen Skalen vermuten, dass diese sich nicht klar voneinander abtrennen lassen. Der folgende Aufsatz stellt somit einen Beitrag zur Diskussion über die Messung selbstorganisierten Lernens im Social Web dar.

Depuis près d'une décennie, les outils issus du Web 2.0 s'insèrent dans la sphère de l'entreprise et sont présentés comme participant d'un changement technologique et managérial majeur. Pour autant, on constate des lacunes théoriques dans la caractérisation des régimes collaboratifs proposés par ces nouveaux objets, réunis sous la bannière du Social Software. Nous proposons ici d'explorer les dimensions à travers lesquelles les objets de Social Software proposent un renouvellement des régimes collaboratifs. Ce projet nous amène d'abord à présenter les évolutions techniques et paradigmatiques entre Groupware et Social Software. Dans un deuxième temps, nous réalisons une exploration empirique du champ via l'analyse des discours commerciaux d'éditeurs de Social Software et la présentation de quatre dispositifs que nous qualifions au regard des taxonomies issues des champs du Computer Supported Cooperative Work et de l'Entreprise 2.0. Nous enrichissons cette analyse par la modélisation des trajectoires d'évolution des quatre dispositifs faisant l'objet de nos études de cas, au travers d'un cadre conceptuel centré sur l'objet technique. Enfin, nous proposons un cadre inédit pour la caractérisation des régimes de collaboration proposés par les dispositifs de Social Software. Cette recherche nous amène à rediscuter des liens entre les technologies et les modalités de pilotage de l'action collective dans les organisations. / For the last decade, Web 2.0 tools have entered the corporate sphere and are considered as part of a major technical and managerial shift. However, there is still a lack of theoretical framework to define the collaborative regimes that the new objects of Social Software carry. In this dissertation, we explore the dimensions through which Social Software objects offer a renewal of collaborative regimes. First, we highlight the technical and paradigmatic evolutions between Groupware and Social Software. Then we carry an empirical exploration of the field of Social Software, by analyzing publishers' commercial discourse and presenting four devices that we describe through the taxonomical frameworks of Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Enterprise 2.0. This analysis is supplemented by the modelization of the four devices' evolution paths, relying on a conceptual framework that focuses on the technical object. Finally, we suggest a novel framework to define the collaboration regimes proposed by Social Software devices. This research leads us to further discuss the links between technology and the management of collaboration.

Dieses Paper beschreibt die Entwicklung und die Erprobung eines Fragebogens, der bisherige Untersuchungsinstrumente im Kontext der Lernstrategie-Forschung durch die Fokussierung auf selbstorganisiertes Lernen bei der Verwendung von Social Software ergänzt. Dazu wird im Anschluss an die Darstellung der Motivation selbstorganisiertes Lernen defi niert sowie hierzu bestehende Fragebogeninventare vorgestellt, bevor auf die veränderten Lernstrategien im Social Web eingegangen wird. In den weiteren Abschnitten werden die Entwicklung des ergänzenden Inventars zur Messung selbstorganisierten Lernens im Social Web sowie bisherige Ergebnisse des Einsatzes dieses Inventars dargestellt. Diese weisen überwiegend sehr hohe Reliabilitätswerte auf, was darauf hindeutet, dass die explorativ erschlossenen Items die jeweiligen Dimensionen abbilden. Allerdings lassen die z.T. hohen Korrelationswerte zwischen einigen Skalen vermuten, dass diese sich nicht klar voneinander abtrennen lassen. Der folgende Aufsatz stellt somit einen Beitrag zur Diskussion über die Messung selbstorganisierten Lernens im Social Web dar.

Today more and more companies are looking out to adopt a new generation intranet, a social intranet where all employees can engage to express themselves and share information. There are large expectations on these new services, which have the opportunity to create high business value if used actively and qualitatively. However, there is a large challenge in knowing how to best implement these services in an organization in order to achieve this. This paper has investigated how an implementation should be made by defining obstacles for the implementation and adoption, discussing how they could be overcome, investigating what incentives could be used to foster usage and finding common success factors for an implementation. By a qualitative research method, consisting of five case studies and two focus area interviews we found a number of steps that must be followed for an implementation to be successful. First the conditions of the organization must be investigated in order to see whether or not social tools are suitable. If deciding to implement social tools the project must then at an early stage be defined in the organization, when it comes to desired achievements, responsibilities, governance, financing and transfer pricing. Thereafter the suitable platform and tools should be chosen by defining the organization’s user groups, studying their needs and translating them into features, deciding whether to replace or complete the existing intranet and choosing a platform based on recognition and application handiness. The next step is to prepare the tools for launch by creating structures, integrating with existing systems and forming guidelines for usage. The launch should then be made by combining a bottom-up with a top-down approach. It should include choosing a pilot for focused efforts and general marketing. Managers and leaders should be instructed separately before instructing each user group. To help the launch suitable ambassadors should be used. The sixth step is to stimulate activity by the use of stars and medals and by emphasizing good material and achievements. Finally, the last step is to follow up the implementation by measuring the outcome and interviewing employees.

This paper is an introduction to wikis for health librarians. While using wikis in health is now well-established, their gradual rise is similar to other Web 2.0 tools like blogs and RSS feeds. The same principles of collaboration, knowledge-sharing and socialization apply to wikis. Easy-to-use, interactive and built on open platforms (though not all are free), wikis offer a number of marketing and teaching opportunities for health librarians. Ironically, due to the prominence of Wikipedia - which paved the way for the broader acceptance of Web 2.0 technologies - wikis are moving beyond the collaborative writing of encyclopedia entries. Wikis are now used for all kinds of projects, from managing internal library content to revising important reference sources, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). That said, some physicians and librarians express grave concerns about using wikis to create reference works; particularly, how questionable authority and editorial controls may result in medical errors. We argue that wikis were not necessarily meant to replace trusted print and digital information. When used responsibly as part of an overall content management plan, wikis can enhance our traditional collections and services. The authors predict that wikis will continue their rise in medicine through 2008, which will lead to other creative uses and applications in health libraries.

Although social searching is not a new phenomenon, its features of collaboration, conversation, and interaction in a social space among users make it an imperative element of Web 2.0 technologies. The emerging popularity of folksonomies with users generating their own labeling system has allowed social searching to distinguish itself from traditional search engines such as Google and Yahoo. This paper discusses a number of social search tools, including Google Custom Search, Del.icio.us, Youtube, and Flickr, tools that the authors find useful for the practice of a health information professional.

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