Webify.Us

My last several posts have all been about Twitter. It is certain there will be more in the future. But, let’s move on for now. We have a lot of technology and tools to cover. I was just contemplating what to cover next, when I came across a tweet from master blogger Robert Scoble. In today’s post “Steve Ballmer still doesn’t understand social networking,“ Robert discusses Microsoft’s apparent disregard for social trends, specifically pertaining to social networking in this case.

Read through Robert’s post and the comments that others have left, and you’ll understand why there will not likely be many Microsoft products reviewed on this site (unless they release a product that is open and relevant). My take is that Microsoft tends to dismiss the relevance of anything they can’t make proprietary. So here is why Steve Ballmer doesn’t ‘choose’ to see the relevance of Web 2.0:

1) Web 2.0 is about collaboration.
2) Collaboration is reliant upon interoperability.
3) Proprietary and Interoperable are antonyms

Over the next few years, Microsoft will be trying to force themselves upon the business communications market. Business communications are becoming more collaborative thanks to Web 2.0 technologies. If they take a proprietary approach, their business communications customers will be taking a step backward. Industry standards are a good thing. Standards mean interoperability. I have yet to see any business value in walking backwards.

It just occurred to me what Twitter reminds me of. I’ve been a voice communications guy for more than 24 years. So, comparing Twitter to an equivalent traditional voice solution… Twitter is a Hoot-n-Holler system. Twitter does use text rather than voice, but is available to anyone, is more scaleable than typical hoot-n-holler, and allows you to receive the message via web interface, instant messaging, and SMS text messaging. How powerful is that?

Business Relevance…
Many organizations are using instant messaging as a communication tool today. It is faster and more conversational than email. With Twitter’s one-to-many capabilities, it adds an additional dimension to this common form of digital communication.

There is no cost for using Twitter. Privacy and direct messaging are standard features. This tool could definitely be used in many business environments.

Hello All,

Webify.Us is a thrilling endeavor for me. I’ve worked in the communications field for a long while (since 1983), and there has never been a more exciting time to be in this industry.

Some of you may have known me as a Nortel guy. I was the creator of a fairly active Norstar and BCM site in early 2005, BCMguy.com. Here is my profile from that site. It’s kind of funny to read through today. That was so yesterday! Of course, the benefits of converged voice and data on a common network are still valid today. But, a lot of the traditional PBX manufacturers seem to have stopped there. Applications, and the networks that enable them, are capable of so much more today.

I have also been a Moderator for the Nortel Forum on the exceedingly popular telephone system support site, Tech-Talk. Here is my Tech-Talk “Meet the Moderators” Biography.

After more than 24 years in this business, the whole concept of a “phone system” is becoming almost foreign to me. There are so many different means of communication available today; A traditional phone system can’t come close to integrating them all. Fortunately, the technology exists today to go far beyond “traditional” communications. Stick with Webify.Us to witness these new technologies and their integration into business communications platforms.

Thank you,
Marty Beutler