Young, successful and rich - Piers Daniell, the 26 year-old managing director of telecommunications provider Fluidata, is the kind of person that should make you feel sick.

But rather than feeling the penetrating force of the green eye of envy, Daniell makes you feel at ease - which is nice. The amiable entrepreneur has some interesting stories about his current business, the computer firm he set up at 15 years of age, and other opportunities for fame and fortune.

One such opportunity was when Daniell made the short-list of the final 40-or-so candidates for the first series of BBC TV programme 'The Apprentice'.

Making it to the last 40 meant Daniell was involved in the final elimination day, where potential candidates completed a series of tasks. He says the decision to select candidates was based purely on the opinion of TV executives - and perhaps unsurprisingly, Daniell says the "noisy and obnoxious candidates" were selected.

But what of Alan Sugar? Daniell says the business tycoon was not involved in the initial selection process. And would have been keen on working for Sugar?

"I didn't even know who he was," says Daniell - but the Fluidata chief says his mother did once own an Amstrad PC.

Further reading

• 'The Apprentice' + Aston Business School = hype
• Men like women in short skirts, says research
• "Glamorous" PR tarred with IT nerd brush
• Be proud of being a technology nerd
• IT skills crisis not solved via death by Powerpoint
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Yesterday was 'No Internet Day' (NID). Well, it was in my house. My wife has become tired of my reliance on the internet at home. But you know, checking if Aston Villa have signed a right back is important.

And there's always some vitally important question that needs to be Googled. My wife does not agree, however.

"I don't believe you can go a whole day without using the internet," she said yesterday, before announcing it was NID.

But I successfully rose to the challenge - and only really started to get withdrawal symptoms by late evening. By then, my mind was starting to crumble under the weight of questions that needed to be Googled.

Still, I managed it. And it turns out NID is a bit of global phenomena (Google "No Internet Day" and see what I mean).

Maybe next weekend should be NGD ("No Google Day" - you can use the internet, but not to find pointless answers to pointless questions).

Further reading

• Dane-Elec Zpen - better than over-hyped iPhone?
• Instant messaging is a slippery fish for some firms
• How can you make money from social networking?
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

A healthy dose of scepticism is always good, especially when it comes to new technology. My colleague Bryan Glick hammers the proverbial nail on the head when he talks about the hype surrounding the Apple iPhone. El Glicko says on his blog:

"Perhaps I’ve been in this game too long and the cynicism has set in after seeing too many product launches, but if anything is more likely to turn me off the iPhone – already the most over-hyped technology product in history – it’s the stage-managed artifice surrounding a me-too, catch-up phone."

Lots of people have commented on his blog, telling him he's wrong. But as I said, a healthy dose of scepticism is always good. Which brings me on to the Dane-Elec Zpen.

I got invited to the launch of the Zpen the other day. Very nice it was, too - sipping champagne on the London Eye. Dane-Elec UK country manager Mark Thuilliez demonstrated the digital pen, stating how the intuitive device allows the user to write on any kind of paper - and convert handwritten notes into digital text for word processing.

I was not convinced. For a start, I have a childish, joined-up scrawl - surely indecipherable to a digital device. Anyway, after quaffing the posh wine, I returned home and charged up the device. And I was amazed - this pen is the business.

Apart from translating my name as Hard - which you have to admit, is pretty cool - the pen was word-perfect. That was only about 30-or-so words; not had time for much else yet. But I'll give the Zpen a thorough work out ASAP.

Given the device is intuitive, I expect the response will improve. Also, just think of the potential business applications - such as time-saving for chemists that struggle to decipher the doctor's scrawl.

Nice gadget, me thinks. And better than an over-hyped iPhone? You'd better ask Bryan about that...

Further reading

• Instant messaging is a slippery fish for some firms
• Vodafone deal boost mobile social networking
• Mobile social networking is a community thing
• How can you make money from social networking?
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

So, I was recently a judge for the Highams Business Technology Book of the Year award; had a couple of months to read the following short-list:

• Wikinomics - Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
• IT and the East – James Popkin and Partha Iyengar
• Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days – Jessica Livingston
• Riding the Whirlwind: Connecting people and organisations in a culture of innovation – Fons Trompenaars
• The Cult of the Amateur – Andrew Keen

There were five judges in total - "all influential individuals from the IT and business space," says the press release. Which is nice, I guess.

Anyway, the award ceremony took place earlier this week on the top floor of 'the Gherkin' tower, near Liverpool Street station in London. It was a posh early morning bash, with exceptionally tasty fresh orange juice. Good views from the top, too.

The eventual winner was Atlantic Books' Wikinomics, the best-selling book about the future of collaboration. If you haven't already read the book, here are my thoughts:

"Collaboration is a fascinating area and 'Wikinomics' does provide a thorough investigation of the significant issues – such as leading pioneers, effect on the workplace and key platforms."

Other judges thought the following:

“Wikinomics zags whilst others zig and it is counter intuitive. It opens up for those who embrace the sharing approach, and offers a unique way of generating competitive advantage and acceleration on the value proposition,” said Sir Eric Peacock, chairman of The Academy of Chief Executives

“A challenging book, in so much that it presents the opening of a totally different world and one that changes the very way we will think and act,” said Alan Howarth, chairman of Highams Group

A worthy winner, methinks.

Further reading

• Fair play is affected by social networks
• How can you make money from social networking?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Who says crazy dot com valuations are dead? Not financial investors, who remain keen to spend on social networking platforms.

LinkedIn announced last week it had secured $53m (£27m) in funding. The new investment, which represents about five per cent of LinkedIn, values the company at $1.015bn (£515m).

The news followed Microsoft’s $240m (£122m) investment in Facebook last year, which helped value the platform at $15bn (£7.6bn).

Such valuations illustrate the potential strengths of social networks, with firms such as LinkedIn drawing revenue from advertising, job search and subscriptions.

The problem is that there are only so many social networks that individuals will be willing and have the time to participate in.

Future growth will rely on regional variations, says LinkedIn managing director Kevin Eyres.

The firm expects to invest more heavily in the European market, and hopes a regional approach will help members to “derive more value from their network”.

Some individuals have already attempted to make more from their network, such as a former employee of recruitment firm Hays who allegedly used LinkedIn to approach clients for his own agency. The High Court, however, ordered him to hand over the business contacts he built up on his personal page.

Employers will see the decision as a potential step change ­ particularly firms that struggle to understand how to provide and monitor social networking.

Executives often worry that workers are using networks to leak corporate information.

Such concerns are understandable, with one-third of IT professionals saying that they use their privileged rights to gain access to information that is confidential or sensitive, according to Cyber-Ark Software.

The High Court decision shows firms will go to significant lengths to protect confidential information.

While venture capitalists will be keen to back innovative ideas, entrepreneurs need to think carefully about how their intellectual property has been generated.

Modern forms of collaboration can help create value, but only if you play by the traditional rules of business.

Further reading

• How can you make money from social networking?
• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Everyone is suddenly talking about the responsiveness of the IT department to line-of-business demand. Not so long ago, technology professionals might have worked in isolation ­ now users tell the IT department what they need and chief information officers (CIOs) are charged with working to the business’ requirements.

Agility is the term most often banded about in an attempt to sum up the transformation from technology-pushed innovation to on-demand development.

Attend any conference and you can expect speakers ­- both on the business and supplier side ­- to talk about the need for “strategic business agility”. But what does the term really mean?

In this month’s cover feature, Computing Business talks to chief information officers and line-of-business executives about their perspectives on agility.

The most insightful comment comes from independent financial services consultant Margaret Smith, who says the term agility is little used beyond the IT function.

“I do not know anyone outside IT who talks about business agility. They just expect it -­ and get extremely frustrated when IT does not deliver it,” she says.

Do not turn off, then, when you hear people talking about the need for agility. While use of the term is contentious and often smothered in marketing hype, the concepts that agility represent are critical.

You will need to cut through the flannel and find out the technology needs of users across the business. Such an on-demand way of working creates specific challenges for CIOs, not least the development of smooth interaction between the top tiers of management.

IT directors are aware of the need for smarter collaboration. As many as 97 per cent of CIOs believe the partnership between IT and the business is absolutely critical to obtaining agility, according to research from senior IT leaders’ forum CIO Connect.

At the same time, however, progress towards alignment is often stalled by internal working methods. CIO Connect research suggests only 27 per cent of IT leaders believe their organisation has the culture and processes in place to encourage agile relationships.

Now is the time to analyse the way decisions are made across your business. Agility might seem like a nebulous concept, but the competitive advantage of your company will rely on rapid and effective responses.

Further reading

• Simon Pitt to lead IT at the Environment Agency
• CIO concerns: Rob Fraser switches Boots for CSC
• CIOs will need to transform to survive
• Career moves: Robin Terrell is John Lewis web MD
• Career moves: Steve Markwell is new NCC CEO
• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CEO
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Who says crazy dot com valuations are dead? Not financial investors, with today's $1bn valuation of professional network LinkedIn following on from last year's $15bn valuation of social networking site Facebook.

LinkedIn has just announced it has secured $53m in funding. The investment is led by Bain Capital Ventures, with additional reinvestment from the company’s existing backers including Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners.

The new $53m investment, which represents about 5 per cent of LinkedIn, values the company at $1.015bn. Microsoft's $240m helped value Facebook at $15bn last year.

So, why the £1bn valuation of LinkedIn? Well, the firm's revenues draw on advertising, job search and subscriptions. The network has 23 million members worldwide and membership growth rates are currently at 361 per cent year-on-year.

But there are only so many social networks that individuals will be willing - or more importantly, have the time - to participate in. Future growth will rely on regional variations, says Kevin Eyres, European managing director at LinkedIn:

“The new funds will enable us to invest more heavily in the European market - a geography for whom networking and business knowledge-sharing continues to accelerate and will help our members derive more value from their network so that each individual and business can more effectively compete on the global market.”

Further reading

• How can you make money from social networking?
• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

The last two posts on this blog have been about the lack of innovation in the UK and the growing importance of research in China. The apparent shift east of leading-edge thinking makes for depressing reading, especially in an increasingly globalisaed market.

Of course, different results from different surveys can present a different story. And as if to elucidate the point, researcher the RAND Corporation has released a study that concludes that the United States remains the dominant leader in science and technology, despite perceptions that the nation - and the West, more generally - is losing a competitive edge.

RAND reports the US accounts for 40 per cent of the global spending on scientific R&D, employs 70 per cent of the world’s Nobel Prize winners and is home to three-quarters of the world’s top 40 universities.

More pointedly, a continuing flow of scientists in to the US has helped - and continuing the flow of foreign-born talent is critical to helping the US maintain its lead, says Titus Galama, co-author of the report and a management scientist at RAND:

“Much of the concern about the United States losing its edge as the world’s leader in science and technology appears to be unfounded. But the United States cannot afford to be complacent. Effort is needed to make sure the nation maintains or even extends its standing.”

The RAND research says that while China is investing heavily in R&D, it does not yet account for a large share of world innovation - which continues to be dominated by the US, Europe and Japan.

But as yesterday's blog posting demonstrated, if patent filings in China continue to grow at the current rate, the the State Intellectual Property Office of China will overtake the United States Patent and Trademark Office by 2012.

Further reading

• China is pushing innovation, says Evalueserve
• Take a risk on innovation and you might just win
• Growing risk of litigation threatens IT innovation
• How can the CIO gain respect for IT innovation?
• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• There is a depressing lack of innovation in UK IT

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Cheerio, China. When it comes to innovation, the fast-developing economy is moving quickly and will soon leave western economies in the distance. Research firm Evalueserve reports the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of China received 694,153 patent applications in 2007, an increase of 21.1 percent over the previous year.

With regard to invention patents, China is currently third in the world behind the United States and Japan. And if patent filings in China continue to grow at the current rate, the SIPO will overtake the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) by 2012.

China has prepared well. Evalueserve reports the country has developed its patent system significantly during the last two decades. It has incorporated an online and searchable patent database, a robust appeal mechanism and a hierarchy of courts for handling intellectual property disputes.

As a result, patent processing speed has increased. More than four million patent applications were filed from early 1985 to December 2007. And while the first million applications were filed over 15 years, the last million took only 18 months.

Further reading

• Take a risk on innovation and you might just win
• Growing risk of litigation threatens IT innovation
• How can the CIO gain respect for IT innovation?
• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• There is a depressing lack of innovation in UK IT

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

How do you feel about risk? Is it something you embrace or something you try to mitigate? Chances are you fall into the second category. If you do, you are not alone: it would be fair to say a large majority of UK professionals are risk-averse.

Economic conditions certainly do not help. The continuing credit crunch has made individuals and businesses think twice before investing. But there is more to risk aversion than the prevailing fiscal situation. In short, people are scared to fail.

I recently overheard two IT executives chatting outside an office in central London and one businessman said to his associate: “Thanks for taking a non risk-averse approach.”

I guess he was pleased his partner had decided to back his initiative. In fact, what he really meant was: “Thanks for taking a risk.”

The desire to win at all costs ­- or rather, to avoid coming second ­- means UK professionals increasingly take the safe approach. Such an approach would be understandable if risk was well defined. But many struggle to comprehend what risk actually means.

Computing’s monthly supplement Computing Business recently hosted a chief information officer roundtable that examined the challenges of risk management.

There was a lot of best practice advice for controlling risk, such as improving training, increasing board awareness and taking responsibility at work.

But while implementing the right processes was seen as a given, participants were also concerned that individuals often fail to quantify risk. And as one concluded, it is impossible to manage risk if you do not understand which areas you should be prioritising.

So what is risk? And when is taking a risk appropriate? Those at the roundtable seemed to think it was crucial to create a careful balance between ground-breaking IT and business costs.

More specifically, it was seen as crucial to not add too much control for fear of stifling innovation. Risk is all about proceeding with care. But it is certainly not about avoiding danger at all costs.

Because being prepared to risk coming second might actually result in you winning the race.

Further reading

• Growing risk of litigation threatens IT innovation
• The buck stops with boss on IT security
•  McAfee spam project smells like marketing guff
• Time to focus on the good in databases
• Security technology is not a priority for firms
• Stop buying illegal software, or face the risks...

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Potentially good news for email users - spammers are now concentrating on a range of other communication channels, too. The bad news is that spammers are using other forms of interaction - such as email - to increase spam on social networks.

Research from messaging specialist Cloudmark and researcher Harris Interactive suggests spam is now clogging social networks and creating a potential barrier to further growth.

More than four in five social networking site users (83 per cent) has received spam “friend” invitations, messages or postings on their account during the past twelve months.

The problem is apparently severe enough for two-thirds (66 per cent) of users to say they would be somewhat likely to switch to another social network.

The research suggests the qualities that make social networks successful – the wide variety of communication channels, the openness of the networks and the size of the audience – are powerful lures for spammers and hackers. The survey also suggests that:

• The majority (80 per cent) of social network users are at least somewhat concerned about spam, phishing and virus attacks on their social or professional network account
• Many users (37 per cent) have noticed an increase in the number of unwanted messages they have received in the last six months
• Nearly one in five users (17 percent) say the increase has been significant
• On average, users have reported receiving 64 spam “friend” invitations, messages or postings in the last 12 months

Further reading

• How can you make money from social networking?
• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Human civilisation will not survive the next 100 years. The reason? Take your choice from increasing strain on food systems, fears about energy production and continued environmental damage, according to research from Xerox and sustainable development charity Forum for the Future.

Our only hope, say European business leaders, is a significant change in behaviour from individuals, governments and companies.

More bad news, folks - 95 per cent of leaders believe businesses are not doing nearly enough to address social and economic problems. Jonathon Porritt, founder of Forum for the Future, says:

“We are facing a number of global challenges that mean we need to change how business is done. We need to find new ways to reduce carbon emissions, manage our natural resources and address inequality in a way that works with the planet and not against it. And we need to do this quickly – we have around 15 years to respond to climate change."

The clock really is ticking, then. The research does show more than three quarters (87%) of respondents believe taking responsibility for sustainability programmes will lead to new innovations that drive greater profitability. 

In other words, necessity will be the mother of invention. But with just fifteen years to save the planet, I wouldn't rely on that theory...

Further reading: Reuse and recycling Top 10

1. Recycle? WEEE don't undertsand the rules, stupid
2. Computer Aid shows how to beat the green wash
3. Cure for green computing overkill is the real deal
4. Green computing hype needs smarter approach
5. Green computing is not crucial for CIOs
6. The green IT rules from Forrester and Gartner
7. JP Rangaswami says green computing drives BT
8. SMEs lead the way on green computing
9. Green computing is a pipe dream for IT managers
10. CIOs could learn from the green actions of SMEs

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Strategic agility, business agility and strategic business agility - go to any IT conference and technology experts are keen to big up the need for 'agility'. The term is often allied to other key buzzwords - such as strategic and business - in an attempt to increase gravitas.

The result, however, is the opposite. Lack of clarity obfuscates meaning and agility remains a slippery subject, as identified in next month's Computing Business (out 19 June). The magazine for IT leaders speaks to chief information officers and line-of business executives about their perspectives on agility.

The most insightful comment in Jim Mortleman's cover feature comes from independent financial services consultant Margaret Smith, who says the term agility is little used beyond the IT function:

“I don’t know anyone outside IT who talks about business agility. They just expect it – and get extremely frustrated when IT doesn’t deliver it."

Once again, IT concentrates on giving a perceived problem a trendy name - rather than defining and solving the business issues at hand.

Further reading

• The innovative CIO asserts their pressence
• Growing risk of litigation threatens IT innovation
• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• CIOs will need to transform to survive
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

The future of the web has arrived. Earlier this month, internet startup Powerset revealed its Semantic Web search service - a way of searching that should provide users with a more satisfying experience.

In theory, the Semantic Web allows computers to search all the content on the web through the collaborative use of information.

In practice, Powerset is limited to searching Wikipedia. But this first version at least provides a taster of semantic-based searching, showing how users can search via conversational techniques rather than keywords.

More importantly, Powerset shows a significant step towards a more intuitive web experience. Such movement should be welcomed, especially as the concept of the Semantic Web has previously been more niche than mainstream.

Father of the web Tim Berners-Lee has been espousing its potential benefits for the best part of a decade. And some key businesseshave released semantic-like tools.

Back in the late 1990s, honorary professor of linguistics David Crystal spent three years analysing 100,000 words from the English dictionary and found an average of 2.5 meanings associated with each.

The research allowed his software firm, Crystal Semantics, to create search tools based on the relationship between words and the contexts in which they occur.

Such developments led Robin Mannings, university research programme manager at BT Exact’s Adastral Park research centre, to declare four years ago that the Semantic Web would give deeper meaning to data. “Part of the future is about trying to make computers less stupid, or less difficult to use,” he said.

So what will the future of the web be like? In truth, it is a bit disappointing. Being limited to Wikipedia searches does not necessarily provide more useful information than traditional search platforms such as Google.

The good news is that Powerset intends to expand the search technology to other areas in the coming months.

The bad news is that some IT experts are already re-tagging the Semantic Web as Web 3.0.

Semantic searching might provide a more satisfying web experience. But as ever, the hype that accompanies innovation is likely to prove stultifying.

Further reading

• How can you make money from social networking?
• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

There was recently an interesting debate about social technology, collaboration and sport on BT CIO JP Ranagaswami's blog. The debate concentrated on Ebbsfleet United FC - the club now owned by web-based venture MyFootballClub. Members are allowed to vote on a series of management issues, potentially including team selection and player transfers.

Participants at JP's blog seemed to think the experiment was 'changing the world for the better'. I responded - saying I disagreed. No-one commented. So, in what must be seen as huge slice of self-referential behaviour (quoting yourself on your own blog), here are my comments:

Ebbsfleet? Changing the world for the better? Frankly, I’m not so sure. Collaboration, community, interaction… Yeah, I can see that side of the Ebbsfleet ‘experiment’. But there’s also a much darker side.

So, participants are mailed with questions concerning the day-to-day running of the club. Fine. But the end point of the interaction has always been for fans to ‘help’ manager Liam Daish select the team. The group running the ‘experiment’ suggest it could be logistically difficult. How would you feel if a bunch of strangers told you how to do your job? Positive? Pleased? I doubt it.

Fans were recently asked if they would like to have an input on team selection - the majority said they would, in some form. Not exactly fair play, is it? I thought football was a sport, not a social software toy…

Further reading

• Father's day, starting fires and Aston Villa FC
• Be proud of being a technology nerd
• Soho celebrity spots 2: From Sykes to Littlewood...
• Soho celebrity spots: From Oddie to Mortimer...
• Second city Blues

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

The technology department has traditionally been the heart of innovation within a business; new processes and systems are created by IT experts and trickled down to users as required.

However, over the past year or so the game has changed. UK chief information officers (CIOs) now face pressures from a number of significant directions: the finance department, the firm’s line-of business managers and the fast-developing Asian economies.

The financial director demands tight fiscal prudence and more IT leaders are choosing to outsource in-house technology operations.

At the same time, users need on-demand innovation, with CIOs required to create an agile technology process where the technology team listens to the business, rather than the other way round.

Finally, innovation in the UK is being challenged by the up-and-coming technology presence of China and India.

This month’s Computing Business looks at how IT leaders can build the organisation in the face of increasing fiscal prudence, fast-changing user requirements, and global research and development.

The good news suggests UK and other EU member states are showing signs of fighting back against the tidal wave of innovation and patenting in Asia.

At 9.1 per cent, the UK had the highest rate of growth in Europe for international patent filings last year, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

There is, however, much work to be done. Research from consultant Capgemini shows two thirds of CIOs believe IT is critical to business innovation, but only one out of four technology leaders felt their IT function is actually driving business innovation.

The survey suggests there is a risk IT departments will be spectators, rather than participants in the innovation-led evolution.

CIOs need to assert their presence and demonstrate how technology leadership ­ through best practice and operational excellence ­ is crucial to business innovation.

Also IT leaders will need to embrace social approaches to innovation because six out of ten new collaboration-related IT projects will incorporate suppliers, partners and customers by 2009, says analyst Gartner.

Creating a dominant­ but collaborative position on innovation will be no easy task. But the rewards for taking a strong stance are likely to be plentiful.

Further reading

• Growing risk of litigation threatens IT innovation
• The CIO must act now to prevent project lethargy
• How can the CIO gain respect for IT innovation?
• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• CIOs will need to transform to survive
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Researcher Datamonitor says social networking increasingly provides "ad hoc unified communications for the general population". That's a nice way of looking at everything Web 2.0, I think.

People are choosing to communicate and receive communications through an ever-increasing array of collaborative devices and platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and RSS. Datamonitor's argument suggests consumers are using social networking services to maintain presence across a unified network - and that mobile phones will be the latest and greatest extension of such an effort.

The researcher says added proof came at the end of last week, as Vodafone acquired Danish company ZYB for 31.5m Euros - a firm that has developed a social networking and online management tool for backing up and sharing contact information. The deal represents further evidence of how vendors are attempting to facilitate the movement of social networking services from PCs to the mobile phone, says Ri Pierce-Grove, analyst at Datamonitor:

“Consumers will increasingly be able to move seamlessly between the PC and the mobile phone, keeping their friends and contacts aware of their movements as they choose. This has a number of positive consequences for providers like Vodafone. It increases consumers' use of data plans, and, potentially, provides a new source of revenue via advertising. Both mobile providers and social networking services are competing to find the right mix of platforms and partnerships in order to meet consumer demand.”

Expect similar deals soon. Back in February, analyst Informa Telecoms & Media released research that told users to expect mobile social networking to be a multi-billion business by 2012.

With more individuals logging on to social networks to join productivity, entertainment and social shopping communities, the analyst reported the growth in user registrations will continue at 30 to 50 per cent a year. Informa estimated there could be up to 23 per cent penetration of mobile social networks among users globally by 2012.

Further reading

• Mobile social networking is a community thing
• How can you make money from social networking?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Today's earlier post moaned about risk aversion creating a lack of innovative IT. Well, you can't get innovative IT without funding - and Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets has appointed a new director to work with technology-based businesses who turnover in excess of £15m.

Michael Bavington - formerly a service contract specialist with the Hanover Financial Group - has been recruited to help IT companies raise funds using their assets. Bavington will be responsible for providing structured debt and lease funding to the bank's customers, particularly financial institutions and firms operating within the outsourcing sector.

Vasgen Edwards, managing director of Lloyds TSB Corporate Asset Finance, says Bavington's appointment will strengthen opportunities for funding: "He has developed considerable expertise in the key areas of origination and funding, and his specialist skill set will make a valuable contribution to the team."

Further reading

• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• CIO concerns: Rob Fraser switches Boots for CSC
• Career moves: Robin Terrell is John Lewis web MD
• Career moves: Steve Markwell is new NCC CEO
• Career moves: Carl Powell becomes Unipart CEO

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Who said Web 2.0 was a load of hot air? Certainly not Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has been busy setting up a new social technology awards programme.

The press release for the UK Catalyst Awards states that "the search is on" to find the community activists, social entrepreneurs, software developers and Web 2.0 technologists who are enabling individuals and neighbourhoods to connect with each other in a positive way. Cool, man. There are nine Catalyst awards up for grabs:

• The Shock for Good Award: for something that shocked people into doing something good
• The Revolutionary Award: for something that makes people in power more aware of the need for change
• The Self-Help Award: for something that helps the creator to help themselves
• The Chalk & Cheese Award: for something that brings two different groups of people together
• The David and Goliath Award: for something little that made a difference to a something big and powerful
• The Young Achiever Award: for someone under 25
• The Individual Hero Award: for an individual
• The Community Award: for a community association or group
• The Enterprise Award: for an innovative new technology solution developed by a business

There will also be a public vote to decide an added extra - the People’s Choice Award. According to the Catalyst web site, every entrant gets entered for the People's Choice award.

But be warned - entering some of the Award categories might be a challenge in itself. Take 'The Shock for Good Award: for something that shocked people into doing something good'. Shock for what? Sounds like a load of hot air to me, which is ironic seeing that we're talking about the hyped-up world of Web 2.0.

Then there's 'The David and Goliath Award: for something little that made a difference to a something big and powerful' - which also sounds a bit broad, in my opinion.

Maybe the categories are knowingly broad, given the context of fluff surrounding Web 2.0? But it could be interesting to see how social technology is rewarded across the selected areas. After all, more elucidation of how social technology can create collaborative benefits is no bad thing.

If you're keen to compete, the applications deadline is Monday 16 June 2008. If you want to find out more, visit: www.ukcatalystawards.com

Further reading

• How can you make money from social networking?
• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Everyone is doing it, but no-one is allowed to do it at work. What are we talking about? Social networking, the addictive habit of the UK masses. Researcher Datamonitor says Britain has the highest membership of social networking sites in Europe.

Continent-wide, usage is predicted to more than double from 41.7 million to 107.4 million. But at the same time, companies remain sceptical about the benefits of social software, with 32 per cent of firms now choosing to block social networking sites, according to ScanSafe.

Time to wake up, says analyst Gartner - who suggest retailers, in particular, need to be more open to social networking - possibly creating a social community to gather feedback, or creating a marketing presence on large social networks.

The analyst has created a top ten tips for retailers considering a social network, summarised below (for full list, visit Gartner).

1. There are Social Sites, and Then There are Social Platforms - Social sites can include features such as discussion forums and consumer reviews. A social platform is a large public site that enables users to do the same things as on a social site, but also creates a platform that encourages and eases the development of applications, widgets and mashups.
2. Social Network Sites Go Way Beyond MySpace and Facebook But Reconsolidation Has Started - Gartner estimates that an individual is able to participate in one to three social networks in any meaningful way. Because there are only so many social networks to participate in, consumers are starting to shift to the large centres of gravity (for example, MySpace and Facebook in North America). Analysts believe that the social network market has not yet settled, so retailers should be cautious with their investments on any one social network.
3. Social Networks Are Rich in Word-of-Mouth Discussions About Retailers and Products - Retailers should view social networks as a lead-generation channel just as they would search engines, review sites, and price comparison sites. Lead-generation vehicles range from banners, to search term bidding, to application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable social networks to access the retailers’ consumers.
4. Social Graphs Make Word-of-Mouth Relationships Known and Usable - Social graphs describe how friends are formally linked to each other on a social network. Word of mouth is effectively amplified by making social graphs usable by friends and business entities on a social network.
5. Viral Propagation is Boosted in Social Networking - Viral marketing is the most obvious route to take with viral propagation but must be closely monitored and managed. Communication between friends about something as simple as a pricing or promotion mistake on a Web site can propagate very quickly in social networks.
6. Applications for Social Networks are Easier to Build - The latest push in the social network world has been the focus on creating a platform that allows individuals and companies alike to build applications (sometimes called widgets) that are designed to run on the social network. Social platforms, especially Facebook, have been providing a platform and technical guidelines to make building these applications easier.
7. Social Networks Are a Huge Source of Consumer Data, but Retailers Cannot Easily Access It - Already some people are regretting having made available so much information available on social networks and access to this information will decrease further over time. However, access to some of this data can be gained by building applications that require members to agree to share some of their data in exchange for using the application.
8. Communities, Groups and Networks Can Be Created By Anyone and Are Impossible to Control - If a social network provides corporations too many capabilities in interacting with members (for example, advertising and selling), there is a risk that members will leave the network. Gartner advises retailers to build their social network presence on content produced by members and create applications that engage members in providing feedback in areas such as product design.
9. Social Networks Are Not Capable of Commerce, Yet - Gartner advises retailers against becoming an early adopter of commerce capabilities on social networks. This lessens the chances of being part of a movement that may drive away social network participants because of the perceived commercialisation of the social network.
10. Social Networks Are Merging Into the Real-Time World - For now this remains an emerging consumer practice, but the ability to access social networks from mobile phones is being promoted by the wireless carriers.

Gartner's tips range from the obvious (social networking is more than just Facebook and MySpace), to the more interesting (social networks are not yet capable of supporting commerce).

The analyst says retailers should stay away from commerce-based social networking - a rule of thumb that might apply to all sectors. I guess the follow-up question might be: "How can you commercialise a successful social network?" After all, the security issues are so significant that most individuals are not keen to give away valuable personal information.

The continuing consolidation - which Gartner refers to as reconsolidation (has there been a previous consolidation stage, then?) - of social networking sites might help provide some clarity. As individuals find useful platforms and begin to trust the methods of operation, more firms should be able to create commercial operations.

Well, that's the theory anyway. If not, expect to be drowned by more and more social networking "opportunities" - most of which offer few benefits and little in the way of commercial viability.

Further reading

• How can a CIO make the most of Web 2.0?
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Next generation social networking
• Finding useful Web 2.0 and social networking tools
• Web 2.0: Your business needs a strategy now
• Social networking creates waste and exclusion
• Facebook? LinkedIn? Social networking is rubbish

Want to subscribe to this blog? Click here for the options

Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

Computing tends to concentrate on the British industry blue chips, such as last week’s interview with Royal Mail IT chief Robin Dargue. And why not? Big companies fund big IT initiatives, such as the postal service’s £1.2bn change agenda.

Such projects are exciting, and attention is rightly paid to blue-chip technology successes, especially when domestic companies achieve a global lead.

But it is not always like that. Every worker has at one time or another experienced project lethargy.

You know the feeling ­ the one where you and your colleagues come up with a brilliant initiative; something that could improve business efficiency. You also know other firms in your sector have been slow to realise the benefits of the latest, greatest trend.

But your transformation plans are slowed by layers of bureaucracy, and the leading edge quickly blunts under a stack of executive sign-offs. What once seemed an opportunity to beat the competition quickly becomes a game of catch-up.

Sound familiar? One IT leader certainly seemed to think so, suggesting to me recently that the project lethargy story was all too familiar.

One possible conclusion is that the bigger the firm, the slower it is to realise the value of a new opportunity.

New business models do not help IT leaders. In what seems a matter of months, technology has gone from being a misunderstood backwater to a business essential.

Technology teams were once left to come up with their own ideas. Now, more executives are approaching the IT department with specific demands.

Analysts talk of the need for agility; vendors talk of the need for line-of-business IT management.

And while big companies often fund big IT initiatives, they also slash spending. A recession means the IT department is pushed to create innovative solutions with a decreasing budget.

The bright side is that in an age of information and collaboration, the IT department has never been more central to business development.

Focus on how your ideas can transform organisational processes ­ it should help your boss wake up to the importance of leading-edge technology.

Further reading

• How can the CIO gain respect for IT innovation?
• Making best use of Gartner's reports
• CIO concerns: Rob Fraser switches Boots for CSC
• CIOs will need to transform to survive
• Modernise to beat IT and skills obsolesence

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels

The next edition of Computing Business will concentrate on the role of innovation in IT, specifically around the development of relevant systems and processes for business users.

Pamela Whitby's cover feature makes for an intriguing read - and the following segment neatly illustrates the difficulties of achieving useful IT innovation:

The research from both reports shows there is no shortage of evidence that the business needs IT to innovate, rather than just operate. "Clearly the best approach to innovation is to align the business and the IT strategy," says Lynn Lawton, international president for professional IT governance body ISACA.

However, marrying the business strategy with the IT strategy poses some real challenges. One clear problem is communication - and the IT department and business seldom talk the same language. "People tend to get bogged down in acronyms and infrastructure," says Lawton.

Just 18 per cent of users agree that the IT department always communicates its objectives, according to the the IT Governance Institute - hardly an improvement on 2005, where just 14 per cent of users felt IT communicated its objectives. But be aware that poor communication is not just an IT concern. "Quite often business sees the IT department as nothing more than suppliers of electricity," says Lawton.

Lack of alignment, over-use of acronyms and a lack of respect from users - some things never change, eh? While the role of technology in modern business cannot be underestimated, it seems innovators will have to continue to fight for respect from line-of-business managers.

Roll on the revolution! Whatever that might look like...

Further reading

• There is a depressing lack of innovation in UK IT
• Social web is about improvement, not innovation
• Motion sensing: Wii must replace the mouse
• The future of technology, according to Gartner
• Forget the downturn and fight for innovation
• Don’t be afraid to be an IT innovator

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels