Haystack Networking Now Supports OpenID

HaystackopenidBig news today: As of this morning Haystack Networking now supports OpenID! We are entering an age where the users and customers (that’s us) are increasingly in control of our own information, at least when interacting with vendors who respect us. That means we’re moving away from the silo-oriented model of the industrial age (where the vendors have all the power, and we have none), and moving into a time where we are afforded increasing power and commensurate responsibility. The emergence of disciplines like VRM (Vendor Relationship Management) and CRM2.0 are the bellwethers that are pointing the way, and OpenID is one of the tools that will enable us to get further down the path toward that goal. We’ve been working on this for a while, and it’s important stuff.

What it means: Cerado’s support for OpenID means that professionals who use Haystack Networking are fully in control of their own online identity, and are able to better manage their online representation of their professional reputation. OpenID support also means that customers can now take advantage of “single sign-on” capabilities across a variety of complementary services that also support OpenID, including blogs, wikis and social bookmarking sites. This enables a single username and password to be used across a wide variety of sites that support the standard.

Why we did this: Cerado has a commitment to empowering customers of its Haystack business social networking service to control their own information and online identity.

Who else supports OpenID:
In addition to Cerado, other industry leaders such as Microsoft, Verisign, AOL and Symantec have also announced support of the OpenID standard for online digital identity management.

Haystack Networking home page: http://haystack.cerado.com

Related capabilities:
Cerado’s Haystack networking supports this philosophy of open-ness in a number of ways. These ways include:

* Export capabilities
* Import capabilities
* The Haystack social networking widget
* An open API

Export: You, at any time, can export your profile data. That means no lock-in. You’re free to take your information with you anywhere, anytime. Your profile information is exportable in both CSV (Excel comma separated value) and XML formats.

Import: Additionally, Haystack administrators can import CSV and Excel files to easily set up new Haystacks with a minimum of hassle.

The Haystack social networking widget: Organizations can create Haystack networks on their own websites or blogs using our widget (http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/haystack)

The Haystack open API: Cerado partners like SwapThing (http://www.swapthing.com) are using the Haystack networking API to integrate Haystack capabilities into their own offerings. Much, much more on the API here (http://haystack.cerado.com/html/sdk.php).

Related links: Much more background on the history of Cerado’s Haystack social networking system for businesses and associations can be found at: http://del.icio.us/Cerado.Haystack

Executive Briefing: Social Networking For Businesses And Associations

SnbrochurecoversmallWe’ve just made available a new Executive Briefing e-book that pragmatically introduces the idea of social networking for businesses and associations. Interested in introducing social networking to the exec staff at your organization? Included are answers to the common questions of:

  • What is social networking?
  • Why does this matter? Isn’t “social networking” just for high school kids?
  • How can my organization get closer to customers or members using social networking?

Excerpt: Why should our organization care about social networking?

“Customers have lost trust in traditional sales, marketing and service (the three areas commonly referred to as “CRM,” or Customer Relationship Management). According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, “the most credible source of information about a company is now ‘a person like me,’ which has risen dramatically to surpass doctors and academic experts for the first time.” The survey relates that in the U.S., trust in “a person like me” increased from 20% in 2003 to 68% today.

The connections enabled by social networks are the glue that put the humanity back into business to solve the trust problem. In other words, the organizations that will win are the ones that most easily enable individuals to build relationships and communities with people they trust.”

Download the entire 12 page e-book here. Then talk about it, forward it, print it, casually drop a copy on your co-worker’s desk…

Business Social Networking Breaks Out Of The Walled Garden

Today, am very happy to announce a significant development that Cerado has made with Haystack networking, our social networking service for businesses and associations.

What we’ve created is a novel way for an organization to easily create profiles of its externally facing individuals (e.g. sales, marketing, support in the corporate realm, or members for associations or groups), and allow prospective customers or members to interact with those profiles via a Flash-based player. Through this player, these profiles can be embedded into any website or blog (just like a YouTube video can be embedded in any site).

Examples of how it looks “in the wild” are included in this post, and on this page here, and on the sidebar here. Additionally, some answers to frequently asked questions are included below.

We’re really, really happy about this, and think this is an innovation that will greatly accelerate the adoption of social networking into the enterprise.

But, more importantly…what are your thoughts?

—-

What it is: An embeddable organizational directory that can be integrated with any website with a single click.

Why it matters: What YouTube did for sharing video, Cerado has done for business-oriented social networks. The embeddable Haystack networking directory enables anyone visiting any website, blog or other online destination to have simple access to the profiles of the individuals who are part of a business, association or organization.

Why it’s different: The philosophy behind Cerado’s Haystack networking is to turn the sales process around 180 degrees, and enable CUSTOMERS to choose with whom they want to deal within an organization. (This is in stark contrast to the “traditional” sales model, where a representative from a geographic location is foisted upon an unsuspecting customer.) The capabilities being announced here enable companies, associations and organizations to easily allow prospective customers or prospective members to connect with externally-facing individuals from their organizations.

Extended geek details: We believe this is first business-oriented social network that can be easily embedded into websites or blogs. We’ve created an embeddable, Flash-based widget that can be directly embedded into blog posts, blog templates, web pages, or any other type of site, enabling access to an entire organization’s externally-facing individuals.

What it costs: Haystack networking widgets are included in every Haystack networking subscription plan, including our free plans.

How you get it: Every Cerado Haystack network has a Haystack networking directory widget that can be embedded into any web site. Simply go to the Haystack networking page for the company, association, or organization, copy the “embed” link provided, and paste it into the web page in which you want to embed the Haystack network directory.

Building “Word Of Mouth” Capabilities Into Online Apps


Andy Sernovitz
Originally uploaded by christophercarfi.

Had a chance to meet Andy Sernovitz in Chicago a few weeks back (along with some other great folks). Andy is the CEO of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, also known as WOMMA.

Have been flipping through his new book on word of mouth marketing, and there are a number of good points and checklists. The one he keeps coming back to: “Put a tell-a-friend form on every page of your website.” (Just checked, and yes, the WOMMA site does this. Excellent consistency!)

Some other things on Andy’s list:

  • Create a blog
  • Put a special offer in an easily forwardable email
  • Come up with one buzzworthy topic — keep it simple
  • Let your talkers sign up for a private newsletter
  • Do something unexpected
  • Be nice

From the “eating our own dogfood” department, here are three examples of ways we’ve built these kinds of tools into Haystack networking.

Number 1: Every network has a “SHARE URL” link

Every network our customers create has a SHARE URL link built in, that allows them — or anyone viewing the network — to send the URL to a colleague easily and quickly. One click, it’s selected, and can be copy-pasted into an email. Simple, fast.

Here’s an example from the Social Media Club haystack.

Shareurlscreenshot

Number 2: The “Invite” link

Every person registered on the system can also invite others to join the Haystacks to which they belong with two clicks. (We limit the number of invitations to discourage spammers, and only registered users can send invitations.)

Here’s an example from the Speakers Wiki haystack.

Invitelinkscreenshot

Number 3: I can’t tell you about Number 3 yet. It’s in final testing this week prior to the holiday here in the States, but the early feedback is that it’s a big winner, perhaps even game-changing in the business social networking space. If you’re subscribed you’ll know about it as soon as it’s public when we release it into the wild next week.

The Top Ten Ways Businesses, Associations and Organizations Can Use Social Networking

(Update January 2007: Welcome, Lotusphere attendees! Thanks for stopping by and making this one of the popular Dogear’d articles at the show. Please note a greatly expanded version of this article is available as an e-Book and as an online slideshow. )

Businesses of today have the best luck when it comes to growing and marketing their services or products because they have access to the shiny new internet, something that would not have been around back in the day. Not only that, the internet continues to evolve – it has new and improved features to it and each one can suit certain businesses, this ranges with the package or the provider! See this comcast internet provider as an example. The internet has brought with it a golden new era as well – social networking. This plays an extremely vital role in business presence amongst its industry and its customers. Having said this, here are the top ten (and two bonus) ways that businesses, associations and organizations can use social networking in the professional sphere. Some of these are ways to use social networking to connect with customers and members, some focus on internal organizational communication, some focus on the network as the way to find knowledge within the organization. Enjoy!

Customer and Member Relationship Development
Customer satisfaction is at an all-time low, perhaps as a result reduced business focus on actual relationships, and an increased business focus on “customer relationship management” systems emphasizing management of data rather than personal connections. Online social networks allow a prospective customer or prospective member to easily facilitate a real, human-level connection with individuals within an organization. This enables genuine business relationships to form and puts an authentic human face on the interaction, changing the external perception of an organization from a sterile, faceless behemoth into a collection of individuals who are ready to help. With the help of tools such as big data and business intelligence, a better overview and educational feedback can be obtained from the customers, judging on their satisfaction rates. Something that businesses need to do to keep up with their target audience’s demand.

Customer Support (Connecting The Customer With The Right Resource)
Successful customer support achieves a number of goals. Basic customer service includes, of course, assisting customers when they have problems or questions about an organization’s products. However, online networks enable exceptional customer support that goes beyond the basics, which allows customers to connect with experts in an organization who have deep knowledge in a particular area. Similarly, a strong online network enables experts within an organization to be alerted when a problem that requires their knowledge comes into the customer support queue, and facilitates the creation of strong communities in the form of valuable user groups and member networks.

Use The Network To Find An Expert Or Locate Implicit Knowledge
Only a fraction of an organization’s “knowledge” exists in databases. Another fraction exists in the form of explicit documents and reports that may be found on an organizational intranet. The vast majority of organizational knowledge, however, exists only in the heads of its members. Inside an organization, online networks with even basic profiles of its individuals’ experience, location and interests can greatly reduce the time required for organizational problem-solving, through enabling faster connection between a questioner and the person who has solved similar problems in the past.

Ease Post-Acquisition Integration
Even though acquisitions are on the upswing, a majority of mergers and acquisitions fail within three years of inception. The most common cause of failure is a lack of alignment and understanding between individuals in the acquiring and acquired organizations (and especially regarding transactions that take place after merging). However, those risks could be mitigated by taking the help of corporate law firms like LC Lawyers (those interested can search for mergers and acquisitions hong kong on the Internet) who are known to provide smooth and trouble-free merger and acquisition services. Besides this, online social networks can also help with the understanding of post-acquisition integration. Online social networks, giving a view to the “real” individuals within the organizations, aid in the creation of understanding between both parties by allowing members of both organizations to view each other as a collection of individuals, rather than an amorphous “them.”

Provide The “Whole Product”
It is rare that a single organization can provide all the pieces needed to meet a customer’s entire need. For example, even though a real estate agent aids in the process of buying a home, an entire network of other service providers, such as title companies, banks, insurance agents, contractors, and others, is required in order to fully meet the customer’s need. By creating a strong network of complementary providers with similar philosophies and business practices, a single service provider can provide a much greater proposition to a prospective customer than an individual working without the benefit of the network. For example, websites of service providers like Modern Maids could look to give you a comprehensive cleaning solution for cleaning service houston, for different kinds of spaces.

Understand And Visualize The Actual Communication Paths Within The Organization
While an organizational chart may show the reporting or budgeting hierarchy of an organization, the connections in an online social network create the actual flow of information for an organization. Explicitly creating a social network within the organization can help all members better understand how information gets shared and highlights the areas within the organization that are truly responsible for effecting change, turning the “company directory” into a living, breathing knowledge network.

Supercharge Meeting Facilitation And Preparation
The unfortunate part of meetings and conferences is that it always seems like you don’t run into the people you really want to meet until the final day of the event, when you run into them randomly in the buffet line. A dedicated online social network created before the event enables attendees to use their time at the event more efficiently, by enabling attendees to determine who they want to connect with before they even leave home.

Increasing The Value And Extend The “Shelf Life” Of Conferences
Similar to the above point, creating an online social network of event attendees extends the “shelf life” of a conference, enabling the attendees to remain connected and take action on the items discussed at the event. This can evolve a meeting, event or conference from a “one time” occurrence into the catalyst of a community that more effectively achieves its goals.

Pull Together The “All-Star Team” That’s Right For This Customer
Especially in service organizations, creating the right set of skills and culture are both key to creating a connection with a prospective customer. An internal social networking system enables the individuals responsible to creating relationships with prospects to pull together the “right” team to meet both the prospective customer’s needs and, at the same time, pull together the unique group of individuals who will resonate with the prospect at a personal level as well.

Share Knowledge
By connecting an social network with basic subscription technologies (such as RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication”), an individual can easily “subscribe” to updates from customers and colleagues. This enables a straightforward way to stay abreast of the goings-on in projects of interest, as well as a way to share knowledge within an organization without additional effort. It also addresses the issue of email overload, as knowledge is pulled by those who have a need or interest for updates, rather the updates being pushed to those who may have only tangential interest in an issue.

Differentiate Your Service With Brand You
In a number of industries, the fit between customer and service provider is the differentiator. If a customer can easily identify his or her areas of commonality with a prospective service provider such as a financial planner, real estate agent or insurance provider, that customer can have some assurance that the service provider will understand the customer’s point-of-view, and provide the type of service that the customer expects and supports.

Prepare For Coming Demographic Changes In Business
Although online social networks are relatively new to business, the MySpace and Facebook generation has grown up with them. By the time these individuals enter the workforce, online social networking with simply be a part of the fabric of business, and the organizations that have determined how to best integrate them into their operations will be the ones that are most successful.

See some more examples here.

Cerado’s Haystack Chosen As Social Network For PaidContent.org’s ContentNext Mixer

We got a call last Tuesday. Nearly 500 people were showing up in New York for the ContentNext Mixer in seven days (that’s today, for those of you keeping score at home). And Rafat, Staci and the rest of the team needed a social network (that would be Haystack) to enable those attending to connect before, during and after the event.

We worked that Tuesday night, and into the next day.

We made a few changes to meet a few last minute requirements that were needed.

We set up nearly 500 profiles, and the same number of email addresses.

And went live within 36 hours of getting the initial call.

Anyone else fancy connecting a social network to their function, blog or web site? Here’s where you can do it.

Congrats to the paidContent.org team on a very successful week, and we were happy to help out in providing a small piece of what we know will be a very successful event tonight in New York.

Update: Sounds like it was a great event! (Although Jeff Jarvis also thinks it might have been bubble-icious.)

Two Minute How-To: Adding Social Networking To Your Basecamp Implementation

As a way to jointly manage and track projects with customers, Basecamp from 37Signals is currently the program to beat. However, it would be nice if Basecamp had a richer set of capabilities for understanding the “who” behind the people on the project.

So, fresh off a great time at Maker Faire a couple of weeks ago, we decided to poke around a bit and see if we could easily connect Basecamp with Haystack. It ended up being significantly easier than we thought. Got two minutes? Here’s what it takes:


Integrating Basecamp With Haystack To Enable Social Networking

1) Set up your Basecamp project

2) Set up your company’s Haystack

3) Go into the “People” tab in Basecamp, and click “Edit” under the person whose profile you want to connect

Basecamp0

4) Scroll down to the “optional” section in the Basecamp person information. Choose a field (the “title” field works well) and enter the following single line of HTML:

<a href=”http://haystack.cerado.com/profile/x“> My Haystack Profile </a>

(where x in the link corresponds to your Haystack profile number…you can find this in your profile permalink; in this example the number is “1”)

Basecamp3

Click “Save Changes.”

5) That’s it! Seriously.

Now, your Basecamp profile connects directly to your Haystack profile via its permalink.

Basecamp1

Enjoy!

A Conversation With Eric Mattson At MarketingMonger

Eric Mattson of MarketingMonger is on a mission to have 1,000 conversations with marketers, and to present them all as podcasts. Eric writes:

“For the 20th podcast in my project, I connected with Chris Carfi of Cerado.

I first ran across Chris’s blog when he published his original Social Customer Manifesto.

Then I heard interesting things about Cerado’s Haystack social networking software for businesses.

So I was excited to get a chance to talk with Chris about his social customer philosophy, his entrepreneurial efforts with Cerado, Haystack’s success to date and more.”

A link to his summary of the call here, and have a listen to the mp3 file here.

Thanks for the invitation, Eric!

Haystack Updates – May 17, 2006

Some news, hot off the presses on the Haystack front. Two big new capabilities to note this week: Multiple Haystack Support and RSS Feed Integration. Here’s the skinny.

Haystacksplash

Multiple Haystack Support

We’ve implemented capabilities that allow a single individual (or, more correctly, a single digital identity as represented by an email address) to belong to multiple Haystacks. This is a big one. We realized early on that we are all members of multiple groups, and various aspects of “who we are” are relevant only in context. More importantly, when an organization is setting up a Haystack, that organization may only want certain traits to appear.

For example, profiles that are in a Haystack that’s set up for a local bookstore might include favorite authors, whereas a Haystack for a medical office would likely want to have a tag category set up for specialty of practice for each doctor in the practice. Since a single individual might belong to both of these Haystacks (let’s say the doctor volunteers at the bookstore on weekends), the profile the doctor needs to put in the Haystack for her medical office is going to be quite different than the one she puts in the one for the bookstore. This new capability easily allows this, and allows different Haystacks to easily capture different “facets” of a personality.

Here’s an example of an individual who belongs two Haystacks, one for the BrainJams unconferences, and one for the recently-concluded MeshForum.

RSS Feed Integration

One capabilty that Stowe Boyd has noted is missing in other enterprise social networking systems is the ability to integrate “live web” aspects into a profile; a profile is typically a “static” construct. (I agree, this is critically important. Since “who we are” will be increasingly defined by the digital artifacts we produce, integrating feeds into your digital identity is a critical capability to have.) Stowe notes that he sees a need for:

“…importing RSS feeds of outside information into the profile (I’d like to link my blog, for example)”

Stowe, ask and ye shall recieve. (Check danah’s profile in the Speaker’s Haystack for an example.) Haystack profiles have the ability to pull in an RSS 2.0 feed, and the feed parser is even all AJAX-ified and stuff, so that a customer or prospective business contact can view your tags and the rest of your profile while the system goes out and grabs the most recent headlines from your feed.

Next?

Recent related items:

Podcast: Customer Relationships, Communications and Enterprise Social Networking
Haystack Updates – April 26, 2006

Podcast: Customer Relationships, Communications and Enterprise Social Networking

Had a great conversation on Wednesday with Shel Holtz, on the For Immediate Release podcast. We chatted about the link between communications and customer relationships, and the importance of communication within an organization. We also talked at some length about where things are going with Haystack, Cerado’s enterprise social networking tool.

Would love your feedback! Click here to listen.