Friendsters at Work:Displaying Social Media Streams

in the Workplace

Joe McCarthy

Nokia Research Center, Palo Alto

http://www.slideshare.net/gumption/

Proactive Displays

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OnlineProfiles

Physical Tokens

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LargeDisplays

BetterReal-worldInteractions

Bridging the gaps between peopleby bridging the gaps between the online and offline worlds

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Large computer displays that can sense & respond to the people and activities taking place in their vicinity.

Next Generation Proactive Displays

• Goal: increase the sense of community in the workplace• Method: open physical windows in shared spaces into the social media co-

workers are creating• Situated Social Software

• Hypotheses• Adding a physical dimension of audience will promote greater social media

usage• Social media sharing in the workplace will enhance personal relationships• Enhanced personal relationships will lead to more productive professional

relationships• Challenges

• Privacy / benefit tradeoff (usability vs. security)• Sustainable engagement (after novelty factor has worn off)• How to measure the impact? (measuring community, relationships)

[Simplified] Architecture

Progress so far

Proactive Collage

1st Generation Proactive Displays

UniCast, OutCast, GroupCast

2nd Generation Proactive Displays

AutoSpeakerID

Ticket2Talk

Neighborhood Window

Next Generation Proactive Displays

• Shortcomings of previous efforts• Special-purpose sensors

(IR badges, RFID tags)

• Special-purpose profiles

• Special-purpose installations

• Goals of future efforts• Multi-purpose sensors

(BT mobiles … NFC)

• Multi-purpose profiles (C3)

• Multi-purpose installations

Context, Content & CommunityCollection: EveryBit

C3 Collection: FeedMine

Potential Impacts

• Bridging gaps in the workplace• Knowledge management via serendipity

• Nameless faces / faceless names• Acquaintanceships relationships

• New channel for employee recognition

• Increase familiarity with Social Media• Awareness• Use• Co-create / mashup

Thanks!

• Feedback• Appropriate social media sites (“safe for work”)?• Measurement: how to measure “community”?• Related work?

• Connection points:• joe.mccarthy@nokia.com• http://research.nokia.com/people/joe_mccarthy• http://www.slideshare.net/gumption

• Proposed tag for conference / workshop: cct2007

• Made possible by• Jian Bian, Ben Congleton & Max Harper (interns)• Context, Content & Community (C3) team