The People Part of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

• IT will Kill Social Computing … David says “beware” … IT departments don’t like users being able to create their own ways of doing things, and will kill social computing. David Gurteen (see the discussion at Ed’s place)

The Technology Trends of Enterprise Collaboration and Virtual Teams

• Presence?! … Is “presence” the dial-tone of the 21st century, or something more than that? “Skype Journal is sponsoring a San Francisco based event in early January titled Presence 2.0: the Rise of the Living Social Network. The “Living Social Network” may be a better choice in as much as it captures not just availability information, but activity, location and other contextual information. Imagine harnessing the power of the Facebook newsfeed to drive a next generation presence engine, such as the one described last year in New Presence.” Saunderslog
• Vapps Voice Conferencing … Vapps introduced a new audio conferencing service, featuring high-definition audio. Chris thinks it is pretty cool. “The electronic invitations and visual management of the conference is almost as important as the quality of the call itself, especially as the logistics of group calls can be almost as tough as the issues they’re meant to hash out.” Vapps
• Google Calendar for BlackBerry … Google introduced a synchronization service for linking Google Calendar and BlackBerry devices. “Using your BlackBerry smartphone’s native calendar, you can now access your Google calendar even when you don’t have network coverage and be alerted for upcoming appointments with sound or vibration. Your Google Calendar stays synchronized whether you access it from your computer or your phone. You can add or edit entries right on your BlackBerry smartphone or on your Google Calendar on the web.” Available immediately. Google Operating System, Tao of Mac

Insights on Being Productive and Effective as an Individual

• Interview with Sally McGhee … Matthew presents his notes from a recent interview with Sally McGhee. Key points: (1) a key focus for Sally’s work is on engendering ongoing change, not merely a quick and unsustained fix, (2) the top-down and bottom-up organizing approaches are both needed, (3) manage your life from a calendar (it’s finite), not a to-do list (it’s infinite), and (4) vision is key. Matt Cornell
• Be More On Top Of Things … Six keys: (1) have a master / definitive list, (2) review the list daily, (3) prioritize by payoff, (4) say no to low value tasks, (5) regularly carve out time to think, and (6) scan your diary for what is coming up. Nicholas Bate
• Read More … Brad lays out 26 benefits to be had from reading more, with an emphasis on actually reading books, not more digital stuff. And for those who can’t find the time to read, Brad has 5 sneaky ideas to help out. AchieveIT
• On Notetaking … Tim outlines his approach to note-taking on paper, including creating an index system, finding the right notebook, and how to make it work. “I trust the weakest pen more than the strongest memory, and note taking is—in my experience—one of the most important skills for converting excessive information into precise action and follow-up.” Tim Ferriss
• Feeling Down? … Work on something that demands intense concentration. “Research by a Canadian professor of psychology has found that people have better focus and are better at attention-demanding tasks when they are in a sombre or miserable mood. Conversely, people that are joyous and happy are better at tasks that require a high level of creativity.” FastCompany

Other Noteworthy Insights

• Give the Gift of Time … Not more “stuff”. “We’ll have time to talk, to think, to read, and to recuperate from all the increased project workload at the office that the end of the year always brings. Thus, for the first time, our gifts to each other will not be influenced by advertising, peer pressure, or the next door neighbors. We’ll have a net reduction in the material, giving us the time we need to focus on people, experiences and the world around us.” John Halamka