Holtz Communications + Technology

One of the participants in an internal social media workshop I taught in Chicago last week raised an interesting question. He worked in employee communications for a nationally-recognized auto service brand and wondered about the use of internal social media among franchisees.

It’s not unusual for franchise operations to set up extranets that let them establish communication with franchise owners. It just…

This is the second in a series of posts on social media training for employees

A new multi-dimensional training program for all employees probably won’t excite most budget-conscious executives. One that on first glance focuses employee attention on Facebook and blogs is likely to inspire even less enthusiasm. How do you get past those initial objetions to build support for a social…

According to a study from The Altimeter Group released last year, companies that provide employees with social media training and open access—rather than simply blocking social sites—experience fewer crises. The crises they do experience aren’t as severe as the companies that figure the best way to avoid problems is to bolt the doors and lock the windows (an approach that is both futile and…

Companies accrue far greater advantages from providing their employees with social media training and letting them engage with their communities than they do from blocking access. I’ve written here before about the results of The Altimeter Group’s study that found the organizations that avoided crises or kept their impact to a minimum were the few deemed “advanced,” the ones that conducted such training and…

Evidence continues to mount that social intranets have the potential to produce big results for organizations. The ongoing McKinsey & Company study points to outcomes ranging from increased market share to reduced time to market, along with a host of other positive results. Studies from MIT and Aberdeen Group show productivity gains among employees using social intranets.

Yet a recent study…

This is my presentation from BlogWorld and New Media Expo Los Angeles on November 5. It runs a bit over an hour and shows just the slides.

It’s one of over 100 recorded sessions from BlogWorld Los Angeles 2011. You can get all of the videos—plus nearly 100 bonus interviews and other bonus content—by picking up the “Virtual Ticket.”