Nick M. • It depends what you mean by social networking. If it's purely networking for purely social purposes, then a social metaphor like a coffee room would be fine.

If on the other hand you mean knowledge sharing within a community of practice, or some other form of business-based network, then I think the idea that this is "taking a break from working" is not helpful. There is a huge amount of work goes in in communities of practice - the purpose of which is primarily knowledge-exchange for business purposes. Companies like ConocoPhillips, Shell, Fluor, halliburton have made these communities an integral part of delivering work. You would be better off with a metaphor like a think-tank, or a control room.

Which sort of networking did you have in mind?

And have you seen this metaphor?
http://www.nickmilton.com/2011/06/bt-metaphor-for-social-networking.html

Gerald D. • Hi, Tony,

below you find two ways of looking at metaphors on social media at work.

As social media for me is part of the Knowledge Management, I cannot agree - on the same line as Nick - that KM and thus Social Media is a break from work. As I don't consider the real, physical coffee corner a break from work.

For the extended Knowledge Worker, the Knowledge Citizen, the work patterns change from mainly working on "own agenda" towards "learning / stay on top / see bigger picture" and "sharing", for these both new work patters (or at least new in large scale) the coffee corner is part of your work environment:
http://geraldmeinert.blogspot.com/2011/02/sharing-new-work-pattern.htmlhttp://geraldmeinert.blogspot.com/2011/02/power-of-sharing.html



one on the metaphor of the coffee corner: The virtual coffee corner doesn't smell of coffee. http://geraldmeinert.blogspot.com/2011/05/virtual-coffee-corner-doesnt-smell-of.html

the #socialtree metaphor for the external use of social media in the corporate:
http://geraldmeinert.blogspot.com/2011/05/social-tree.html

regards
gerald

Eileen D. • Hello Tony, While I agree with Nick and Gerald's reservations about how you've framed your coffee room metaphor re social networking and KM, I would also like to pose another thought in the actual use of any metaphor.

Sometimes, its easy to lose track of the idea that while metaphors can help us see/understand, they paradoxically can also distort and become a way of not seeing. In this case tho, you're seeing your 'coffee room' as a space to hang out while not working and Nick and Gerald see it quite differently. So, different understandings here about the actual metaphor, but then there's also what the metaphor itself 'hides'.

You've probably already done this but it might be useful to step back a bit. Good to clearly define: (1) what you mean when you say you are looking to 'guide social network development' and (2) why you are thinking about doing that (what's the driver/s), and then (3) how such development might happen in your specific organisation.

All the best with it ... Eileen
PS I've just finished a PhD studying Communities of Practice (CoPs) here in Australia and the idea of 'in between spaces' emerged for me as a way of challenging either/or thinking. So, networking while working versus taking a break from working is either/or framing whereas the creativity and 'good stuff' tend to come from the 'in between' spaces .. I reckon, anyway :)

Bruce D. W. • I'm wondering why a metaphor is needed?

Tony P. • Nick, Gerald, maybe I said that badly. You are right, visiting a coffee room is not a break from work, but it is a break from routine. As a software developer I have many experiences of starting at a problem fruitlessly for hours, only to have a 15 minute break or go and go through the issues with a colleague and have some new insight.

What I am more interested in is how important are what I call the social information channels are in knowledge transfer. Many CSCW tools or procedures pay little attention to the facilitation of the transfer of such social information, however research has shown that successful teams require strong social ties. The question is how can we form those in virtual teams.

I am not sure thinktank or control room is the right metaphor, Nick. While they are good places for brainstorming specific issues, coffee rooms are places for the mixing of ideas with no set outcome required. Therefore they are more creative spaces

Gerard, yes I am slightly embarrassed now. I had read your blog "The virtual coffee corner doesn't smell of coffee" but it obviously resided in the back my head until another comment from a colleague made it appear like a original idea. I feel like an author who has unintentionally plagiarised someone else's work :)

Tony P. • Hi Eileen, Bruce
Used sensible, metaphors are powerful things. Its easier to sell an idea when you can place it in terms others can understand. For example suggesting to the MD that we setup a social networking site is harder to explain than suggesting that we setup a virtual coffee room. Also you can use the metaphor to to understand what you are trying to achieve and the limitations, for example as Gerald said, a virtual coffee room has no coffee.

However as you say there a dangers in following the metaphor to far, but its a good starting point

Gerald D. • @Tony
Great compiment, if I managed to sneak via a blog post into your headquarters. And frankly speaking, gosh, it all the time happens to me, I am digging in all these great thoughts (the hardest ones are those that I cannot digest fullly for some time) and all of a sudden I happen to have all these brilliant ideas. Sometimes I really believe they have never been brought to me, sometimes, I remember having read something, but lost track where - if someone has a remedy for that ...
And most of the time it is not the mechanical copy/paste, it is a refinement, making the best of re-use. A thought that goes from head to head, becomes rich and fat.
regards
gerald

Bruce D. W. • I think it is harder to 'sell' a 'virtual coffee room metaphor' than 'social network site development'. My view is, tell it how it is in this case and show examples. - 'Social network' is a fairly established concept (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networkforward) - but electronic social networking sites (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media) introduce some new challenges such as effective e-communication and etiquette. There is also the distinction, at least in my view, between social network site (e.g., Facebook, Yahoo Chat) and professional network site (e.g., Linked In, ) - but people usually have a lot of trouble seeing and adapting to the difference, in my experience. I think a metaphor complicates rather than assists an understanding social networking. (And then there's Twitter - neither social or professional in my view. Just text grabs within a limited number of space.)

Tony P. • Bruce, I think the problem is that "social networking site" itself has become a metaphor. Talk about developing a social networking site and people assume you are developing a facebook lookalike with all the baggage that comes with it.

You are right there are important distinctions between sites such as linked In , Facebook and twitter. The metaphor of a coffee room is an attempt to understand the requirements for social networking within a business context based around the accepted strengths of social networking such as networking, the generation of social capital, immediacy and user acceptance.

Tony P. • Why metaphors are useful
http://www.ikmagazine.com/display.asp?articleid=664FDD0E-DDE6-4CA0-9DB0-CDB868661EE7

Bruce D. W. • It sounds like you have made up your mind. So go with it and see what happens. I still think it is a complication - a metaphor of a metaphor is too much for my brain.

Juha-Matti S. • Tony, I'm not English major but I think coffee room is analog, not metaphor, to social network, i.e. they are comparable abstracts. Metaphors don't have *like* as comparator, which is what you used: "a social network site should be *like* a coffee room".

I just felt need to point this out because analog is rational/non-motivational concept, whereas metaphor is poetic/motivational/inspiring tool, and I believe you are looking for the latter.

Tony P. • Juha-Matti, Wikipeadia defines a metaphor as "literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea", so I don't feel it to far from the mark, however analogy may well be a more precise term (or even allegory)

Bruce, I come from a developer background and as such I rarely make my mind up. I just keep picking at the subject until some element of truth is exposed.

What has been fascinating about this thread is it is clear that the question I wanted to ask, has be interpreted differently by others. The concentration has been on the appropriateness of the use of metaphors rather than what people want from social networking.

What this makes clear is that precision of language and clarity of purpose is important when contributing online. The lack of visual cues and immediacy of feedback is clearly an issue. In turn this must have important ramifications when encouraging social networking between group members who share different cultural and language backgrounds.

Nick M. • Tony, your first question was "how do you feel about this metaphor"? That was what I thought I had answered. I apologise if I misconstrued.

Bruce D. W. • "... I just keep picking at the subject until some element of truth is exposed".

For what it is worth, I interpret this as "Until some element of my (your) truth is exposed." And that's fine.

My point in relation to the original questions you asked: "How do you feel about this metaphor? What does it tell us about social networking in companies? Have you an alternative Metaphor?" is that I don't believe you need a metaphor - or a "metaphor of a metaphor". I think it unnecessarily complicates what you want to do.

If a metaphor is wanted - I don't think a coffee room metaphor is suitable.I see the Managing Director's eyes glazing over with the thought of "virtual coffee room". I don't have an alternative because I don't think a metaphor is helpful. Using the metaphor is likely to distort the discussion with who you are trying to convince into "that's not like a coffee room".

Perhaps a question to consider is, "How would you explain a social network site in terms that could be understood by a managing director?"

That said... shall leave you to it.