Software rollouts are always fraught.

Something to do with the users being overwhelmed, apparently its been going on for years.

Wordpress open source software used to be just for building blogs, but now its more than good enough to have your website built with.

You should.

For all my friends in small businesses, here’s my reasons.

1. Wordpress can be used to create a website from scratch with no coding (with a little reading)
2. Anyone can add pages, and this means more content, and more updates (no charge)
3. Search engines care very much about content levels and how often a site is updated.
4. Content is preserved, even when changing the look of the site (Thats what this Wordpress Content Management System actually does)
5. Change the look, and all pages are updated, there’s no hard-coding. A website can live and breathe.
6. Thousands of developers are working to simplify all sorts of advanced capability – e.g. Search Engine friendly stuff, statistics management! audio and video embedding, database and e-commerce functions.
7. If you get stuck, any Wordpress contractor can pick up where you left off – easily
8. It is a major bonus for a website to support RSS and blogs, for marketing, and with Wordpress, such rich functionality is built in of course.
9. Websites are tons better when interactive - positive customer comments build trust and credibility and will increase conversions from visits to contact.
10. It’s free to use

Forget the word Blog – just think of this as a way to replace that old website that looks like a brochure and to start a conversation in your marketplace, and hit those search engines.

I thought it would be a good idea to look for Sharepoint success stories.

An old colleague - sorry Roger, the phrase nearly works both ways - was fired up about the capabilities of Sharepoint 2007, and so I wanted more evidence.

Google search for ‘Sharepoint success story’ and the first result is from HP, a re-assuringly titled ”

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Success Stories

First in the list? Alberta Pensions Administration Corporation (APA)

The result?

Pants. Not available….are they using Sharepoint? See below

Sorry, we were unable to find the Enterprise Library page you were looking for.  It’s possible that this page is no longer available.

The Enterprise Library provides the most current Enterprise marketing content available.

To make another Enterprise Library selection, click here

The second link is available – but doesn’t mention Sharepoint, and the third doesn’t exist at all (webpage not found) and so on.

I spotted a familiar UK name example at the bottom of the list, Wiltshire Constabulary, – but that link puts me through to an index of case studies….which doesn’t include Wiltshire Constabulary. Grief.

Perhaps there could be an arrest warrant issued soon…please?

In the interests of balance, there is the Microsoft customer evidence site - but there is a large amount of will do, plans to, intends to – type language.

I’ll be interested to see what transpires in this, the third incarnation of Sharepoint. How much longer will companies wait for the finished article.

Lastly, I saw this post from collaboration loop, which seems to ask many of the questions that I also have – without too many answers yet.

The questions:

Is SharePoint a Web 2.0 platform? Is SharePoint a content management system? Is SharePoint a workflow manager? Is SharePoint a social computing platform? Or is SharePoint a portal to other applications?

(I’m not sure why I link to Collaboration Loop, as comments don’t seem to be published on their site anymore. It’s a bit like being lectured instead of having a conversation )

Anyhow, The Answer:

Well…the answer to all of these questions is a conditional “yes.” SharePoint does have the capabilities to function in all these roles.

But – the article’s point then extends to the fact that it isn’t best of breed in any area, and is partnering with best of breed in multiple disciplines to deliver the goods. For how long will that last, and how does a customer company make a decision. I wonder.

As per my last post, I am continuing to look at the software user interface, and the impact on communications software product success.

I found a link to a great presentation from Peter Merholz of adaptivepath. “The Experience is the Product” sounds a lot like “the software IS the interface”, which is a Steve Jobs quote I return to, again and again.

Eastman Kodak, iPod and the Wii are good examples in the presentation of innovation.

In some ways, it is good to find one’s themes echoed somewhere else, particularly when someone much more eloquent is putting forth their thoughts.

I also noted more than a passing resemblance to trivergence , where the device is but a part of the overall system.

To flesh out the experiential side of product success, I again recommend listening to this linked file, from Lou Carbone. This is a must for any product manager.

I’ve seen loads of white papers that explain the technology (admin) approach and the communications enabling business processes (business case).

But where are the white papers on the Unified Communications user experience?

Thanks be to Futurelab and Karl Long for the pointers

Unified Communications is taking us away from being reliant on feature rich telephony devices like proprietary IP Telephony handsets and corporate mobile devices.

I’ve been looking at the concept for a while and On Accenture’s Trivergence blog, Andy Zimmerman coins the “trivergence” phrase, I can link to the explanation.

The reason I picked it up is that one of the key aspects of this trivergence (type of convergence) is to abstract a user interface to any application, away from the devices that you use, onto the network, and accessible via the PC screen or browser.

To a degree I guess this has been happening since the demise of the typewriter, but this will continue into disruptive communications solutions. Perhaps its why Gartner warn against buying handsets with screens.

As an example, the Ipod is easier to stuff full of music when using iTunes, rather than navigating and downloading from a website from a screen measuring 2 inches square.

Further, he relates

About two years ago, when Accenture’s Innovation Center was researching Trivergence, we mocked up an application that transferred certain cellphone controls from the handset to a PC display, which we dubbed a SoftPanel. In focus groups, cellphone users were asked to perform a set of tasks (managing contact lists, sifting through voice mail, buying ring tones, etc.) first on the cellphone itself and then on the SoftPanel.

The results were unambiguous. Nearly 100% of respondents said they preferred using the SoftPanel for these tasks. It was clear to almost everyone that there should be a seamless integration between the PC and the handset – with each device doing what it does best, and doing it on a regular basis.

Also he says

one of Accenture’s analysts sent me these comments from a discussion on cellphone usability:

“Mobile devices are still not intuitive enough for average users to navigate, and consumers do not have the time or interest to go through carriers’ service catalogues to figure out just exactly what is available to them.

“As carriers continue to layer on services, discovery mechanisms on mobile handsets are critical to enabling users to access desired applications and services with the simple touch of a button.”

Personally, I use Google Reader because I can access the pre-configured reader and articles when on the train through a browser. It is an example of application control being browser based rather than being developed specifically for each device individually. The application persists across whicever device I happen to be using, and this only succeeds if the application server is browser based.

Another post from the Trivergence blog, around Grand Central, shows how a very feature rich call control of an inbound telephony service has been abstracted from telephone devices all together by being browser based.

We’ve all used dozens of phone devices in our time, perhaps future phones will be simpler instead of more complex.

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