Wikinomics by Tapscott and Williams analyzes how corporations are starting to use new forms of technology in their business processes. For example, Geek Squad agents communicated with one another and traded tech tips through playing Battlefield 2 online. Fortune 500 companies are starting to use wiki tools like Social Text to increase the efficiency of communication in the workplace. The article claims that wiki’s are more productive and easier to use then email because wiki’s can cut out the multitudes of hours spent sorting through junk.
Robert Stephens saw a great profitability in Geek Squad because most people don’t want to deal with complicated technology. I can relate to this because I consider myself an advanced computer user but I still hate fixing computers. Whether it’s my own computer or someone else’s computer; I do not enjoy fixing them. I find myself in fits of rage whenever something is seriously wrong with my pc even if I am able to figure out the solution. I use to get paid to fix other people’s computers but the agitation didn’t feel worth it. I understand Geek Squads niche and why they are able to make so much money. Technology is fun when it is easy to use and when it doesn’t frustrate one but when it does it can be one’s worst nightmare.
I found it amazing how Geek Squad workers were using a video game to communicate and to learn things from each other. I can relate to this as well because I use to play a lot of online games and I feel like I learned a lot from the different people that I interacted with. Online gaming can be a type of networking and is a better way to bond with people online then most other online tools because when people play on the same team in a game, it is almost the same feeling as when people are teammates while playing a sport. I use to play Battlefield 2 and from playing it I can relate to the way some of the agents were connecting. There is no better way to connect with someone online then shooting at one another. The video games is one example of how the Geek Squad workers putting good use to social media. Video games as well as wiki’s demonstrate how social media can be used in the workplace to share ideas between workers, customers, etc.
From having the chance to use Social Text in this course and from in Computer in Management I can see how this can be an effective tool in corporations. Social text provides a great way to share with my classmates and professors. I think firms can use this same tool to increase efficiency in the workplace and to gain a competitive advantage over the competition.
I would give this reading a 8/10. It is pretty interesting and showcases some great examples of how companies are using these new online tools.
ReplyDeleteZane,
ReplyDeleteI like the point you made about why Stephen's found profitability in the geek squad. I agree with the authors as they stated that the do-it-yourself crowd is dwindling, because most people would rather give up money for peace of mind by giving it to someone else to fix their technological issues. I had never thought about it like this before, because I am not one who has ever been able to fix things on my own without outside help!
I also blogged about how shocking it was that the employees were using a video came to collaborate and interact. This was something I had never heard before, and certainly wouldn't have imagined because I didn't know that it was something many people participated in regularly (besides my brother and his friends, haha).
I thought this article was extremely relevant to our class discussion about incentivizing and motivating employees. what is the question you have for us after reading this article? i would love to think up an answer for you! don't forget to read my post on this reading
Jess
I understand your frustration with fixing computers and I see why there was profitability in the geek squad. I'm also pretty savvy with computers, but I revert back to a three year old when something happens to my computer and I lose all sense of equilibrium in the world. This summer my hard drive crashed and I found myself sitting in front of the guy at the genius bar at Apple crying my eyes out asking why it couldn't be fixed. I knew it couldn't be fixed, and I knew why, but I became a whiny brat as soon as it was happening to me.
ReplyDeleteI also think online gaming is a great way for people to interact. Being part of a team is a great way to collaborate and get to know different people, and while I'm not one to participate in online gaming, it was interesting to read about it in this article and in your comments.
As you mentioned how online gaming is a great way for people to interact, these days game itself is not just game anymore. Before people play games and as they play, they interact and socialize with each other. But i believe that people today play game in order to be social. So Social Network Game is emerging, such as Farmville, or any game on Facebook. Social Networking places an important role in today's online game industry.
ReplyDeleteHeejin, Kim
Zane, I had a similar response to the reading, in that it made me think about how an untraditional technology can actually spur collaboration and increase productivity in the right workplace. In your case and in the case of Geek Squad, it was video games. In my case, it was Instant Messaging.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like to know more about is how communication in a video game actually works. I haven't played video games since the days of Super Nintendo (yes, I am old), so I have a hard time picturing it. Since you have played the game they discussed in the article, can you elaborate as to how it works?
Jackie, for most online games players communicate with one another via a headset or a keyboard. The headset is the easiest way because players can play the game while instantaneously talking to each other about either strategies or random things that have nothing to do with the game.
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