There’s one common question with no absolute answer : “ok, since I decided to implement social software within my company, how do I have to do ?”. I think most of the experts will agree there’s no magic recipe but many tips you have to adapt to your own context.

But, before all, never forget the rule number one : before ask how, first ask why. It will help you to choose the right tools (because “social software” means a very broad choice of tools) for the right purposes. Then, imagine the practices and usages uou want to happen, the starting point and the finish line because the best way to achieve something is to fully visualize it.

In the following paragraph I’ll use generic words practices and tools in their 1.0 and 2.0 version, even if it may be simplistic.

Tools 1.0 : all the classic and legacy tools companies have been using so far.

Tools 2.0 : social networks, blogs, wikis, social bookmarking….

Practices 1.0 : current practices, mainly top down, in a “hub approach“, relying on corporate’s formal structures and neglecting the informal one.

Practices 2.0 : about free-form collaboration, cross organizaton interactions. They’re not to replace the previous ones but to add to them.

The purpose is to start from practices 1.0 on tools 2.0 to practices 2.0 on tools 2.0. To be more precise, it’s about keeping the 1.0/1.0 duet for activities it’s perfectly adapted to, move some 1.0 practices on 2.0 tools for more efficiency and make it possible to develop new 2.0 on 2.0 tools.

Expercience teaches us that moving directly from 1.0/1.0 to 2.0/2.0 is very hard for many reasons.

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