Taking SDN/SCN to the next level seems to be something that everyone I have spoken to wants and there is a lot of enthusiasm around this
I believe the true potential of SDN/SCN has not even been touched on. It has all the basics like the foundations to a house but needs more to make it complete
This is some ideas I have that might make the SAP Community work
1). Instead of one section for forums, one section for WIKI, one section for blogs, one section for....
Why not truly integrate the entire structure. For example the purpose of the wiki is to provide qualified and substantial information on the relevant topics. Often I find users commenting forum type questions on the Wiki page itself. I have begun to provide, on each WIKI page within my area a specific link with big bright image directing users to the forum straight from the WIKI, but not just to the forums but to the specific forum related to the WIKI content.
In this way as Content in WIKI is questioned or requested, the forums allow the collaboration with the 'who wants to know' to the 'what you want to know' and then the WIKI gets updated with the solutions thus again enhancing the WIKI Content and both forums and wiki begin to grow together.
2). Collaboration…Finding People…
I am sure any regular user and I would even say new users have noticed the following. If you want to get information about a user, moderator, person that created or updated a page, a forum contributor or even the blog contributors and authors, each one has a different profile for the user,that is if all are maintained.
You have the following profiles per person:
Why do we have to have so many unmaintained profile pages when only one is necessary? As many other bloggers have suggested,like facebook, you should have your profile, others can see what you are involved in, direct friendly communication is possible on the profile, either public or private and collaboration is transparent and fluid.
With this single profile you can have much, much more, think about it. Instead of the facebook applications that get thousands of facebook users to interact you could have the SDN/SCN equivalent with blogs, forums, hot topics etc.
3). Structure…Structure….Structure….
The structure within the communities is almost there, but there is no cohesiveness. I can maintain my wiki area to my standards, you can maintain yours to your standards, and part time moderators can maintain theirs any way they like also. Everyone thinks theirs is the best or some just are not made aware of the best structures out there that do work.
Alot of what I have found in my investigations and analysis of how WIKI spaces in particular are maintained is that there are lots of structures out there for the menu system, updates, links to blogs but where one wiki space does well another does not.
For example, let’s say in WIKISPACE 1 the menu structure really works and makes sense to the users trying to find the information but there is little to no participation for the WIKI content so all you find are blank pages promising what will be there.
In WIKISPACE 2 you have a huge amount of updated and expert content where participation is high but you have no menu structure and thus only the people that update the pages can find the content or those dedicated enough to trawl through the wiki search.
These are just my thoughts, but I am not all talk…I am currently working on a way to bring all this together and create a working example of a bright, exciting and integrated wiki, forum, blog and profile area that can be used as an example to illustrate what I am trying to get others excited about.
So keep an eye on the following spaces if you wish to track the progress, it is still very far from my vision but should be closer in the coming weeks:
I plan to launch a competition (with real recognition and reward) for the best ideas on ‘How to bring SCN to life’ and promote a campaign for ‘Pride in your WIKI’ where users will take ‘ownership’ of their wiki spaces and forums and blogs and profiles and then my friends you will see the true potential of SAP Community Networking….
More to come but for now please do give your comments and thoughts on the above…
