Pensieri sparsi di un geek…
Web
Social Networking nelle intranet aziendali
5 Aug
Jakob Nielsen ha recentemente pubblicato su Alertbox, la sua celebre rubrica sull’usabilità web, un articolo che riassume i risultati di una ricerca sull’uso dei social network nelle intranet aziendali:
Perhaps more than any other corporate intranet innovation, social software technologies are exposing the holes in corporate communication and collaboration — and at times filling them before the (usually slow-moving) enterprise can fully grasp (and control) the flow.
Here are some things that might surprise you about the social media initiatives we studied:
- Underground efforts yield big results. Companies are turning a blind eye to underground social software efforts until they prove their worth, and then sanctioning them within the enterprise.
- Frontline workers are driving the vision. Often, senior managers aren’t open to the possibilities for enterprise 2.0 innovation because they’re not actively using these tools outside of work. Indeed, many senior managers still consider such tools as something their kids do. One of the dirty secrets of enterprise 2.0 is that you don’t have to teach or convince younger workers to use these tools; they expect them and integrate them as easily into their work lives as they do in their personal lives.
- Communities are self-policing. When left to their own devices, communities police themselves, leaving very little need for tight organizational control. And such peer-to-peer policing is often more effective than a big brother approach. Companies that we studied said abuse was rare in their communities.
- Business need is the big driver. Although our report discusses specific tools (blogs, wikis, and such), enterprise 2.0’s power is not about tools, it’s about the communication shift that those tools enable.
- Organizations must cede power. Using Web 2.0 technologies to communicate with customers has taught many companies that they can no longer control the message. This also rings true when using Web 2.0 tools for internal communication. Companies that once held to a command-and-control paradigm for corporate messaging are finding it hard to maintain that stance.
E’ fondamentale sottolineare come ancora una volta non bastino i tool in sé a creare valore. E’ l’uso che se ne fa che deve soddisfare un preciso bisogno dell’azienda.
Il report completo di 168 pagine è disponibile per il download al prezzo di $298.
Wireless libero in aeroporti e hotel?
18 Mar
Sì, a patto di essere un po’ scafati e di avere una macchina in rete su cui installare servizi IP over DNS o IP over ICMP. Make spiega i dettagli:
In most situations, the firewall will be set up to block or proxy all TCP traffic, and all HTTP requests are redirected to the authentication server that wants you to enter a credit card. DNS lookups and ICMP traffic (ping, for example) are quite often left untouched, however, allowing you to use these services to move data through a remote computer under your control.
Il Guardian lancia la sua piattaforma open
17 Mar
Dopo il New York Times, anche il Guardian lancia la sua piattaforma aperta per la ridistribuzione dei propri dati:
Open Platform launched with two separate content-sharing services, which will allow users to build their own applications in return for carrying Guardian advertising.
A content application programming interface (API) will smooth the way for web developers to build applications and services using Guardian content, while a Data Store will contain datasets curated by Guardian editors and open for others to use.
Cronologia ad albero per Safari?
25 Sep
Da AppleInsider:
A pair of new patent filings from Apple include suggestions for improving the browsing experience offered through its Safari Web browser, such as a adaptive media support and a visual history tree that more accurately shows users where they’ve been and how they got there.
Interessante la soluzione proposta da Apple per visualizzare la cronologia del browser in maniera efficace: invece di rappresentarla come una successione lineare di pagine web, Safari potrebbe implementarla come se fosse un grafo ad albero:

Le radici degli alberi sono le pagine web il cui indirizzo viene digitato direttamente dall’utente, mentre i nodi figli sono le pagine raggiunte attraverso i link. Ogni volta che una pagina web viene aperta in un nuovo tab o in una nuova finestra, il relativo ramo si dividerà in due.
Una barra temporale, simile a quella già introdotta in Time Machine, affiancherà i grafi, mentre due ulteriori controlli permetteranno all’utente di intervenire sia sulla scala che sulla profondità della propria history.