You go crazy making your business case based on the idea that people will be so much more productive. You sweat the long nights and the hard work that it takes to get your new platform stood up within your organization so that everyone can begin to collaborate. Productivity gains are now at everyone's fingertips ...
So you begin recruiting your internal employees, getting them to join, asking them to get others to join, and placing reminders to join in the company newsletter - you whole organization is a buzz with the news. You are a hero.
But where is the productivity?
Jacob Nielsen coined a theory called the 1-9-90 theory that says out of every hundred people who join a community or network - 1% actively contribute - 9% contribute from time to time - and 90% are lurkers.
It's almost like answering 1 out of every 100 emails!
The cycle of this theory has to be broken when it comes to internal collaboration sites. You can't put out a request for help from an internal team and everyone misses the tweet or posting.
I think as Social Media marketers we have to get better at training. And setting the expectation that if you join you are expected to contribute. Maybe even go so far as making it a requirement in your yearly performance review. Not just a 'check the box' type of - did you contribute back to the community - but if you didn't contribute tangibly back to the community - it may impact your bonus potential!
This is the type of approach it will take to really flip that theory on its head.
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