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Methods for Information Distribution?
Prep asks: "We're all faced with a glut of information. Everyone where I work seems to use email as their primary means of information distribution. However, thanks in part to huge file attachments and a massive influx of spam, email delivery times are now apparently exceeding the times that our user base deems acceptable, so I've began to wonder about other means of informing users of changes to information they deem important. Ideally, the user would subscribe to various feeds (changes in their network share filesystem, various intranet webpages being updated, RSS feeds, etc) and notifications of changes to those sources would be pushed to them on an automated basis. I'm wondering if an IM based solution might not be useful here. I can't imagine this is an isolated problem, and wonder what other /.'s are doing to address it."
Basically, we're back to the classic idea of 'agents', things that hunt down info for you, then distill it and order it and present it to you.
Fascinating field, but darn tricky. New waves of paradigm shifts (okay, jargon changes) come and go, but the need for good agents remains.
Currently, the best agents are still, well, graduate students and secretaries.
A.
True, email is a great way of broadcasting information using little effort on your part. However, there is an even easier solution: use the "page" feature on your office phone!
You'd be surprised at the response you get. Everyone in the company will get to receive your important information. I use page for everything:
"Hey, there's a new memory leak in our code! I think it has something to do with the GUI. Whoever screwed up, please fix it right now. Some of us are trying to work!"
"Just wanted to let you all know that I'm uploading a change to TreeViewWindow.cpp right now!"
"Can one of you secretaries put some new coffee in the coffee machine in the kitchen? We're all out."
It's unfortunate that technology has blinded so many of us to much simpler solutions to our communications problems. The next time you need to disseminate information to your work associates, don't use email: hit that page button instead!
GMD
watch this
At my company we use WikiWiki for documenting everything from internal code management procedures to HR policies. It works great.
However, I work at a pretty small company. I don't think that a WikiWiki site would serve the needs of 5000 employees, simply because you don't get the "personal responsibility factor" check and balance for making changes to the Wiki. I can see it now....Fred in accounting says that we all get 20 weeks off a year! Horray!
more links to shared-drive files rather than copies of such in the emails
create a web page that scrapes/shows the timestamps on files/urls. allow users to add/remove items on this list (self-customized per user)
focus employees to avoid "CC to all" mentality unless collaborative work is actually going on. "FYI" emails are best put on a bulletin board or bb-page
break employees into stronger focus groups that work within themselves and deliver results on a set schedule (1x a week, month, etc)
tighten the spam filters
update everyone's email address names and have them send out a notice to crucial clients
employ a local web-based email system, save your network's bandwidth for when people really download the attachments
encourage more IM-based conversations (more immediate, more collaborative) over email
For all purposes an IM system is an email system which has its user interface focused on users rather than on the messages themselves. Any abuse that email systems recieve, so shall IM systems.
That said, common email systems could use some improvement, just don't expect human nature to change simply because the app [sort of] did.
I'd suggest Hotline/Openline (shameless plug).
You can get the compiled binaries of the open source non-banner clients at the following URLs: PC Client, Mac Client
And the servers here: PC Server, Mac Server
Info for the app is here:
Hotsprings
Info on the open source projects here:
Opensprings