Staffing the Corporate Web Team of Tomorrow

I've been in this line of business for awhile now. Adequately resourcing a corporate web team has been a challenge for everyone I've ever spoken to. However, I think the corporate world has made leaps and bounds in recent years understanding the criticality of the online channel and resourcing appropriately.

I believe we're at a turning point. One that will require a rethink of the typical eBiz organizational structure. We've all heard the notion that the typical .COM platform is dead... Surpassed by the emergence of all things social. I think this a bit dramatic - But not completely off base.

The majority of companies I've talked to organize primarily around their web properties. .COM gets a team, Extranet gets a team, Intranet gets one, and so on.

EMC is getting some buzz for our internal work in the social space, thanks to some of the experiences Chuck, Mark and myself have posted. As a result, I've had a few companies calling on us for an experience POV. In most instances, people have a toe in the water with one or two people looking at implementing social networking in their respective company. But it's always grass roots and with much hesitation.

Over the weekend, I considered just how critical user generated content had become in my daily life...

I recently vacationed in St John. Skipping the 'official' travel sites, I headed immediately to TripAdvisors user forums to understand the good and the bad for the island. Is it a worthwhile place to go? What's the general driver for people who vaca here. etc;

I found a nice little villa, and again used Google Blog search and the Expedia forums to find opinions of those who had been there. Did I briefly look at the official villa site? Yup... But took it with a grain of salt.

I also wanted to make a purchase on Amazon this weekend. A brief look at the formal product description followed by an hour digging into the user reviews. I realized I would no longer buy a product without reading the thoughts of existing customers.

Clearly the emergence of Social capabilities is invasive. With the footprint already quite strong in consumer markets, it's quickly becoming an expected offering across all segments.

With this trend, the traditional organizational model for .COM's must change. In tomorrows model, the focus on social capabilities will be primary, not secondary as they often are today. Put differently, assume you have a staff of ten running a .COM site and one or two people driving social media. Tomorrow those numbers will likely flip - with much more focus on the social aspects of the web property and much less on the messaging, editorializing, creation, etc;.

I suggest now is the time for eBusiness executives take a hard look at their current org structures while considering the inevitable focus to a more consumer to consumer approach. Social engagement and interaction will be the foundation of tomorrows corporate presence, unlike the Web 1.0 approach of pushing information unidirectionally from the brochure-like sites of yesterday.

Comments

[Alex]

Hope you visited Margarita Phil's :^) Alex.