As we march forward into 2010, businesses need to recognize that a lot has changed from the early days of the web.  What was once under the strict purview of elusive technophiles, has morphed into the purview of marketing, and is now shifting again into the hands of the every-person.

It’s an exciting time to be on the web.  Finding your voice and expressing that to your customers is more important than ever.  Do you know how to put your best foot forward?

At the time the new association launched, there were a small handful of businesses involved: BatchBook, FreshBooks, MailChimp, Outright and Shoeboxed. The companies involved were starting the affiliation and announcing that, though a series of API-based integrations, they were offering a new capability to their customers: integration between their services. Since each solution provides a single slice of back-office functionality for small businesses, by integrating with each other, they are able to support a much more robust lifecycle of back-office activity.

The requirements for joining were simple but essential:

First, a public, demonstrated commitment to customer service.

Second, a technology solution that includes an API.

What I love about this is that, though most business people may not know what an API is, they know what it does: it makes their lives easier. It makes a huge difference in a socially-interconnected eco-system. The fact that these applications are all capable of communicating with each other, sharing vital data, eliminating duplicate entry and providing a much broader view of small business activity, by re-using the same data across multiple areas of their business.

What I love even more, though, is seeing how many additional businesses have joined the original handful since launch earlier this year. If you look at the list today, twenty-seven (27) additional companies are on the list. Not all of them have integrations (not all of them need it), but they are all companies serving the small B2B market. It is one of the first resources I send small business owners to, because it’s a great place for them to see what is available at price points they can afford.

My only lament, of course, is that unless or until we all become part of The Matrix, consultants can’t have APIs, so we can’t join.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 6:00 p.m. Tech Ranch will be announcing a new program called Barn Builders, and Indigo Heron gets to be involved and share the excitement.

I hope you can join us to hear the details!

The “interesting” conversation I had afterward was because one of the attendees (in a private conversation) busted me for never once using the word “Agile” in my presentation. I’ve told him that it was deliberate, and here’s why:

What’s in a Name?

“Agile Development” is bullshit in and of itself. I don’t like or use this phrase because it’s a dangerous misnomer. As I’ve written about before, either your entire organization is going to be “Agile” or none of it is. You can’t just have “Agile Development” and expect that Project Management, Design, Testing and everything else won’t be impacted. The trouble is that Agile is all too often discussed, described, evaluated and generally understood as it applies to development only, leaving other aspects of the project lifecycle out in the cold.

The Methodology Myth

I have been in startup development environments for my entire career. And if there is one concrete, immutable fact I have learned it is that no startup environment is mature or stable enough to completely adopt and implement any pure methodology within any discipline — not requirements, not development, not project management, not testing. It simply does not happen — nor should it. While most development environments will dabble with some aspects of Agile, the fact is that — like all process — it is typically really a hybrid between a couple of different approaches, in combination with some home grown goodies, that is all tossed together to come up with something that fits the organization. Any other approach is folly.

You Say Potato, I Say Potaaaaaaaaaaaaato

One of the problems that has evolved over the years when it comes to Agile is at the heart of it’s value. As a methodology, Agile is specifically about results more than form or procedure. As an execution-oriented person in startup environments, I praise the focus on results. However, as a project manager, I also have to say that I have seen far, far too many developers use the methodology as an excuse for being lazy and sloppy about writing documentation. I used to debate with one of the Development Managers/Architects at JetBlue all the time: he was a huge advocate of adopting Agile methodologies, and I would always tell him that he needed to be careful of the language he used, unless he wanted to see a backlash from project and functional managers who’d been burned by this in the past.

He Said, She Said

Another problem with the language we use to describe Agile (in combination with the myth that it is or should be a dev-only consideration) is that, grammatically speaking, the word agile and the name Agile are often used interchangeably, even though they are not identical. This is particularly problematic when it comes to non-tech executives who hear “agile development” and think that means they are just going to get their project executed more quickly. All too often, I’ve seen Agile evangelists “sell” leadership teams on the idea that Agile is the way to go, without ever really explaining (in business-speak) what that means, what that will take and why it is of value. Even worse, most of the time, those evangelists actually think they really did explain it well.

Pragmatic Agnosticism

In the end, however, my biggest reason for not including the word “Agile” in my presentation is because, when it comes specifically to the core project management disciplines of communication, documentation, change management and entry/exit criteria, methodology agnosticism is key. This is never more true than in a startup where things are guaranteed to change before you have your Gantt Charts unpacked. Some of the tactical details may be different — whether it’s roles and responsibilities, sequence of events, etc. — the the underlying tenets are the same. And any project manager who says that communication, documentation and change management are fundamentally different in an Agile environment vs. a Waterfall environment are blowing smoke.

In the end, project management is a disciplined centered around the concept of integration. And integration is about effectively combining the efforts and products of multiple different disciplines into a final product of value. That can’t happen without communication, which includes at least some degree of written artifact (often around entry/exit criteria), and managing the inevitabilities of change. So, in a 45-minute presentation, it made more sense to me to skip over the great and eternal methodology debate, and move straight on to the basics that universally apply, regardless of what approach a team is taking to getting the work done.

I’m not entirely sure that the person I was speaking with agreed with my approach. And, in hindsight, I should have taken a moment at the beginning to state that I was going to be speaking from a methodology neutral standpoint. Definitely my over-sight there. I’ll be more conscientious of that in the future.

But people who want to get religious about a methodology can espouse whatever they like, but in the end, you have to be pragmatic in order to deliver a project (much less a recurring series of projects). And zealotry is never pragmatic.

An exciting initiative that launched earlier this year, The Small Business Web is a partnership of businesses dedicated to upholding a central tenet: “A passion for customer service, an excellent product or service, a solid business model and an API.”

The Small Business Web Manifesto: We think small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and that it’s from small business that true innovation will arise. We believe small businesses should have access to the same tools and technology that big companies have without paying a huge amount. We know simplifying access and increasing integration to our products and services will benefit all of our customers. We want small businesses to succeed and we want to help.

The benefits of this partnership for freelancers and small business are expansive thanks to the out-of-the-box integration between these great small business-focused businesses: whether you’re sending your receipts from ShoeBoxed to Outright, or your BatchBook (made by BatchBlue) contacts to MailChimp, or your accounting information from Outright to FreshBooks for invoicing, these small business understand the challenges of small business and have done their best to make life just a bit easier for freelancers and small organizations.

• FreshBooks – Small business invoicing services.

• Outright – Free small business accounting services.
• Shoeboxed – Business card and receipt scanning services.
• BatchBook – CRM for small businesses.
• MailChimp – Email marketing services.

FreshBooks and Outright Integration

To see more details, see either FreshBooks or Outright‘s website.

From a customer: I have been meaning to write and thank you guys for making three of my favorite applications FreshBooks, Outright and Shoeboxed work together. I am an online business manager and marketing virtual assistant — the numbers part of running a small business has never been my strong suit. Before your terrific troika, I would dread dealing with the numbers at all — saving up most of my accounting tasks until the end of each quarter – where I would hand enter all of my transactions into my accounting software (OK – I admit it – a spreadsheet) — it took my hours — and I left out many expenses that I just didn’t track.

FreshBooks and Shoeboxed Integration

From a customer: I am just getting started with the combination of FreshBooks, Outright and Shoeboxed – and already in my first month I have saved an amazing amount of time! As a freelancer with a thriving design business I love how much time I save with these great tools… not to mention the peace of mind I have knowing that I am up to date on my invoicing, expenses and I know where I stand with my taxes! I HIGHLY recommend this “system” for any freelancing looking to run an efficient, streamlined and professional small business! – Mona Pennypacker

Outright and Shoeboxed Integration

BatchBook and Shoeboxed Integration

For more details, see BatchBlue‘s website.

From a customer: I use all three services, and absolutely love all of them! In fact, the companies I start today have as a requirement that all three be used when talking with my partners. I do all my invoicing in FreshBooks; I keep a shoebox for receipts that I dump every one into; and I download to Outright automatically and then go back in and delete the non-work related ones out of my file. – Andrew Simmons

BatchBook and MailChimp Integration

BatchBook and FreshBooks Integration

From a customer: The integration is awesome. I started first using FreshBooks for my invoicing- it does a fine job tracking my hours, generating invoices and keeping track of payments. Then I added Shoeboxed, which is simply amazing – it worked so much better than I expected. Then I found I could use Outright to pull it all together – my invoices flow into my Outright income line, my expenses flow from Shoeboxed into my expenses – any it’s all accessible at home and on the road at a client site – I don’t even have to pull out my own laptop.

If you own or run a small business, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the wide array of solutions these products have to offer – both in combination and as stand-alone applications. And what’s even more exciting, is that each of these products has integration capabilities with other companies as well – everything ranging from Gmail (BatchBook) to BaseCamp (FreshBooks). Never before have small businesses had so many affordable resources at their disposal. And the best news of all is that this web only promises to grow.

Online already are keynote coverage posts by Ricci Neer, for each Dion Hinchcliffe, Sam Lawrence and whurley. (Additional coverage of the first and second breakout sessions can be found on Ricci’s blog as well.)

Even better, though, is the video coverage of keynotes, thanks to Video Innovations.

Dion Hinchcliffe – How Social Media Can Enhance Enterprise Profitability

Dion Hinchcliffe – IA09 Keynote

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Sam Lawrence – 20 Practical Ways to Use Social Software to Drive Profitability

Sam Lawrence – IA09 Keynote

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whurley – Future Technology Trends

whurley – IA09 Keynote

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Keynotes

Starting off the day was industry leading strategist and Social Computing Journal Editor-in-Chief Dion Hinchcliffe. In a talk on one of this season’s hottest topics: How Social Media Can Enhance Enterprise Profitability. Covering both internal organizational and external, customer-facing examples, Hinchcliffe’s examples set the tone for the ubiquitous message of the day: social media is a set of tools. Their value is found in the behaviors and interaction of the people using them, not the technologies themselves.

Keynotes by Sam Lawrence and “whurley” followed, with common messages. (See SCJ’s coverage of Sam Lawrence’s Keynote.) In a talk comprised of crowdsourced topics, whurley covered everything from the long-term value of LinkedIn, Twitter and Friendfeed, to data portability, semantic web and HTML5 with predictions and expectations regarding what’s coming and what’s on the brink of going.

Sessions and Lessons

Session topics covered a range of topics from the Obama Campaign’s use of social media and Interactive Government, to social media marketing and community management, to how to bring the vibrant and diverse set of interactive communities in Austin together into a cohesive, collaborate “scene.”

In “Designing the Experience,” panelists discussed everything from Information Architecture and multi-variant testing, to de-mystifying complex and intimidating processes such as filing taxes or small business accounting via good user design.

Another session entitled “The Human Cloud” provided panelists with an opportunity to debate both human and technical aspects of “cloud computing” — ranging from the value of the term itself to the role of face-to-face interactions in “cloud-based” relationships. While no consensus was reached about either the human or technical aspects of “the cloud,” one thing was clear: everyone has different expectations, understandings and visions for what constitutes “the human cloud” and how much value it can ultimately provide.

As part of “Communication Trends that Matter Most in Social Media,” industry specialists from Dell and Southwest Airlines discussed everything from public relations, internal communications and organizational change. Lessons ranged from “talk like a real human being” to “you need a change agent who isn’t afraid of losing their job to break down walls.”

And the consensus among panelists is that companies who want to leverage social media can’t just look to one company that is doing something well. Instead, we need to look at several companies that are each doing one thing well. Cherry-pick different approaches and solutions to craft an over-all strategy to fit your organization.

Case Study: Southwest’s Rapping Flight Attendant

A social media phenomenon (heading to Jay Leno tomorrow night) that occurred via social media (YouTube) and which was only shared via social media (Twitter).

Goals and Plans

During “Experience City,” panelists kicked off “The Austin Interactive Initiative,” designed to harness the power of Austin’s youthful, energetic creative scene for the purposes of cultivating a cohesive community around the local interactive market.

All in all, Interactive Austin has been a tremendous opportunity for Austinites to connect, network and exchange ideas, while working towards a more unified sense of community. Even with tight budgets and elevated productivity demands, attendance is good, and the local participants in the various interactive spaces have come together for a day of collaboration and communication — precisely the two qualities most often associated with social media.

I don’t have a huge amount to write about it, because others have done a far better job, so here are some places you can look if you want to see how the day unfolded: Ricci Neer did live blogging (and considerable follow-up), and captured much of the day, including my panel on Designing the User Experience.

For even more fun, you can check out the video of our panel on Designing the Experience.

IA09 Breakout Session – Designing the Experience

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How We Say What We Say

One of the challenges social media evangelists face is based on the language we use. As with all emerging technologies, the language is new and it’s not compatible with standard, well-worn executive jargon — worse yet, it has the unfortunate tendency to be too “cutsie” to be taken seriously by business leaders.

In order to get past the knee-jerk language reactions, stop using tech-speak and start using business-speak. The business already has a language, so use it. Evangelists can’t expect that the population at large is going to adopt a new language for a technology for which they are not yet onboard. Technologists and evangelists need to remember to speak the language of business.

The value of using the business’ language is clear in everything from initiating change, to clarifying the value of social media, to measuring the impact. In and among all of the ROI debate on social media one key is often over-looked: businesses already measure their efforts. For social media to be understandable to that business, it needs to be measured using metrics those executives already understand, expect and are comfortable with.

The Push-Pull Between Entrepreneurism and Process

As companies grow, entrepreneurism gives way to process until people can sleep walk through their day. Unthinking action is unthinking business. If your business is being run by unthinking people, then your business isn’t innovating.

Innovation is key. Even more importantly, innovation is different. Improving on a competitor’s product is not innovation. To truly innovate you must create something new, you must do it first, and you must own the market space.

Innovation Is Not Just for Products

In order to have innovative products, organization’s can’t fall into the trap of doing things the way they have always done. Instead of highly-connected leaders, most organizations have a collection of independently run fiefdoms. Lawrence calls these “Un-Knights at the Round Table.” In order to have the internal organization necessary to support true innovation, internal silos must be broken down, and all players must re-engage with each other.

One example Lawrence gives of how internal organizational patterns can benefit from social media is in its ability to “shorten the ramp.” Getting new employees up to speed quickly on new roles, projects or teams can be radically improved in organizations that leverage social media. Instead of having to spend six months learning who’s who and where to find what, an organization with an internal social media eco-system (facilitated by robust search capabilities) can provide opportunities to catch up quickly and start contributing to the team’s value much faster than traditional on-boarding processes facilitate.

In Conclusion

Social media has transformative capabilities, but the true transformation is in the people using technology to facilitate change, not in the technology itself. Like so many other lessons learned in social media: no matter how sexy the technology may be, business transformation is driven by people.