In my first post here in the FastForwardBlog, I offered some tips on getting started down the path of Enterprise 2.0 in your organization. With the current economic situation still casting a shadow, I believe the advice is more important than ever.

Bringing social computing in to your organization in the near term will require measured amounts of tact and enthusiasm. You will need to set a pace that others can maintain, but you must be sure to maintain that pace even through the current climate.

From that post:

Some tips:

• Look inside: Chances are you have at least a few clued-in people. Take them to lunch and and give them some space to share their ideas. If they are really on to something, try to free up some of their workday so that they can experiment
• Listen carefully: There are two conversations going on right now, one about Technology, and one about a Business Ideology. If technology isn’t your thing, then start moving forward with new business ideas and the right technology will emerge, and if you are pegged as a technology person then start opening up the world of low cost options to your colleagues.
• Don’t rush: Major shifts in corporate structure and direction are painful and drawn out exercises. Instead of feeling the need to act, focus instead on assimilating relevant new ideas and contextualizing them around your own strategy.
• Act fast: Low cost and low friction opportunities are now available to everyone, learn to try small. If a transformation is going to take place successfully in your organization, it will be through thousands of small efforts, not one large push.
• Check your ego: Here is the painful part, and one of the secrets. The baseline requirement of Enterprise 2.0 is to learn to let go and to realize that you must learn to trust those around you before you yourself will earn their trust.
• Learn to imagine again: For the first time in almost 70 years business is truly changing, and the possibilities are endless. What does that mean for you?
• You are creating this too: This isn’t about converting to a new ideology, this isn’t even about accepting a new idea, we are early enough in the new world of the New Enterprise that each participant is a creator. There are no masters yet, no old guard or new revolutionaries, there is simply an idea out there that is really starting to take hold, and every disciple is must do double time as a prophet.
• Learn to be ready: Only when you fully realize the potential for your organization can you find the right help. The best and smartest people will not be coming to you, you will have to find them. There is a boom of sorts coming in Enterprise 2.0, so be wary of snake-oil salesmen and instead go out and learn from the gurus and masters who will continue to emerge in the next year and beyond.
• Keep reading: The amount of knowledge, understanding and ideas that are being shared is staggering. Never before in business have so many innovations and creations been available for free. So start reading every relevant blog, article and book you can find, and don’t stop: the ideas will not stop evolving.