Google Groups Lacks Social Network Diagnostic Tools

One of the best aspects about running groups online in a contained environment should be the ability to diagnose the groups using the ideas of social network analysis. Identifying who is central to the conversation, who is quiet but respected or who is a connector is fairly basic as long as you know who communicates with who and in what order. Google Groups unfortunately doesn't allow any of this basic analysis. The only information shared is the number of posts by each individual.

The social networking information is a fairly valuable dataset. I would be surprised if Google isn't analyzing this information on the backend and adding to its great store of data on the way we interact.

Splitting My Blog - One Enterprise Software, One Everything Else

I am going to launch a new blog and will now have two:

1. New: Business Of Software with an explicit focus on enterprise software
2. Original (this blog): Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range with its more general focus

I will do dual posts while I get the word out. If you read me only for software, please update your feeds: http://businessofsoftware.blogspot.com/

I hope this brings a sharper focus, especially since I have had the opportunity to recently take the lead for a great enterprise focused strategy team.

Is that "business background" relevant?

The upcoming Massachusetts Governor's election is the latest to host multiple candidates touting successful business careers as omens of success. I'm leery of the blanket "business background" is good mentality. You have to dive to the second-level questions to really understand whether a business background is relevant. Given what is important in Massachusetts, below are some relevant second order questions for the candidates:

• Did you have P&L level responsibility (with P&L interpreted widely)?
• Did you spend more than 70% of your time in business on execution as opposed to process (e.g., not HR, legal, finance., etc)
• Were you in charge of the strategy for your business?
• If you were on a board of directors, did you ever vote against the CEO and with the minority?

Frankly, if the answer to any of the above questions is no, their business background isn't that relevant to the needs of Massachusetts which needs a Governor that will give this state some vision, sign up for results and execute.