Jeg morede mig i bilen i formiddags med en sjovt og tænkevækkende indslag på DR om Facebook status opdateringer. Der er også en artikel på KForum med mange gode kommentarer og begge links findes nedenfor.

Nyd dem! Og tak til Nadja Pass og de andre for nogle sjove og interessante tænker.

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-B

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I have been thinking this week about freedom of speech after hearing about a Facebook Group called “Gruppen mod Muslimer i Danmark” (Group against Muslims in Denmark). The story broke last week when it was discovered that several Danish soldiers were among the group’s members. The Defense ministry quickly responded stating that the Army doesnt agree with this viewpoint but that the soldiers’ feeedom of speech must be respected. Denmark’s soldiers have been in Iraq and are currently in Afghanistan.

The soliders were out of the group in no time - probably after a “discussion” with their superior officers. Yes, I have been in the military and know exactly how that works. The Danes dont seem to agree with their army, though. In a survey in the newspaper Politken, 63 percent of over 2700 respondents to date say that it is not okay for the soldiers to be a part of this group.

Not only have the soldiers disappeared, but the group has apparently been “taken over” by the far more politically correct “Youth against racism in Denmark” who have replaced the frightening group photo with that of a freely flying, beflowered dove. In fact, the hardline discussions are almost non-existent in the group and many of the members are now there to fight the original idea as much as support it. It is admittedly hard to find any logically coherent arguments in the few posts from the “original” group members - most resemble this- but there are stilla few hangers-on. The group has, naturally, spawned a counter movement called “People that join Group in Muslims in Denmark are idiots!” and that group seems to winning the popularity contest - 30 vs. 739 members to date.

The story shows that the old debates about freedom of speech, political correctness, racism and the hot topic of nationalism are still very much alive and well here in Europe. I love the fact that we can see them played out in a more social way on Facebook. But I am also a modern lefty in the tradtion of Camille Paglia and others who think that political correctness of this type eventually does more harm than good for our society. It is a shame that Facebook intervenes in the conversation, but they, too, are a business and they too have to think about their own reputation, I suppose.

The story also brings up the question of how other organizations should think about their own employees who blog, become members of online communities, use hate speech or otherwise express opinions publicly that do not quite square with their own. In the past, bloggers have been fired from their jobs for their online musings and there are several examples of organizations that have been forced into a crisis because of this very topic. Social Media definately blurrs the lines between private and public, and it is very much a part of people’s lives - even if businesses are having a hard time seeing how it affects them.

In fact, look at FDIMs statistics about where Danes spend their time online. Although news and address search sites get the most visits, the number of page views, or “sidevisninger”, is dominated by social networks. This tells me that people are spending a lot of time online at this sites, clicking through and looking at many pages once they are in.

So should those people also be free to say what they want, when they want and where they want?

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At the Wemind conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday, March 12, Per Ladegaard, Concern Director for Nykredit, a Danish bank, made a presentation on how his organization is using both new media and social media for improved customer service and product innovation.

The banking industry has never struck me as being particularly creative and certainly not as early adopters, but the fact that the Concern Director came to a small conference to talk about Web 2.0 says a lot about why NyKredit is surprising and why they are leading the pack in this area.

Per understands the paradigm of dialog and is brave enough to find a place for it in Nykredits communication.

Per talked about how important online activity has been for the bank since the mid 1990s and showed how, little by little, they have added web 1.0 and web 2.0 offerings in a way that both better serve their customers and (perhaps more importantly) fit in with their company’s core value proposition: “Tænk nyt” or “Think New”.

Being a credit union, Nykredit is blessed with some realities that surely make it easier for them to “think new” in the banking industry. They have a large capital base and the fact they are relatively small in comparison to banks like Nordea and Danske Bank makes them more flexible. In fact, they seem to relish the role of being the class “daredevil” and frontrunnner.

Some of the programs they have been the first to implement - such as webcam based tellers who can walk customers through complex web banking transactions via screencontrol, the ability to upload personal photos for use as credit card themes, online video tips and online loan calculators are not truly web 2.0, but show how Nykredit embraces digital media to create a competitive advantage and build their image as a company that uses new technology to improve stakeholder communication.

Nykredit has been using blogging as part of a “dialog” program with customers for several months and it recently won an award from Computerworld for its efforts.

Nykredit is now also using crowdsourcing - or user-based innovation - to improve its financial products. In the short couple months they have been live, the bank has already started a no-fee account based on user suggestions. Per also pointed out how top executives are constantly looking at the feedback and votes as it gives a direct channel to customer insights.

In the end, two things really struck me about his presentation:

1.) the fact that when he was presented with the concept of crowdsourcing that he immediately asked himself how the idea fit in with the company’s values.

Wow! Looking at a lot of company’s stated “mission” or “values” it might be easy to come the conclusion that such things are nothing but HR babble and PR spin. Refreshing to see a CEO who really considers them in making calculated decisions.

2.) When asked about the ROI of the Crowdsourcing initiative, Per responded, “It has already paid for itself in terms of the image boost it has given us”.

Yeah, pretty refreshing to meet a CEO who thinks this way too.

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