IBM Lotus Connections Developer at NewsGator in Denver, CO
Dec 08, 2008        

Overview
Develop and debug NewsGator applications for IBM Lotus Connections. Responsible for overall system architecture/design for capabilities implemented in Connections, coding of those capabilities, implementing Connections for testing and evaluating those capabilities, and giving guidance to the QA team on testing in Connections. May also perform the same duties for IBM Lotus Quickr development.

Responsibilities
Research, design, and develop new features for company products.
Design technical specifications for assigned features and architectural improvements. Candidate must be proficient in writing use cases and other supplemental requirement specifications as required.
Review and hand-off technical designs to test engineers in an effort to ensure quality delivery of product.
Participate in code design and code reviews with appropriate team members as necessary.
Develop and deliver to aggressive product release schedules working as a cooperative team member in an agile development environment.

Experience
Strong software engineering and problem solving skills.
5-7 solid years of professional experience developing web-based applications.
Experience developing JavaScript, DHTML, and AJAX or JSON based applications.
Experience developing to JSR-000168 Portlet Specification
Experience developing to IWidget (Eclipse Platform API Specification)
Understanding of IBM Lotus Connections architecture and implementation
Experience implementing IBM Lotus Connections in a customer environment is highly desired
Ability to work effectively with DB2is highly desired.
Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical designs.
Demonstrated ability to identify, prioritize, and execute tasks to meet critical project deadlines.
Ability to take ownership of extensive development tasks.
Demonstrated ability to work in a team-oriented environment and get along well with others.

IBM, for its part, has more aggressively shown willingness to move forward with Lotus Connections, which right now has a better design than the social software features in SharePoint, which is largely still a document management system.

IBM Research is looking at four main areas: understanding adoption, usage patterns, motivations, and impact. This position paper [Research on the Use of Social Software in the Workplace] gives a brief overview of the key findings from last two:  motivations and impact on the workplace. The found that within a company intranet's protected environment, employees choose to reach out on Beehive to new people rather than only connecting to those they know, which is different than behavior reported on Facebook. Now I have seen a lot of reaching out to new people who have connections to known people on Facebook but still, this is interesting. They also found that employees also share personal details that have not appeared with any significant frequency within IBM on other enterprise social software tools, such as intranet social bookmarking and blogging.

Looking further through in-depth interview they found three motivations: interacting with colleagues on a personal level, career advancement, and the ability to convince others to support ideas and projects. They wrote that, employees use Beehive to present themselves professionally and to network with those they believe can assist them in their career goals within IBM. Being part of large consulting organization in a past life, I can understand the internal marketplace dynamics that this system plays into.  Social media is often used for viral marketing in the external marketplaces so it is not surprising that people would make use of its capabilities in a large organization with an active marketplace for people, ideas, and projects.

The researchers also looked at impact. They found that the more intensely someone uses Beehive (as measured by more frequent visits and stronger associations with the online community) the higher their reported social capital, across all measures. In other words, they have closer bonds to their network, they have a greater willingness to contribute to the company, they have a greater interest in connecting globally, have greater access to new people, and a greater ability to access expertise.
[emphasis mine]

The first step in making social software success at your company is identifying your audience -- you likely have a few key constituencies to work with, and the way you approach and talk to each is probably a little different. I propose there are three key audiences you'll want to approach:


AKA the big shots. You'll want to talk to these folks about business value, the ways social software can drive productivity and innovation, and how Lotus Connections, Lotus Quickr, and/or Lotus Sametime can help with the bottom line. Lots of times these folks hold the purse strings, so they are a key demographic and deserve all your powers of persuasion.
Do:
+ focus on business benefits, success stories & anecdotes from your own pilot or from the Soapbox's tagged case studies
+ keep the conversation on the real-world tangible advantages that Collaboration 2.0 holds for your organization or that executive's particular department/line of business
Don't:
- get caught up in technology gorp
- get in disputes about feature functions at the expense of capabilities and benefits
- forget to talk about how Collaboration 2.0 can help effect the bottom line -- either in terms of increased productivity/cost savings or in terms of innovation/new opportunity

"We need to reach our people to find out [if they are OK]," says Hadar, who supports the FAA's disaster recovery efforts. "We also need to know where they are and if they are available to participate in the recovery." Once everyone is accounted for, the agency needs to figure out which disaster recovery specialists will do what, and who their counterparts are at other federal, state and local agencies. The specialists themselves have to track their emails, instant messages and voicemails, and locate the documents needed to bring equipment back online.

It's a perfect situation for taking social computing tools, such as online social networks and group communications tools like wikis and keyword tagging, and putting them to work as a form of knowledge management.

...

The FAA started thinking about how to use social networking tools in 2000, when Alan Stensland, its Eastern Service Area emergency coordinator, saw Lotus QuickPlace, a team collaboration platform, and Lotus Sametime, an instant messaging tool, at a trade show. After the 2005 hurricane season, Stensland's desire for better ways to connect his disaster recovery specialists only increased. So the FAA, a heavy IBM user, became a beta tester for what would become Lotus Connections, which includes social networking tools like Profiles (a directory of people and their expertise), Communities, Blogs, the Dogear tagging tool, and Activities (a dashboard). It also upgraded from QuickPlace to Quickr and moved to IBM's WebSphere Portal.

The FAA's disaster recovery response leverages the use of these tools, which run through the Activities dashboard. Its 200 or so disaster recovery specialists invite people to join their networks via Profiles, and use Activities as a kind of electronic project bin: voicemails, documents and their electronic receipts for a project will go into it, making it easy to track and share with other agencies, easing the hassle of post-disaster spending audits.

Virtual Worlds—Better Experience and Less Costly
than Conference Calls

Forterra Systems Offers Innovative Collaboration Features and IBM Lotus Sametime Integration with OLIVE 2.2 Release

SAN MATEO, CA— (Business Wire – December 2, 2008) — Forterra Systems, a market and technology leader in enterprise virtual worlds, announced today that it will ship the 2.2 release of its OLIVE (On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment) software platform this month. The release includes new collaboration features and IBM Lotus Sametime integration.

In their October 31, 2008 Forrester Research report titled Will Unified Communications Make Virtual Worlds Relevant To Business, TJ Keitt and Henry Dewing indicated “As the workplace has changed and as decentralized information workers demand tools to allow them to work together, companies have to rethink their collaboration, training, and knowledge management schemes.  According to a recent survey of North American and European enterprise IT decision-makers, 49% view implementing an enterprise collaboration strategy as a priority in the next 12 months.  However, current collaboration and knowledge management tools are still developing and often jumble efforts to bring together employees rather than streamlining their interactions. Consolidating information worker tools in a holistic platform is a trend that Forrester has labeled as the Information Workplace.  Virtual worlds, with their rich graphical interfaces, seem — at least on the surface — to be great for simulating a gamut of experiences to these distributed information workers.”



"Our customers are asking how their communications and collaboration strategy can combine real-time presence, voice and data sharing capabilities with the richness of virtual worlds”, noted Bruce Morse, vice president of unified communications and collaboration, IBM Lotus. "We believe Forterra's plug-in to Sametime will provide important functionality for our customers, and be an easy means for users to start experiencing a virtual world."

The key OLIVE capabilities being released this month include:

 * A Virtual Meeting Reservation System that allows a meeting organizer to reserve a 3D room type (example: auditorium, board room, classroom), room equipment (example: projector screen size, chairs, and podiums), and to invite mandatory and optional attendees. Invitations are sent out through the user’s native email system (example: Lotus Notes, MS Exchange), and if accepted display in their native calendaring system.
 * Presenting on 3D screens and viewing by all participants a spectrum of media including MS PowerPoint files, streaming videos (Windows Media Player-based), any software application running on a Windows desktop, and collaborative whiteboards.
 * A Lotus Sametime plug-in so users can achieve single sign-on to OLIVE from Lotus Sametime, instantly invite colleagues to join a 3D meeting directly from their Lotus Sametime client, or schedule a future meeting through the Virtual Meeting Reservation System. A demonstration of this integration between Lotus Sametime with OLIVE is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVY8fmKXH9Y
 * Presence awareness of other OLIVE or Sametime users logged in. Users can quickly join a colleague in a virtual environment by teleporting to their location.
 * Avatar profiles through integration with any social networking system like LinkedIn, Facebook, Lotus Connections, or a Learning Management System or enterprise HR system so users can view the profile of another meeting attendee by right clicking on their avatar.

IS YOUR e-mail inbox besieged by a barrage of friendly requests that you end up ignoring? Do you hear about people posting on each other's 'Walls' and wonder what they're talking about? Do you hear the term 'social networking' and think 'sure, it's nice to catch up with old friends, but that doesn't have any value for my business'?

The social networking phenomenon isn't just for tracking down old high school chums. It has become a powerful way for businesses, large and small, to grow and prosper. Up to 70 per cent of online conversations in social networks are about brands.

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you - and your business - are missing out.

The social networking phenomenon isn't just for tracking down old high school chums. It has become a powerful way for businesses, large and small, to grow and prosper. According to estimates, more than 530 million people are using social networks worldwide. One study has estimated that up to 70 per cent of online conversations in social networks are about brands, according to the consultancy FusionBrand. That's a lot of potential customers surfing the Web and looking for information on products.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, can take advantage of collaborative computing tools to communicate with customers, increase productivity and, therefore, drive sales - all at relatively low costs.

Admittedly, the choices can be daunting. Facebook or MySpace? LinkedIn or Twitter? Or use of third party software to develop your own network? And with an SME, you might think that you do not have the time or the resources to commit to maintaining a social networking presence. Here are some tips on how you can effectively bring a social network into your small or medium-sized business:

# Explore all your options: Facebook and Myspace are the big brand names in the space, but there is software such as Lotus Connections or other offerings that can help you build a customised network. Or, you can open a Twitter account and send messages directly to people who follow your feed. Users range from major corporations to SMEs such as restaurants that use Twitter effectively to provide updates on service and special discounts to customers.

IBM Certified System Administrator - Lotus Connections 2.0

Job Role Description / Target Audience
This intermediate level certification is intended for system administrators who perform the installation, configuration and day-to-day tasks associated with ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of an IBM Lotus Connections 2.0 environment. This administrator is generally self-sufficient and is able to perform most of the tasks involved in the role with limited assistance from peers, product documentation and vendor support services.

Requirements
This certification requires 1 test(s).

Test(s):
  1. Test 957 - Administering IBM Lotus Connections 2.0

Exam 957: Administering IBM Lotus Connections 2.0

Exam Competencies
Exam Type: Multiple Choice

Description: Covers Lotus Connections 2.0 material as it relates to these competency areas:

   * Install and Configure
   * Manage and Maintain
   * Security

Update Installer for Lotus Connections V2.0.1.0

Abstract
The Update Installer is the tool used to install updates (Interim Fixes, Fix Packs, and Refresh Packs) to IBM Lotus Connections Version 2.0.1.0 software.

Download Description
The Update Installer for Lotus Connections provides the following functionality:

  * Graphical user interface (GUI) support
  * Silent installation option
  * Installation and removal of individual and multiple-code updates
  * Logging and tracking, recovery features and prerequisite handling

Socialtext Connector for Lotus Connections

With the Socialtext connector for Lotus Connections, each Lotus Connections community can now seamlessly access an integrated Socialtext workspace. This allows all members of the Lotus community to collaboratively and securely author, review, and share information with each other.

The Socialtext workspace is available from both the home page and within the navigation panel of the Lotus Connections community, just like any other component, so for users, no additional training is required. Security is automatically configured in the Socialtext workspace to match that of the Lotus Connections community, so no additional steps are required by the Lotus administrator.

The integration of Socialtext and Lotus Connections provides users with the best of both platforms, seamlessly and securely.

IBM today announced the first holistic offering in the talent management marketplace, combining world-class human capital software, consulting services and information technology integration to enable enterprises to implement globally integrated workforce and talent management.

The new offering, IBM Workforce and Talent Solutions, will help companies become smarter and more integrated in all aspects of managing the human capital lifecycle to create measurable improvements in people and business productivity. Driving efficiency and effectiveness in people -- one of the largest assets and costs in a business -- is increasingly important to achieving competitive advantage and to manage the effects of the downturn in the global economy.

IBM Workforce and Talent Solutions offering takes a strategic view of an enterprises' human capital technology and processes. Through our Human Capital Healthcheck tool, IBM human capital experts assess where an organization is on its journey to globally integrated workforce and talent management and defines a strategy, technology and process roadmap for the future. The solution builds on what is already in place in the enterprise and implements the integrated solutions required to create an end-to-end capability to access key employee data and manage workforces as a globally integrated talent pool.

Key components of IBM Workforce and Talent Solutions includes, workforce analytics, e-recruitment, performance management, learning, succession planning, compensation and rewards, workforce deployment and scheduling, employee portal, collaboration and social networking, together with targeted consulting services, such as change management, process re-design, technology integration, program management and business performance measurement.

IBM Lotus Connections' five components -- profiles, communities, blogs, dogear and activities -- provides a personal profile/role based approach to managing talent as well the social network necessary for collaboration and connections between individuals and the knowledge employees need to be more productive.

...

Key to IBM Workforce and Talent Solutions, these applications will integrate with IBM's social networking, portal, and business intelligence capabilities.

"The latest advances in collaborative human capital software such as Lotus Connections, WebSphere Portal, and Cognos 8 Workforce Performance can help deliver a talent management system that companies could only imagine a few short years ago," said Larry Bowden, vice president, portals and mashups, IBM Software Group. "The exciting part for our customers is the deep partnership with IBM Global Business Services human capital team and the experience they bring to transforming our clients business performance."

Lotus Connections is social software for business that empowers you to be more innovative and that helps you execute more quickly using dynamic networks of coworkers, partners, and customers. It has components that work together to enable you to connect with the people and the information that you need. Together, these tools can help you and your colleagues interact with one another more effectively.

Often, an organization will want to modify components of Connections to meet their unique needs and preferences. Or the company will want to integrate Connections into one or more of its systems. This wiki explains how to do both of those activities.

Reading the Web-based wiki on this subject is as easy as 1-2-3:

   1. Access the following Web site:
      http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf?OpenDatabase
   2. Click the Customizations topic in the Navigator pane on the left.
   3. Click the link at the top of each page to navigate to the "IBM Redbooks" wiki project.

This content was developed by IBM Redbooks residents.
Meet the authors

Lotus and IBM Redbooks have partnered together to provide tips and techniques to customize Lotus Connections. We wrote topics in two sections:
A. Re-branding and customizing Lotus Connections
B. Integrating Lotus Connections into 3rd part solutions and platforms

A. Re-branding and customizing Lotus Connections

1 Lotus Connections
2 Homepage
3 TDI
4 Profiles
5 Business card
6 Dogear
7 Blogs
8 Activities
9 Communities

B. Integrating Lotus Connections into 3rd party solutions and platforms

10 Using the API
11 WebSphere Portal Server
12 IBM Mashup Center
13 Lotus Connections plug-in for Sametime
14 Microsoft Outlook
15 RIM Blackberry client for IBM Lotus Connections

Being able to quickly find the right people within an organization who can provide the information and expertise needed to address business challenges can give a company a significant competitive edge. With the help of social software and social networking analysis technology, individuals now have the tools to more quickly provide and find information as well as build and leverage important social networks across an organization.

In this podcast, Bill Kilduff, Chris Desforges, and Scot Bentley from IBM Software Services for Lotus discuss the latest trends in social software and uses for social networking analysis technology. They also provide an overview of Atlas for Lotus Connections, an IBM solution that helps users analyze their social networks, identify experts, and better leverage their relationships to those experts.

The Greenhouse is a site showcasing Lotus software products.  Get your registration today and gain access to showcases that feature Lotus Connections, Lotus Quickr, Lotus Sametime, and Lotus Domino Web Access.

There you can test the newest releases of Lotus software, including:

• IBM Lotus Connections
• IBM Lotus Sametime
• IBM Lotus Quickr
• IBM Lotus Domino Web Access

This is a fantastic change to get a look at the brand new products coming out from Lotus, especially Lotus Connections. To register, log on to https://greenhouse.lotus.com/join

This article explains how to configure single sign-on (SSO) with Lightweight Third-Party Authentication (LTPA) for IBM Lotus Connections 2.0. Learn the basics of SSO and LTPA and the detailed steps for configuring SSO in a stand-alone environment.

Single sign-on (SSO) can be complex to configure, but it is beneficial to users who otherwise become annoyed when repeatedly queried for login information. Using the new home page feature in Lotus Connections 2.0, you can easily switch between different features, but you must enable SSO to connect to them seamlessly.

One question that I'm continuously asked is: "what's new in Lotus Connections v2.0.1?". Well, here's a list of what I've gathered:

   * Quickr integration with Activities - Push-button publication from an Activity into one of your Quickr Places for permanent document storage
   * Quickr integration with Communities - Allows communities to use Quickr as their content repository and document collaboration platform.
   * Enhanced person card
   * E-mail is no longer a required attribute (great for external implementations)
   * New feeds inside of Communities
   * New feeds for forums
   * New APIs for Activities, Blogs, Communities, Homepage (federated search), Profiles
   * Hidden support for STLinks (more about this tomorrow)
   * User Interface and Usability enhancements, for example:
         o Can now save members as part of an activity template
         o Drag-n-drop activities entries
         o Uploading images to a blog is now easier
         o Improvements in the Activities widget
         o Easier way to work with multiple bookmarks
   * A couple of bug fixes

What's new in administering?
Lotus Connections:

   * Preventing e-mail addresses from being displayed
   * Removing the data associated with a person or group
   * Changing the language used for notifications

Activities feature:

   * Integrating Activities with IBM Lotus Quickr

Blogs feature:

   * Synchronizing user data

Communities feature:

   * Changing Communities configuration settings
   * Removing unwanted or inappropriate content
   * Filtering active content
   * Configuring the size of the community description
   * Configuring display settings
   * Managing members and member IDs
   * Administering managed applications
   * Changing configuration settings for managed applications
   * Using the Lotus Quickr Delayed Synchronizer
   * Viewing and collecting Communities metrics
   * Retrieving and listing community data
   * Filtering community lists
   * Managing the forum scheduler

Dogear feature:

   * Synchronizing user data for Dogear

Home page feature:

   * Synchronizing member IDs between the Home page and LDAP databases

Profiles feature:

   * Updating the LDAP
   * Synchronizing LDAP changes with Profiles
   * Synchronizing the Profiles database with LDAP
   * Updating Profiles when changing LDAP directory
   * Determining the notification language for Profiles
   * Populating Profiles with photos
   * Uploading pronunciation files
   * Profiles attributes
   * Enabling custom extension attributes
   * Specifying a custom extension attribute label
   * Adding third-party links via the XML configuration file
   * Adding third-party links using JavaScript

What's new in extending?

   * Lotus Connections Connector for Lotus Quickr