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Weekly News Digest
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September 1, 2011 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today. For other up-to-the-minute news, check out ITI’s Twitter account: @ITINewsBreaks.
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CIOs Surveyed Say Workplace Communication Will Favor Real-Time Tools
Email may soon become the new snail mail, according to a new Robert Half Technology survey. More than half (54%) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed recently said real-time workplace communication tools will surpass traditional email in popularity within the next 5 years. The survey was developed by Robert Half Technology, a provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the U.S. with 100 or more employees.CIOs were asked, “In the next 5 years, do you think real-time workplace communication tools—for example, Instant Messaging, SharePoint, Yammer, etc.—will be more or less popular than email among employees?” Their responses were as follows: Much more popular 13% Somewhat more popular 41% The same 38% Somewhat less popular 5% Much less popular 2% Don’t know/ no answer 1% 100% Robert Half Technology outlines three benefits a transition to real-time tools could have on the workplace: - Speed: Instant messaging (IM) allows employees to have conversations at the click of a button, without opening emails or waiting for responses. IM also enables employees in different locations to have real-time conversations, thus resolving issues more quickly.
- Convenience: Many programs include a host of features like IM, microblogging, forums, and document collaboration and management. This eliminates the need to switch between separate programs to communicate. Not only does this have the potential to improve efficiency, but it can increase collaboration on projects and reduce the need for meetings.
- The social aspect: Enterprise social networking sites, such as Yammer or Chatter, are useful for collaboration and sharing ideas and best practices within the company. This technology also has the potential to foster teamwork and camaraderie among employees.
In order for the survey to be statistically representative, the sample was stratified by geographic region, industry, and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of the number of employees within each region. Source: Robert Half Technology
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Brandi Scardilli
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