Research Agenda For The Rest Of 2011

Below is my research agenda for the rest of 2011. I haven’t focused on publishing research and instead have been focused on putting in the foundational aspects for Altimeter to be an amazing company.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing interviews and research, just have not been publishing much of it. Research is a key component of what I do as an analyst, and with Altimeter’s open research model, publishing what I am finding is key so it is time to get back on the research bandwagon. Now that things are beginning to settle down, I am turning my focus back towards publishing on my research.

Title: Disruptive Technology Challenges: Social Media In Financial Services
Coauthor: Susan Etlinger
Estimated Publication Date: August/September 2011
Summary: Financial services have unique requirements related to the use of social technologies and engaging the public through these channels. Much of this is holdover baggage from earlier efforts to protect the consumer through more traditional advertising and engagement channels. This document will look at the specific challenges financial services firms face when it comes to employing and benefiting the disruptive technology social media.

Title: Adoption Impact Analysis: Social Media
Estimated Publication Date: September/October 2011
Summary: Each disruptive technology has a unique cost and benefit that it brings to any organization. To determine whether or not an organization should adopt a disruptive technology, the organization needs to effectively evaluate those costs and benefits. How? Through the use of the Altimeter Adoption Impact Analysis (AIA) methodology, this report will define the methodology, how this methodology can be used to construct a business case for a disruptive technology like social media, and then run through a set of social media adoption examples.

Title: Impact Of Disruptive Technologies On Churches And Religious Organizations
Estimated Publication Date: September/October 2011
Summary: Churches and religious institutions are faced with unique issues and needs related to the use of social technologies and engaging both within their congregation and outside through social me-dia. But there are no clear paths for churches. This document will look at what is the current state of the art in social media for churches, what the future may look like, how to assess where they are at now, and tools and strategies to move forward.

Other Upcoming Reports
These are additional reports that I want to write in the near future.
– Social Media and Web Site Integration with Jeremiah Owyang
– Disruptive Technology Challenges: Government

Note: I may need to change my research agenda, the reports I publish, and replace them with others as the needs expressed by the market changes.

Our Research Approach
I, along with the rest of Altimeter, approach research from a different perspective then most industry analyst firms. We don’t publish numerous reports but instead focus on publishing a few key reports that go deeper into the market and provide better understanding of what is happening. When we do publish a research report, we publish it under an Open Research model and a creative commons license that allows for broader public consumption and encourages the broader market discussion.

Do You Want To Be Included In Our Research?
Good research requires broad ecosystem input from both vendors and end users, and if you would like to brief us or participate in one of these research efforts please send an email to reports@altimetergroup.com and we will look at including you in our research.

What Do You Think?
What other trends and disruptions should we be focusing our research on? Leave a comment and let us know.