News

2010

Put some teeth into social media governance with enforcement tools
March 4th, 2010 | SearchUnifiedCommunications.com
As social networking becomes ubiquitous throughout enterprises -- whether for professional or personal use -- IT organizations will have to put some teeth into social media governance or risk losing control. But playing Facebook and Twitter police doesn't have to mean that unified communications (UC) managers have to spend their days manually trolling users' status updates and tweets.

Beware the Pitfalls
March 3rd, 2010 | Financial Advisor Magazine
There are a number of self-proclaimed experts making the rounds in financial advisory circles touting the advantages of social media for financial advisors. But not everybody has embraced the idea. So far, it seems advisors are decidedly split into two camps: those who view this type of communication as a tremendous opportunity and those who feel, like one keen observer who prefers to remain anonymous, that social media “is over-hyped and really appeals only to teenagers, a group of self-promotional buffoons and politicians afflicted with acute narcissism.”

How to Stay Online and Inbounds
March 1st, 2010 | Bank Technology News
Combine the fast, freewheeling world of social networking sites with the conservative, highly regulated world of financial advice and the reconciliation is bound to awkward. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) tried to address these challenges by issuing guidance in January to help firms establish procedures for communication with the public through blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. While FINRA's goal according to CEO Rick Ketchum was to "ensure that firms and brokers use social networking sites in an appropriate manner," consultants said that many issues remain for institutions.

Social Networking: Going Online Without Crossing the Line
February 16, 2010 | Research Magazine
Wall Street firms have been painfully slow to build out formal social media strategies. Some have blocked access to networking websites from advisor workstations. At least one broker-dealer requires new hires to delete their LinkedIn profile as a condition of employment. One thing is certain. Technology is driving the trend and it is moving at warp speed. Already, start-up enterprises (like Socialware) have emerged to help firms institute compliance-proof controls.

FINRA reminds broker-dealers to follow the rules in social media
January 26, 2010 | PRWeek
The guidelines stress the need for firms to be able to monitor and archive all communications related to broker-dealers' business on social media sites just as they are already required to do in other communications, such as in-person and by telephone. Overall, the guidelines seek to remind broker-dealers that the same rules that apply in other communications must be adhered to in social media as well.

Never Mind the Valley: Here's Austin
January 19, 2010 | ReadWriteWeb
Settled in the 1830s along the banks of the Colorado River and named for the Father of Texas Stephen F. Austin, the city of Austin is known for its thriving music scene and as the home of the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns. But in the past few decades, the Texas capital has built up a reputation of a different sort.

7 Questions Key To Social Networking Success
January 16, 2010 | InformationWeek
The social media category is primed to emerge as the most significant business enabler since the Internet itself. Organizations must ask themselves seven important questions about their plans for leveraging social networking over the next 12 months. Their answers may spell the difference between success and failure in the coming decade.

Austin startup on cusp of trend
January 8, 2010 | Austin Business Journal
An Austin startup is attracting attention with a new category of software designed to let businesses blend online social networks with operations while maintaining control over content. The idea is to enable workers to continue using the tools to communicate while giving employers a measure of control.

2009

Socialware could bring B-Ds, large RIA firms into the modern world
December 11, 2009 | InvestmentsNews
Broker-Dealers have struggled to find a way to adopt social media while still maintaining FINRA and SEC compliance. A new company, Socialware, has introduced the concept of social middleware to help broker-dealers, and others in the financial sector, deal with social media compliance and many other challenges.

Social Media? No Way. Social Middleware? Oh, Yes
December 9, 2009 | ReadWriteWeb
Socialware talks in a language that IT can understand. The company is offering social middleware products that help companies integrate social networks with business processes. All while maintaining complete control, security and visibility.

Opening the Public Social Networks in the Enterprise
December 10, 2009 | AustinStartup
A new Austin, TX startup, Socialware is bringing a suite of solutions to managing public social networks in the enterprise. Specifically, Socialware allows enterprises to integrate people, processes and systems through a single layer of integration called social middleware.