Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

This study did not include several related topics regarding other dimensions of microblogging platforms. However, they could serve as the foundation for future studies.

5.3.1 Security and privacy concerns

Knowledge sharing at work may be complex. Employees want to express their

knowledge to their employers by sharing expertise and experience, but sometimes it may be at their benefit not to do it in case there are other competing coworkers seeking for promotion and/or appreciation. At the same time, much of the information transfer should not be public and

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better kept inside the departments or should stay between management. As microblogging break the walled silos of knowledge at work, we need to better understand what information people should bring up to the platform and what should be kept inside closed channel like email and instant messaging.

5.3.2 Information Overload on Microblogging Platforms

Information overload can occur also in microblogging platforms, where competition for attention is great and information can be created freely and shared in abundance. Employees are encouraged to be selective in their posts otherwise the platforms may become counterproductive.

There is no doubt there are advantages when employees sharing knowledge publicly with their coworkers – as more information you have it is more likely that the answer to a given question will exist. However, as more information is added to the platform it can become difficult to find the relevant posts and updates. Enterprises should cultivate the right norms of posting and creating information prioritizing tool in order to avoid this drawback.

5.3.3 The Business Model of Microblogging Service Providers

This paper is based on the assumption that microblogging platforms holding a certain value for the organizations that implement it. In accordance with this value, the organization will set a budget for installing and setting up this platform. Service providers will transform this value into a business model through consulting fees, set up and programming charges, freemium plans and so on. Since the value of microblogging will vary for each organization, the amount that company is willing to pay for these services is also dependent on their specific needs. This paper did not include the various aspects of how to quantify the value of microblogging services nor suggest business models for service providers

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5.3.4 Implementation of the Microblogging Platform in the Office

Although this study showed the specific advantages of internal corporate blogging, there are also some barriers to the widespread implementation and use within companies. An article headline from GIGAOM suggests that “Corporate Culture, Not Technology, Drives Online Collaboration” (Kelly, 2009), emphasizing that successful implementation of a corporate microblogging platform requires planning and strategy to ensure its successful installation.

Despite the numerous implications of microblogging implementation, a detailed analysis of this subject is beyond the scope of this study.

5.3.5 Microblogging Platforms for External Business Use

Microblogging platforms are also used to conduct business outside of the office as well.

The most common example is when companies are create Facebook pages or LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to strengthen their brand exposure on the internet. External corporate posts differ from internal ones, as external platforms represent a corporation’s public presentation of the brand. They are often part of the marketing or public relations departments and may be closely monitored and scrutinized for content and tone. The topics related to external business communication with blogging platforms were also excluded from this paper.

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