NevilleHobson.com

It’s anyone’s guess at the moment whether Microsoft will succeed in its bid to acquire Yahoo.
Following Yahoo’s rejection of the unsolicited bid, subsequent speculation on who else might emerge as a white knight, or even whether Yahoo and Google might get into bed together to keep Microsoft at bay, the scene appears to be [...]

Yesterday’s news about Microsoft’s unsolicited $44.6 billion (£22.6bn) bid to acquire Yahoo has, unsurprisingly, made headlines around the world.
Plenty of commentators have been quick to analyse what the combination might mean to the tech business and, in particular, search and online advertising. A common conclusion is that it’s all about Microsoft becoming far more competitive [...]

Three useful resources about leadership communication:

The December 2007 edition of the IABC Cafe2Go podcast includes an interview I did with Jay Coleman, chair of IABC’s Excellence in Communication (EXCEL) Award. Topics discussed include a leader’s communication role, some of the biggest challenges in leadership communication, the impact employee blogging can have on a CEO’s communication [...]

One thing I’ve got to know well over the years about my podcasting partner Shel Holtz is his passionate views about internal communication, intranets and all manner of technology as it relates to organizations and communication.
So it comes as no surprise to me to see that today Shel launched StopBlocking.org, a campaign intended to address [...]

Yet another survey is out saying that Facebook damages business, this time to the tune of £130 million a day.
That’s equivalent to about £3.8 billion a month. Or over £45 billion a year.
Such extrapolated numbers are even less credible than the Aussie report recently which said Facebook costs Australian businesses A$5 billion (about £2 [...]

The TUC, the organization representing trade unions in the UK, adds its voice to the big debate on what to do about Facebook and employee use.
In a practical approach to an issue that some companies see as a problem that can be solved only by banning it from the workplace, the TUC says that’s [...]

More businesses are restricting employees’ access to Facebook due to concerns about productivity and security.
CNET News quotes research by security company Sophos which says that 43 percent of workers polled said their employer blocks Facebook access completely.
There’s been a rash of such reporting in recent weeks focusing on the premise that social networking sites like [...]

 First it was Second Life that came under a microscope of criticism from the mainstream media questioning its business value.
Now it’s the turn of social networking site Facebook.
If a report from Australia is to be believed, Facebook costs Australian businesses AUS$5 billion a year in lost productivity.
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
[...] Richard Cullen of SurfControl, [...]

Earlier this month, in FIR #254, Shel and I discussed quite an interesting story of what one company did regarding employee access to and use of Facebook.
That story, of the law firm Allen and Overy’s Facebook U-turn, is a good example of how a company listened to employees and enabled them to conditionally use the [...]

I’d like to recommend some valuable, thought-provoking and, yes, entertaining business reading that I’m currently enjoying.
Two books:

Strategies and Tools for Corporate Blogging by John Cass. A great wake-up call for corporations, says one reviewer. John highlights not only how blogging can improve a company’s relationship with its customers but also the mechanics of blogging, how [...]