|
Featured Research
HiveLive’s
LiveConnect Platform
Building Blocks for Customer
Community and Collaboration
By Matthew D. Lees, June 26,
2008
NETTING
IT OUT
HiveLive’s
LiveConnect is one of the most creatively designed and original
community platforms we’ve seen. A hosted system with
a building-block approach, it gives both users and administrators
wide-ranging flexibility to create unique spaces for collaboration
and communication inside and outside your organization. In
essence, it lets you and your customers design the community
together.
LiveConnect’s
building blocks,
called “Hives,” can
be configured to
support conventional
social applications
(such as discussion
boards, blogs,
polls, and so on)
as well as custom
community applications.
It is this ability
for community managers,
administrators,
and appropriately
permissioned members
to customize Hives
to meet their exact
needs that differentiates
LiveConnect from
other platforms.
LiveConnect users
have created Hives
to be media archives,
idea centers, file
exchanges, software
marketplaces, and
more.
For
some, LiveConnect’s
flexibility will
be both a blessing
and a curse. Some
companies and business
units find comfort
with the built-in
constraints of
many platforms.
And that’s
fine. Using tool
kits like LiveConnect
successfully requires
(1) a deep understanding
of business goals,
(2) proficient
users who can align
the information
architecture with
those goals, and
(3) a plan that
includes the essential
iterative process
to adapt over time.
Those organizations
that bring these
three elements
to the table may
find LiveConnect
to be an ideal
and cost-effective
solution.
In
addition to its
Hive construct,
LiveConnect strengths
are in its social
networking and
member management
(and permissioning)
system, its straightforward
integration of
widgets (such as
YouTube videos,
Google Calendars,
and Flickr slideshows),
and its easy-to-use
thumbs-up / thumbs-down
rating system.
As
a new platform,
though, having
launched in 2007,
LiveConnect is
in the relatively
early stages of
its existence.
It therefore has
seen limited real-world
business use, so
some of its current
features and capabilities
are not yet optimized.
In particular,
LiveConnect will
benefit from improvements
(already in the
works) to its email
integration, layout
control and skinning,
reporting console,
and help area.
Overall
we see a strong
future for LiveConnect,
particularly if
the HiveLive team
can deliver on
the various enhancements
and new features
on its product
road map.
(Back
to top)
INTRODUCTION
The
Buzz on HiveLive’s
LiveConnect Platform
HiveLive
must have developed
LiveConnect without
looking over its
shoulder at existing
community platforms.
It looks and feels
different, and
it is. This is
largely due to
HiveLive’s
approach to design,
which focuses on
users (and the
relationships among
them) and information,
not technology.
LiveConnect
looks different
because, like the
Google home page,
it doesn’t
pack information
into every square
inch of real estate.
And it feels different
because its building-block
approach to tools
is more open, flexible
(and, in some ways,
more involved)
than that of most
other community
platforms.
An
on-demand product,
LiveConnect doesn’t
come, out of the
box, with pre-configured
discussion areas,
blogs, polls, or
other content and
communication channels.
But that doesn’t
mean it can’t
provide them. Instead,
it provides customizable,
flexible building
blocks called “Hives” that
administrators
(or users, if they
have been given
the appropriate
permission) can
turn into just
about any data
structure or community
application. The
best part is that
all this is done
without programming
or coding.
The
flip side of this
flexibility, as
every Lego-wielding
child knows, is
that it can be
tough to end up
with exactly what
you want. It may
take a few attempts
to build the submergible
flying rocket car
you envision in
your head. Similarly,
it may take a few
iterations to create
the Hive that does
exactly what you—and
your community
members—want
it to do. But as
long as your strategy
includes time to
adapt and iterate,
you can take advantage
of LiveConnect’s
openness and flexibility.
Those
that are using
it effectively,
such as Serena
Software and Rally
Software, have
developed custom
Hives that perfectly
meet their needs
(in Serena Software’s
case, a Mashup
Exchange in which
software developers
can sell their
own applications;
see Illustration
1).
Serena
Software’s
Mashup Exchange
© 2008
Serena Software,
Inc.
Illustration
1.The Mashup
Exchange is where
Serena Software’s
partners can “Build,
Buy and Sell” business
mashup, composite
applications
that integrate
distinct data
sets and services.
(Back
to top)
Highlights
of LiveConnect
BUILDING-BLOCK
APPROACH. As
mentioned above,
Hives are the
building blocks
of the LiveConnect
platform. As
such, they can
be configured
to support just
about any community
activity you
can think up.
Want a discussion
forum? Just configure
a Hive to support
discussions.
Want a blog?
Configure a Hive
for blogging.
But
LiveConnect doesn’t
simply integrate
the standard mix
of point solutions—forums,
blogs, wikis, etc.—which
is within the reach
of most community
platforms. The
power and potential
of Hives as customizable
community applications
go well beyond
this, as Hives
can be created
to suit just about
any purpose, whether
for communication,
collaboration,
or commerce. As
a starting point,
LiveConnect is
preloaded with
commonly used Hives
and “Types” (see
below) to support
discussions, blogs,
and so on, but
HiveLive’s
customers have
created Hives that
go well beyond
these standard
(and essential)
applications. Here
are a few examples:
• Announcements
• Contact lists
• Polls
• Idea centers
• Research libraries; video libraries
• Book lists
• File repositories and exchanges
• Photo galleries
• Meeting agendas; meeting minutes
• Software marketplaces
NON-HIERARCHICAL
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE. That
LiveConnect is
a product of
the Web 2.0 world
is demonstrated
by its non-hierarchical
information architecture.
Data structures
in the Web 1.0
(and earlier)
worlds exemplify
hierarchical
constructs, with
their comfortably
fixed directories
and well-defined
taxonomies. Web
2.0, on the other
hand, emphasizes
flat systems,
where personal
and group (folksonimic)
tagging reigns.
The
benefit to LiveConnect’s
users and administrators
is that the community—and
community experience—are
blue sky. You can,
within certain
limitations, create
what you want.
Although this can
be both a blessing
and a curse, it’s
the underlying
information architecture
that lays the groundwork
for LiveConnect’s
flexibility.
SOCIAL
NETWORKING AND
MEMBER MANAGEMENT. LiveConnect
isn’t just
about the information.
The platform
is designed to
support the creation,
operation, and
growth of social
networks among
individuals,
and the appropriate
management of
member information.
Illustration
2 shows HiveLive’s
people- and information-centric
approach to developing
the LiveConnect
platform.
A
People- and Information-Centric
Approach
(Click
on image
to enlarge.)
© 2008
HiveLive
Illustration
2. HiveLive has
taken a people-
and information-centered
approach to developing
its LiveConnect
platform, as
opposed to one
built on specific
technological
applications
(blogs, discussion
groups, etc.).
Because its foundation
is (1) the relationships
among people
(i.e., community
members) and
(2) the information
important to
them, LiveConnect
is extremely
flexible in how
people and information
can be controlled
(i.e., through
permissions),
accessed, and
created.
(Back
to top)
In
particular:
• Mousing
over a member’s
photograph can
open up a small,
floating profile
page for that user,
making it easy
to see her profile
information and
to connect directly
with her, if desired.
(Administrators
can enable or disable
these pop-ups and
can also select
which profile attributes
are visible.)
• Members
have a considerable
amount of control
over how, whether,
and with whom their
profile information
is shared.
• Member
permissions can
be set at multiple
points, giving
both community
administrators
and Group and Hive
owners ample control
over who has access
to what within
those areas.
OVERVIEW
OF HIVELIVE
Company
Background
Headquartered
in Boulder, CO,
the privately held
HiveLive was founded
in 2006 by brothers
John Kembel and
Geoff Kembel. Central
to HiveLive’s
mission and the
development of
the LiveConnect
platform is the
people-centered
approach to both
product design
and corporate performance.
CEO
John, with a background
in both business
(with stints at
Intel and IBM)
and academia (BS
and MS in engineering
and design from
Stanford), is also
a Consulting Associate
Professor and Strategy
Board Member for
the new Hasso Plattner
Institute of Design
at Stanford University.
Geoff
Kembel, also with
a BS in engineering
from Stanford,
has worked at IBM
Research, Casio,
and BMW. He currently
serves as HiveLive’s
Application Architect.
Rounding out the
executive team
are Greg Schneider,
CMO; Mike Rosol,
SVP of Sales; and
Ed Messman, VP
Operations, Finance & Corporate
Development.
In
Q4 2006, HiveLive
received $2.2 million
in angel investments.
The company launched
in November 2007
and then closed
a $5.6 million
round of investment
in February 2008,
bringing its total
funding to $7.8
million. This latter
round was led by
the Virginia-based
Grotech Capital
Partners.
HiveLive
currently has about
20 employees, with
job postings for
seven more, primarily
in engineering
and sales.
Customers
and Target Market
Launched
in November 2007,
HiveLive is initially
targeting high-tech
companies, and
will follow with
what it calls “consumer
brands of depth,” which
it considers to
be companies with
strong reasons
for customers to
connect with each
other and with
the company. These
are typically companies
with high loyalty
and affinity. As
such, they are
a natural fit to
support a customer
community.
Initial
high-tech customers
include MarketStreet
Solutions, Rally
Software Development,
and Serena Software.
This
report continues...
|