Steve Bendt » blueshirt nation

BlueShirt Nation Evolution- Staying True to the Learning

Steve — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:21:45 +0000

Yesterday we put a post out on BlueShirt Nation (BSN) that told the users we're going to undertake a major evolution of the site. Essentially BSN as it exists today will go away.

A core philosophy that we try very hard to live up to is to be more attached to what we're learning than to a specific idea.

Business Innovation Factory- Community of Innovators

Steve — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:21:36 +0000

We recently returned from the best event I've attended- BIF-4. Its put on by the Business Innovation Factory- a non-profit based in Providence, RI. The objective of BIF is to create a “community of innovators collaborating to explore and test better ways to deliver value.”

The Yellow Tag Interview- The Dynamics of Innovation in a Large Corporation

Steve — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:25:43 +0000

Geek Squad Founder and Chief Inspector Robert Stephens interviewed Gary Koelling and me to hear the origins of BlueShirt Nation as well as the obstacles that we've encountered since the site went live in 2006.
We also went into a pretty deep conversation about the dynamics of innovation in a large corporation.

Churchill Club Dinner Recap

Steve — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:11:21 +0000

In June, I was part of a panel hosted by Charlene Li. I represented Best Buy. Other companies included Oracle, Avenue A, and Serena Software.

We were there to talk about how social tech is changing the way business is done.

Paul Krill from Computer World put together a nice recap of the major points. Read it here.

BlueShirt Nation Bazaar

Steve — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:59:51 +0000

This week we started a new test on BlueShirt Nation. After a lot of conversations among and with the employees on the site, we decided to create an area where some of our key vendors/partners can join employee conversations.

This was a tricky one- it was made clear from the beginning that the community didn't want vendor partners involved in the main conversation. Essentially, its our place, not something for outsiders:)

June 08 Presentation at Chicago Social Media Summit

Steve — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:48:01 +0000

Below is a presentation I gave at the Social Media Summit in June. Gary Koelling was supposed to join me but was sick. The presentation below talks more about our process than past presentations. This process is something that evolved over the last 2 years and has been the result of dozens of projects- BSN included.

What is BlueShirt Nation? BSN?
BlueShirt Nation is a robust community of people with a common interest, they all work for Best Buy. They share knowledge and best practices. Frustrations, aspirations and jokes.

Advanced Learning Institute presentation

Steve — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:20:38 +0000

Yesterday I presented a different perspective on BSN at the Social Media Summit put on by the Advanced Learning Institute. Gary was supposed to join me but he got sick so I went solo.

Best Buy employee site a model for big firms

Steve — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:50:18 +0000

Below is a link to an article by Katharine Grayson on BlueShirt Nation. Of all the interviews and podcasts we've done, I have to say that I think Katherine did one of the best jobs of accurately capturing and telling the story.

Article Here