A different kind of challenge
Jinfo Blog

By James Mullan

Abstract

For many, The New Year provides an opportunity to set goals for the year. If you're anything like me you'll be looking for a new challenge. This is exactly what I did when I signed up for Janathon. For those not "in the know" Janathon is a yearly running challenge which asks participants to run every day during January. You're probably wondering how a running challenge has any relevance to managing information or sharing content. I believe Janathon is a great example of how we could encourage users within our own organisations to start using tools they might otherwise be reticent about using or even unaware of.

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For many, the New Year provides an opportunity to set goals for the year. If you're anything like me you'll be looking for a new challenge. This is exactly what I did when I signed up for Janathon. For those not "in the know" Janathon is an annual running challenge that asks participants to run every day during January. It doesn't stop there though; runners are also asked to log their runs on the running website Running Free and to blog about it using any of the free blogging websites. At the end of the month, there is a Tweet-up and an optional 5k run in London to celebrate the achievements of all runners.

What makes Janathon unique is its use of social networking tools including Twitter and Facebook. These tools are used by runners to log their runs, blog about their experiences and also to tweet about them. Runners can discuss the challenge with other runners on Twitter by using the hashtag #Janathon. Twitter is also used to provide encouragement and support. So if you fancy a lie in or you're tempted to skip a day, just post a tweet and you're likely to receive several back encouraging you to do so or maybe suggesting an alternative form of exercise like planking if you're really fit, or Wii Active for something a bit easier.

Maybe you don't think you've written a very interesting blog post; just ask for comments from the community and you'll soon see how supportive, appreciative and generally astounded people are at runners' efforts. This is the first (and possibly the last) time I've undertaken Janathon and I've been amazed by how popular it is, and the level of support and encouragement from participants and organisers.

Of course you're probably wondering how a running challenge has any relevance to managing information or sharing content. I believe Janathon is a great example of how we could encourage users within our own organisations to start using tools they might otherwise be reticent about using or even unaware of.

It would be simple to create a framework that outlines what the challenge is and how the winner or winners will be determined, and encourages individuals to use social networking tools like blogs to report on their progress, and microblogging tools like Yammer to discuss the challenge with other participants. There are already some very good examples of organisations doing this, in particular Arup. Arup recently won an award for the creation of a social microsite positioned on the intranet. This site recorded the progress of teams in an internal charity and fitness event called the Amazing Race, which benefited the firm’s chosen charity SportsAid.

Used effectively running and sporting challenges can provide opportunities to users who wouldn't necessarily use social tools, and demonstrate their effectiveness both to the people using them and the wider organisation. If you're interested in finding out more about Janathon you can look on the official website or the website of the organiser Jog Blog.

In case you're wondering, I'm currently averaging 5 miles a day and hope to have run around 130 miles by the end of the month. You can follow my progress on Twitter, Running Free or Runkeeper. Wish me luck everybody.

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