It all started with a vision!
That would be amazing!
The ultimate objective of the World Wide Web is to enable us to share
knowledge with the objective of building a better future together.
There are many sectors today that can be defined as having wicked
problems to solve. This includes most of the largest contributors to
global GDP that are also key to a high quality of life, e.g. energy,
healthcare, food, water, or finance.
Each of these sectors, and indeed many of the stakeholders within any
one of them have complex ecosystems. A platform that brings value to
individual professionals, organizational stakeholders and specific
initiatives would deliver value not only to each of them but become a
force for societal good and continuous learning.
What if we could bring together
the collective intelligence of professionals
to help to solve crises in the world's most critical sectors?
©2016 TallyFox Social Technologies AG – all rights reserved - Trittligasse 12 8001 Zurich Switzerland

We started with water
Why water? Because water is fundamental to life. The gap
between supply and demand has created both a global
humanitarian and economic development crisis.
50% 30-70% 1.1B
40%$620B70%
50% of the world’s
population has no
basic sanitation or
toilets
1.1 billion people
are without access
to safe drinking
water
70% of fresh
water is used
for agriculture
30-70% of all
energy
resources are
needed to move
and treat water
Water is key to
economic
devlopment and is a
$620 billion market
on it‘s own
The gap between
water supply and
demand is forecasted
to be 40% by 2030.
Water is a broad topic involving multiple stakeholders and is
multidisiplinary.
Common global themes exist with very specific local
challenges. If we get it right with water, the learnings should be
applicable to other sectors and business needs.

The Challenge
Bring Innovation to The Water Sector
Innovation is a collaborative process. So how do we empower a
professional community of strangers to share experiences?
Even more challenging perhaps than driving engagement in a corporate intra/
extranet in terms of motivating individual participation is to motivate a global
community of strangers to share their experiences and to extract long term
value from this exchange. The first challenge was to define a strategy to
accomplish this.
Access to expertise and answers are a common need as stackoverflow,
ResearchGate, ask.com, and Quora have proven. But this is more best
practices than innovation. Innovation derives from a collaborative process. Also
organizations are not organically motivated to share their expertise with the
world for free.
Research validates that real world teams and workgroups are 40% to 60%
more efficient when supplemented with a virtual platform, or digital workspace.

So, what’s the solution?
We needed an ecosystem where the experts from around the world
would meet and share knowledge across digital workspaces. The
first conclusion was obvious, we needed a cloud-based platform.
Peter Drucker is attributed to having said, “Culture eats
strategy for breakfast”, I believe this is true in business and in
communities of any kind. Therefore the first and most important
thing was authenticity, and to create a culture of trust and
quality.
This was how the foundation of building a global ‘network of
strangers’ and connecting them together across business
communities and workgroups was created.
A cloud-based platform that would enable contextual
knowledge sharing, and provide easy access to
resources and expertise was what we needed. The
accent would be placed on easy access to expertise.
To ensure the success of the platform, we knew we’d
have to find the right balance between business values
and social values to create a self-sustainable Business
Ecosystem, and to provide value to each of our target
groups of members.

Product strategy
After months of research on stakeholder needs, knowledge sharing
approaches, and software solutions, we developed a business plan
and began execution.
Even as early as 2009, it was clear that social networking solutions
lacked both the architecture and functionality for a business grade
ecosystem platform.
When answering the question of motivation and value from each
users perspective we evolved a functional requirement specification.
It was a long list.
All of these questions
needed to be answered if we
wanted to do it properly
What is the
shared
commons?
The social
value? Who is it
for?
What is the
value
proposition to
members and
organizations?
What does it
look like?
How much will
it cost?
What is the
sustainable
business
model?
How to start from
ground zero and
prove the
business model
quickly?
Which strategic
partners should
we approach?
Can we
customize an
existing solution,
or do we build
it?
Was there a
platform
we can use?
Will existing IT
solutions work?

Using business as a force for good
Core to our vision is to combine shareholder and stakeholder value
with societal value. Creating and being true to this culture is the
foundation upon which the entire project stands.
This philosophy drove the development of our organization, The Water
Network itself, its moderation and management philosophy, and, last
but not least, the technical architecture of the platform.
+
+

Existing solutions not cutting it
Off-the-shelf platforms didn’t meet our needs or share our open core
philosophy. An internal bespoke, or outsourced solution would take
too long, are very expensive and not sustainable.
...but this is what WE NEED!This is the current Market’s offering
In the spirit of maximum impact for lowest energy cost, a bespoke
solution was eliminated. This topic is too complex to be addressed
with a bespoke proprietary solution even if you have double digit
millions to throw at it.
Off the shelf platforms that we evaluated did not meet the needs we
identified, and do not share knowledge across workspaces well.
I believe that only an open core strategy with an open API structure
that acts as a connector for shared knowledge is appropriate. If
stakeholders are happy with their content management, or
collaboration or knowledge sharing solution we should integrate to it,
not require the client to throw it away.
A focus on user experience is essential, driven from design.

Key features
1. Open. Open knowledge, open core, open API. Share knowledge
across not just within workspaces. No silos allowed.
2. Contextual. Each user needs to discover people and content
relevant to them based on their expertise, experience, and interests,
without having to search. This implies flexible vocabularies and a
graphical database.
3. Ranked. Not all content or people are equal e.g. when a subject
expert answers a question it is ranked higher than a novice, or only
experts can be given the rights to answer.
The list of required features, despite an open core strategy, is long.
Three key requirements, however, stand out.
Open
High Security
Configurable Q & A
Privacy
levels
Notifications
Mobile App
Great content
management
Communications
Analytics
ContextualRanking
Organizations Event Registration
Custom Roles

Fast Prototype, Early Success,
Sustainability.
Fast Prototype. We knew we had to get live fast! In less
than 12 months we had the first prototype, There is no
substitute for real user feedback, the sooner the better.
Getting live fast is also important for motivation of the team
and investor confidence.
Sustainability. We chose to build our software
development team in Serbia, where cost of business is ten
times less than in one of the typical expensive technology
hubs such as Switzerland or California. Remaining flexible
and open to technology and market requirement changes
was very important at this point.
Early Success. Risk management in a project like this
means to make sure that early successes are under our
control, i.e. what we and our strategic champions can
deliver on our own. People like to see tangible things, not
business plans.

We did it! It’s Live! Now what?
Networks need daily engagement from managers, volunteers, and
ambassadors. We call it the Wikipedia Model.
Because of our strong, shared-value approach,
many people helped and engaged. Brick by brick,
every day, we started building a community of
volunteer experts with a shared culture and common
cause.
Just like Wikipedia – built on the shoulders of
several hundred volunteer editors, we recruited an
army of water professional volunteers.
The Wikipedia Model
After less than one year the Beta platform went live, but it was empty,
with no content and no people.
While content in and of itself does not trigger engagement, it is the
easiest place to start and if done well provides value. To do this means
delivering daily, fresh and trending content and Q&A to serve basic
needs of the members.
Slowly, with our help, people started forming work groups to address the
current issues and do their daily jobs better. Once we reached 600
members, we expanded our Network development team to keep the
daily flow of content and engagement acceleration.

The network membership
was jump started with
bringing on board thought
leaders - targeted one by
one who have set up the
first workgroups on the
Water Network.
1.
It is a long way to critical
mass of 6,000, so to help
get there faster we provided
events and personal
communities for our key
stakeholders which in some
cases, we helped manage.
In our experience the role
of community
manager(s) is not well
understood, and a rare
breed of person is
required to do this work.
They must have credibility
within the community, be a
member (not just an
administrator) themselves,
be digitally competent and a
natural networker.
With the right manager on
board we then focused on
connecting with
volunteers, workspace
managers and
ambassadors.
These are the people
passionate about their work
and wanted to help; they are
also the ones who will
spread the word and bring
instant credibility.
2.
3.
Our Journey

4.
5.
6.
When our community
reached 600 members,
we added a support team
for our Network Manager.
What Happened As We Grew?
Managers keep the flow of
content, engagements,
replies to questions and
outreach to thought leaders
and strategic partners all
moving forward.
A diverse group of tasks are
assigned to many people
with specific expertise and
interests.
Critical mass is needed to
get any spontaneous
engagement. This being
at around 6,000
members.
Until you get to circa 6,000
active members, we learned
the hard way, nothing
happens on its own unless
inside a targeted
workspace.
Once we reached 20,000
members, organizations
started joining. We
needed more
personalization and better
content management.
We developed a solution to
drive discovery of contextual
content and knowledge for
each member based on
their expertise and interests.

Milestones in the Network development
Start
Fast Prototype of
Water Network
Volunteer army,
first communities
Team expansion, critical
mass,
cornerstone clients
Second
Generation Start
Spin out of
AquaSPE
TallyFoxTallium
powered
Water Network
Tallium
www.tallyfox.com
When I think about 2009, the year we started, we’ve come a long,
long way.
In 2010 we launched the Beta Water Network powered by a Drupal
CMS. Drupal was ideal for the initial fast prototype to prove the
Network use case, it was quick and efficient and allowed us to
launch within the first 12 months. It did not however meet all of or
key design criteria.
As we grew in 2011 and 2012 supported by our volunteer army, we
saw new communities being created, the number of members grew,
new clients came, and our team expanded.
With tens of thousands of users and several years feedback we had
proven the need & business model and stakeholder behavior.

Next-generation platform
We developed a solution to
drive discovery of contextual
content and knowledge for
each member based on
their expertise and
interests..
In 2013 we took a very difficult, strategic decision to rebuild
the platform from scratch to ensure the long term,
sustainable viability of the Platform and the Networks they
power.
In 2014 The Water Network had grown to such value and
critical mass that we spun it out as a separate company
called AquaSPE - born to focus on building The Water
Network to 1 million members by 2020, to drive significant
impact and realize our scalable business model of premium
individual memberships
In 2015 the Water Network 2.0 was relaunched on the
TallyFox Tallium platform, allowing far more flexibility and
sustainability to support the growth of the Network for the
long-term.
TallyFox, was tasked with building a next generation Open
Core platform so other networks and businesses can take
advantage of our experience and have the same
possibilities without the pains of embarking on their own
major software development project. It is our objective to
publish the Tallium core under a GNU License in 2017
providing significant societal value on its own.

Engagement
85% engagement within a Network workgroup
over a three-month period!
Our Network of strangers has an average of 18%
engagement. This is much higher than the 3%
levels for corporate Social Business solutions or
most knowledge management systems.
85%
?
18%
3%
We are well on our way to becoming the place
to go for water knowledge. Our Q&A
knowledge is curated by professionals around
the world and provides a way for everyone to
contribute. Questions are answered within
minutes by thematic experts.
After five years of operation, when we transitioned The Water Network
to the new Tallium platform, we changed our URL. As a result we
suffered a loss of visits and ranking from Google. However, all the
learnings have paid off. We now enjoy a 10% bounce rate.
Engagements have never been higher, membership growth and interest
in new workspace knowledge communities has gone viral.

The Water Network today
Our goal is to reach 1 million
members by 2020. in 2016 we
will publish multiple case studies
of how workspaces inside are
making real impact.
I hope that you will take away at
least one insight from our
experiences so far.
MEMBERS FROM 195 COUNTRIES (75% OF WHOM HAVE
ADVANCED DEGREES)
MORE THAN 245 TECHNOLOGY VOLUNTEERS
> 9000 COMPANIES
125,000 NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS AND WORLD
CLASS ADVISORS
The Water Network is the largest online professional knowledge
sharing platform and business exchange for the global water sector.

Learnings
SHARED VALUES.
AquaSPE is a for profit company, with strong culture of creating
societal value. Much knowledge and information is available to
everyone for free, which narrows the knowledge gap for those who
don't have the budget or resources to improve their work. We
dedicate over 15% of our resources to providing societal value.
You may be surprised by the number of people who will help, when
you broaden your vision to include shared values.
HELP KEY STAKEHOLDERS
TO GET DAILY WORK DONE.
Most people will not log in unless you facilitate their daily work.
You can start with providing space for people who are already doing
the work together in the real world, and let them custom configure it
for their application.
PROVIDE ENTERPRISE GRADE
PRIVACY SETTINGS.
With a community’s privacy features, members and companies
can start privately, and go public only after they are developed.
1.
2.
3.

4. GET AN ANCHOR CLIENT/COMMUNITY ON BOARD
Our clients include The Indian Government, HACH, Scottish
Water, Global Water Intelligence, IDE, Aquisense, G2O Graphene,
UNESCO-IHE, Race for Water, and WRC to name a few. We are
most proud to have been selected as the platform behind the new
Mission Ganga Knowledge center to help clean the Ganga River
Basin where 450 million people live.
5. MOTIVATE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS.
Members seek recognition, visibility, and getting answers to
do their job. The platform must deliver - populate it with valuable
proprietary content every few hours, make sure to include digests
and notifications to prompt members to act.
7.
ACHIEVE TRUST
A cuture of transparency and authenticity is key. With
uncompromising, consistent focus on quality. Recruit thought
leaders as active members where the trending and leading
experience can be found. Trust is not built over night, stay
consistent and authentic, the trust will come.
AVOID BECOMING A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY.
Bespoke solutions never end. Focus on getting started, seeing what
works and does not, and focusing on executing your vision, not IT
development.
6.

AVOID E-MAIL
OVERLOAD
It will help you:
BREAK INFORMATION
SILOS
GET ANSWERS FAST QUICKLY FIND
INFORMATION
DISCOVER
EXPERTS
Don't take our word for it, ask for a
FREE DEMO
Meet the product behind the platform
TallyFox Tallium is an open API platform created to facilitate
knowledge sharing, content management and
communication within and across digital workspaces.

Trudi Schifter has thirty years of experience in the US, Asia and Europe,
across a broad spectrum of business, government, Venture Capital and
non-profit sectors. She is the Founder of TallyFox Social Technologies AG,
and Founder and CEO of AquaSPE AG.
About the Author
TallyFox and AquaSPE
TallyFox is an award winning
provider of knowledge sharing
solutions. Our Tallium open API
platform powers business
ecosystems of the future that
share knowledge within and
across digital workspaces.
“Accelerate your Digital
Workplace transition with
knowledge at the core”
AquaSPE operates
The Water Network the largest
online knowledge sharing
platform and business exchange
for global water professionals.
“Helping to solve the world’s
water crisis one question and
answer at a time”

Thank You!
Feel free to visit the TallyFox blog at
www.tallyfox.com/insights
as you can find more insights on our journey there.
Water professionals are invited to join
The Water Network at www.thewaternetwork.com
Trudi Schifter
Founder and CEO AquaSPE
AG
trudi@aquaspe.com

How to build a vibrant Knowledge Network from scratch.

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