I have posted several discussions on what Web 2.0 is. Today I came across an article in the July August 2007 IEEE TI PRO, titled “Understanding Web 2.0” which I would like to share. In my previous posting I have discussed some of the directions of Web 2.0 and how services have evolved from what is called Web 1.0. As an example screen scraping technologies have evolved into Web services and how workers are driving the trend. Web 2.0 is the result of social trends that has enabled visionary entrepreneurs to launch such sites as YouTube, MySpace, and facebook to mention only a few. What I have failed to mention is what companies are doing to ensure that they are not left behind in this fast moving Web 2.0 wave.
In a recent survey conducted by McKinsey Quarterly, 80% of executives contacted said, that their company was investing in Web services. They are using Web 2.0 to bring technology into their business to provide better communications to their customers and business partners. To improve efficiency’s with external entities, companies are using peer to peer networking, blogs, and RSS feeds. Just as Web 2.0 is improving external communications, over half the companies surveyed stated that Web 2.0 tools were being used to improve the way internal knowledge is distributed and managed. Web 2.0 services are becoming strategic to companies on how they plan to grow their business. What is interesting a lot of these Web 2.0 initiatives are started by small groups or individuals as previously stated. Due to the easy of use these tools can be quickly prototyped to support customers and are ad hoc by nature. This allows companies to be very responsive to customers and their feedback.
Of the three technologies that companies were the most interested are, RSS feeds, blogs, and wikis. Although, these were not the most often Web 2.0 tools that have been deployed. This shows that companies are excited about collaborative communication technologies and see this direction has having the biggest impact on how they will do business in the future.
Mashups are aggregation of content from multiple sources on a single Web page or Web site. They are usually comprised of APIs that allow interconnection into wide array of programs. One example is the integration of online maps with business searches to show the user where a business is located. The use of aggregation adds value and improves the users Web experience.
The proliferation of Web 2.0 is causing companies to rethink how they need to business to remain competitive. The use of collaborative technologies promises to improve efficiency’s within companies and how the interact with their business partners. With the expanding of global markets the need to collaborate across virtual boundaries will be the key to success.
References:
Murugesan, San, IEEE IT Pro, Understanding Web 2.0, July/August 2007.
The McKinsey Quarterly, How businesses are using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey, March 2007 http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1913&l2=13&l3=11&srid=9&gp=1
Mark
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