What is Web 2.0 and how can organisations prepare?
Web 2.0 is a term that most everyone knows, but do we actually understand what it means? You might be scoffed at if you were to ask for a definition amongst friends; everyone “knows” what Web 2.0 is, c’mon! However, the same people laughing might find themselves squirming when pressed for an actual definition. Tim O’Reilly, noted for popularising and coining the term in the early 2000s, recognises that it has been used as a meaningless marketing buzzword, but a wiser understanding
of the term will help organisations prepare for the next generation of software (2009).
The general public maybe a bit naive due to the multifaceted and complex nature nature of Web 2.0. However, technology trends expert Patrick Schwerdtfeger helps define Web 2.0 by reviewing the history of the web. In the early 1990’s websites provided information and users consumed (one way information), whereas in the early 2000’s websites allowed users to consume and create information in response (two way communication). Labeled “user generated content”, this layer of two-way communication is the defining element to Web 2.0 from the earlier version. People can interact with websites and one another on websites, without being experts in creating and using sophisticated software (2013).
So what does Web 2.0, and the two-way flow of communication, mean for organisations and business? Adner and Kapoor would argue that there has to be the right “ecosystem” for new technology to replace older technology. The “ecosystem” includes variables such as cost, users adaptability, reliance on “old tech”, need for new tech, and training (2016). The fear for organisations is being too late in recognising revolutions (e.g. video rental stores ignoring the shift to online streaming) but there is also failure in trying to implement tech too early. Consider the “dot com bust” of the early 2000’s, when hundreds of dot com companies went bankrupt, this had less to do with implementing inept technology and more to do with the environment not embracing the need for change (Ander & Kapoor, 2016). Some of the ideas that went belly up in the dot com bust are the foundation for what is today’s Web 2.0 (O’Reilly, 2009). Organisations now know the web is a place for two way interaction and must have clear guidelines and training for their “ecosystem” to successfully engage with this powerful tool.
References
Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right Tech, Wrong Time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60–67. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=118866680&site=ehost-live
O’Reilly, T. (2009). What is Web 2.0- Design Patterns and business Models for the Next Generation of Software. O’Reilly Media Inc. Retrieved May, 15th 2019. Retrieved from https://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
Schwerdtfeger, P. (2013, March 9th) What is Web 2.0? What is Social Media? What comes next?? [Video File] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=219&v=iStkxcK6_vY
Image References: Thanks to Flickr Creative Commons images attribution
“Web 2.0” Ike Interativa. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2EpB5Rq