A requirement of our website is that it is written in Web2.0
I had this conversation with a C level executive at a previous company. He'd just been out talking with software vendors and was now all into Web2.0. Unfortunately he thought that it meant javascript like interactivity as opposed to a complete change of the way the company interacts with its customers. For me, the difference between Web1.0 and Web2.0 is quite simple:
- Web 1.0 is about providing information to a passive user of your site
- Web 2.0 is about letting users of your site engage with each other.
So what's new?
Traditionally, communication in companies happens in one of three ways. Upward communication is when people pass information freely to their managers. Downward communication is where the managers pass information freely to their direct reports. Gossip is informal sideways communication because the two other channels aren't working properly.
In a traditional corporate organization, Web2.0 technologies have the potential to formalize this informal communication. This makes the "water cooler conversations" accessible to everyone - including senior management. The impact this can have on an organization can vary considerably - however I believe that the organizational culture is a good predictor of the positive or negative nature of this change (disclaimer: I used to work for that company).
Really?
So have we really formalized informal communications - or have we simply increased the ability for upward and downward communication (both of which are correlated with constructive cultures). One of the key things about the "water cooler conversations" is the transient nature of the communication. We can say things - or imply things - that are not on any record. Consider: the raised eyebrow that tells a whole story about a team member; the sharp intake of breath that warns you to be wary of a particular stakeholder; or the slumped shoulders when you ask how someone how work is going.
Perhaps Web3.0 will be about communicating this transient informal information.
2 comments:
I like the projections for Web 3.0 ... will people communicate this subtle things using emoticons? (that seems a bit web 0.001).
Totally agree that the organization culture will determine the outcomes of using collaborative and open technologies and large organizations should define their approach to these issues before implementing 2.0 solutions.
I see the communication subtle things being transient - like the subtle things. This means that there is no record of them afterwards - you have to be there to experience this information.
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