WEB 2.0 TAKES HOLD IN BUSINESS
Businesses are waking up to the potential of Web 2.0 applications, according to analysts Nemertes Research.
Eighteen per cent of the IT executives interviewed claimed to be using blogs, 32% contributed to wikis and 23% were using RSS. These findings are echoed by a separate study by AMI Partners which found that more than 40% of small business in the US were using Web 2.0 applications despite the lack of a distinctive definition for the new platform.
Web 2.0 may be more associated with consumer-focused sites like YouTube, Google, FaceBook and Wikipedia, but it appears that the concept of user-generated content is appealing to businesses, particularly in the areas of collaboration and personal productivity. Uptake is also largely being driven by employees rather than a top-down approach.
Collaboration is a key tenet of Web 2.0 applications, and many of the ideas around
Collaboration is a key tenet of Web 2.0 applications, and many of the ideas around
information ranking and dissemination are being adopted by businesses in traditional areas such as knowledge management.
Nemertes Research found that 65% of companies are already using Web-based shared workspaces to help their teams work together and provide a centralised way to store files, track tasks and processes, and manage revisions.
The benefits of Web 2.0 needn’t require large capital investments. “Web 2.0 depends less on new and untested technology
Nemertes Research found that 65% of companies are already using Web-based shared workspaces to help their teams work together and provide a centralised way to store files, track tasks and processes, and manage revisions. The benefits of Web 2.0 needn’t require large capital investments. “Web 2.0 depends less on new and untested technology
investments and more on reaping the power of new forms of business models, newly enabled online communities and collaborative processes,” argues Charles Abrams, research director at Gartner.
Gartner has identified seven benefits for businesses of Web 2.0, including improving core business applications, more effective procurement, better knowledge management and increased customer interaction. These benefits can be realised by all businesses, not just those in information-intensive industries such as media and IT.
However, the term Web 2.0 has its critics. Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee rejects the claim that Web 1.0 can be defined as connecting computers and making information available, while Web 2.0 is about connecting people. The Web has always been about connecting people, he points out.
Gartner has identified seven benefits for businesses of Web 2.0, including improving core business applications, more effective procurement, better knowledge management and increased customer interaction. These benefits can be realised by all businesses, not just those in information-intensive industries such as media and IT.
However, the term Web 2.0 has its critics. Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee rejects the claim that Web 1.0 can be defined as connecting computers and making information available, while Web 2.0 is about connecting people. The Web has always been about connecting people, he points out.