Mare Nostrum

I like my first life, thanks

Since I've been doing some research on the state of Web 2.0 technology adoption, I spent some time looking at Second Life, There, and other virtual world applications. I've reached one preliminary conclusion:

Either I'm really getting old, or these applications are really goofy.

I've heard people try to position Second Life for business. I know that companies are trying to market their products through these virtual worlds. But are they a collaborative tool, in the same fashion as Wikis, blogs, IM, and the like. Uhhhh, probably not.

If I'm missing something, please tell me.

E-learning mashups

Web 2.0 in the enterprise

I've read a lot of musings about Web 2.0 adoption in large organizations. The basic question is either, Are people using these tools? or Are these tools adding value? Mike Gotta makes a good point: we shouldn't be approaching these questions as if this is the first time anyone has struggled with collaboration tools..

Are Wikis wacky?

It's hard to find an organization that doesn't have a Wiki project going. It may still be in the "I've got a feeling inside/But can't explain" stage, or people may have piloted a departmental Wiki, which other groups are scrutinizing for their own possible use. What's clear is, out of all the Web 2.0 collaboration technologies (Wikis, blogs, mash-ups, etc.), Wikis seem to have the biggest traction right now.

But why? Wikis can be the John Q. Public version of web content management, suitable for situations where you want a simple, easy way for people to create web pages about important bits of shared content. For example, I have a Wiki page for product management here at Xythos, because I need to explain and link to content from a variety of sources. Sure, I could create an enterprise portal infrastructure, aggregating content via web services into a decision-maker's dashboard, customized for each viewer--but why would I do that, if all I want to do is show everything the PM department is doing?

Before getting swept into the psychology of the crowd, it's important to pose some harder questions. Alan Pelz-Sharpe of CMS Watch has some deliciously contrarian things to say about Wikis. I suggest you read the comments, too, for some thoughtful reactions.

I'll say this about Wikis, after a couple of years' experience using them:

• As with all web content, their value depends on the freshness and relevance of the content they contain.
• Therefore, Wikis can be a great tool, or just another regular task on your daily to-do list.
• As with other Web 2.0 collaboration tools, Wikis are more valuable when hooked into other collaborative technology. For example, a Wiki without a forum doesn't seem to make sense to me.
• The more content creation can be automated, such as through RSS feeds, the sweeter life will be as a Wiki author.

Web 2.0 and the organization man

Most of the commentary about Web 2.0 comes from developers, journalists, and devotees.Therefore, it's hard to jam blogs, Wikis, mash-ups, and other Web 2.0 technologies into the frame of corporate America That's no surprise, since the management of these organizations don't yet feel comfortable with the loss of informational control that Web 2.0 might represent.

This clash of cultures, between the Ajax developer and the CFO, is what makes deliberate efforts to fit Web 2.0 into the corporate world interesting. At the Gartner conference i just attended, I heard the author of Wikinomics, Don Tapscott, make his now-familiar argument that the revolution is effectively over, and companies need to just get over it.

While exhortation has its place, so does a more granular analysis of what individual companies are doing well or poorly to incorporate Web 2.0 into their organizations. To get that picture, you need to read publications like the blog maintained by two Forrester researchers, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. They'll tell you how beverage companies are trying to glom onto social netowrking, or how Disney is building a portal pitched at young parents.

An early conclusions: Everyone can agree that Wikis are a good thing. Blogs got the spotlight for a long time, and they continue to have their role. However, corporations (and government agencies, non-profits, and educational institutions, for that matter) need a more departmental, less conversational tool. Wikis are "WCM for the rest of us," an easy way for groups to maintain official information of interest to them, or anyone who works with them, withot the overhead of a traditional web content management system.

Wikis aren't perfect, though. I'll have more to say about them in future posts.