The digital natives are restless
Blogs, wikis, mashups, podcasts...what are we talking about again? Technology continues to come at us at a whirlwind pace, and it can be difficult to figure out what's important and what isn't. Right now it's Web 2.0 at the forefront, although the term has been around since being inspired by the dotcom bust in 2001. It has been referred to as the two-way Web, distinguishing it from when Internet users simply consumed information. Now the information is coming from all directions, and that scares a lot of digital immigrants (those of us who didn't grow up with this technology).
Most companies like to keep tight control on information, and that philosophy is the antithesis of what Web 2.0 is all about. But rather than fear the technology, companies must embrace it and harness its power. How many studies have we read and how many conferences have we gone to that were focused on knowledge-sharing? Well, Web 2.0 is knowledge-sharing. Blogs can be used to regularly inform others about what you are doing, what's going on and what's happening next. Wikis can store knowledge that can be updated continuously to always contain the newest ideas. Podcasts allow people to speak directly to an infinite audience – anytime, anywhere. Social networks allow employees who would never otherwise meet to learn about each other. In virtual worlds, those same employees can finally “meet” and interact, all while being shown concepts in ways that might be impossible to recreate in the real world. Another reservation that many companies have about this technology is that it is emerging from unknown, untested sources. If it all had a great big Microsoft logo on it, it might be more palatable.
The truth is, this is happening whether you like it or not. Young people entering the workforce have grown up interacting this way, and companies may have no choice but to employ these tools in order to attract, retain and develop this talent. That's not to say it's going to be a free-for-all. Guidelines and limitations need to be in place for any of these technologies to be effective workforce tools. Careless blogging can lead to legal trouble, wide open social networks can be a security risk and virtual worlds like Second Life have a habit of creeping into people's first lives.
The current economy may force some companies' hands as far as virtual worlds are concerned. It is far cheaper to get workers from around the world to meet on an island in Second Life than it would be to get everyone into the same building in Seattle. IBM has already held several all-company meetings on some of the islands it operates within Second Life. Web 2.0 technologies also don't demand the kind of up-front investment and deployment cycles that traditional software does. Mashups – combining two or more existing technologies to serve a new purpose – are by nature cost-effective solutions.
So whether you are unfamiliar with many of these concepts that are being talked about with more and more frequency, or you are an early adopter trying to convince your organization about the value of these technologies, there is little doubt that many Web 2.0 solutions will become common components of corporate intranets. The trick is to get rid of the idea that these are time-wasters that have no place in a company. Plus, if we don't get on board now, we are going to be in real trouble when Web 3.0 rolls around.
Most companies like to keep tight control on information, and that philosophy is the antithesis of what Web 2.0 is all about. But rather than fear the technology, companies must embrace it and harness its power. How many studies have we read and how many conferences have we gone to that were focused on knowledge-sharing? Well, Web 2.0 is knowledge-sharing. Blogs can be used to regularly inform others about what you are doing, what's going on and what's happening next. Wikis can store knowledge that can be updated continuously to always contain the newest ideas. Podcasts allow people to speak directly to an infinite audience – anytime, anywhere. Social networks allow employees who would never otherwise meet to learn about each other. In virtual worlds, those same employees can finally “meet” and interact, all while being shown concepts in ways that might be impossible to recreate in the real world. Another reservation that many companies have about this technology is that it is emerging from unknown, untested sources. If it all had a great big Microsoft logo on it, it might be more palatable.
The truth is, this is happening whether you like it or not. Young people entering the workforce have grown up interacting this way, and companies may have no choice but to employ these tools in order to attract, retain and develop this talent. That's not to say it's going to be a free-for-all. Guidelines and limitations need to be in place for any of these technologies to be effective workforce tools. Careless blogging can lead to legal trouble, wide open social networks can be a security risk and virtual worlds like Second Life have a habit of creeping into people's first lives.
The current economy may force some companies' hands as far as virtual worlds are concerned. It is far cheaper to get workers from around the world to meet on an island in Second Life than it would be to get everyone into the same building in Seattle. IBM has already held several all-company meetings on some of the islands it operates within Second Life. Web 2.0 technologies also don't demand the kind of up-front investment and deployment cycles that traditional software does. Mashups – combining two or more existing technologies to serve a new purpose – are by nature cost-effective solutions.
So whether you are unfamiliar with many of these concepts that are being talked about with more and more frequency, or you are an early adopter trying to convince your organization about the value of these technologies, there is little doubt that many Web 2.0 solutions will become common components of corporate intranets. The trick is to get rid of the idea that these are time-wasters that have no place in a company. Plus, if we don't get on board now, we are going to be in real trouble when Web 3.0 rolls around.
David Wentworth,
Senior Research Analyst
David Wentworth has been a research analyst for the Institute for Corporate Productivity since 2005. David has previously worked with digital media development and delivery, and currently researches several topics for i4cp, including workforce technology and the outsourcing of human resources. David has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts.