Srikant Sharma's Blog

So what’s all this fuss about the new web – Web 2.0?

December 29th, 2008

So you’ve probably heard – there’s this buzz out there about the next generation of the web – and it’s being called Web 2.0 (W20). Sounds like some fancy jargon invented by hyper-caffeinated, self-important web programmers? Maybe …

… then again, you notice that some of your favorite websites are starting to make some pretty fundamental changes – kinda hard to figure out what these changes are all about, and why, but heck, they’re cool! You can tell that these sites (nytimes.com, flickr, linkedin, to name just a few) are giving you more control, and letting you express your opinions, feedback etc, more effectively.

Well – in a nutshell, that’s what Web 2.0 is all about – converting the previously read-only web to a read-write-read-argue-read-comment-read-connect world. And trust me folks – this is a revolution! Suddenly, everyone is an author, a publisher, a photographer etc. – in other words, suddenly YOU are an important participant on the web. The expertise lies not with some paid-expert, but within the community. You can be the expert in what you know best, and others find that valuable and credible. That’s social networking – and it’s tremendously valuable.

Take some examples – Facebook for starters – if you’re not already on there, try it, and be forewarned – it’s addicitive. So is LinkedIn – for the professional part of your life (the distinction between personal and professional parts of your life will blur quickly unless you are very deliberate and careful).

There are a ton of tools and buzzwords (yes, more jargon) surrounding W20. But that can wait – the key is that you get how powerful and revolutionary the concept is – and how exciting this can be in terms of a force of change and influence in your daily experience and goals.

Stay tuned … more later …

Entry Filed under: Connecting with the customer