Have you ever wondered what Web 2.0 really means. Tim O'Reily gives us a great starting point: What Is Web 2.0? This is wonderful if you are willing to read all 5 pages. However, how do you really explain this to a CEO, CFO, CIO, etc... The people with the money? It is a collaborative environment for work and play that brings power to the user. It is all about enabling eveyone to define their web.
Think about this for a minute. Have you ever entered a customer site and they really want you to implement this new custom report, well with web 2.0 you turn it around on them. Previous development cycles required 3, 6, and even 9 months to get new reports available. If the data is available to the cusomer, web 2.0 allows mashups that can enable the user.
No longer do we have development cycles, we have continual releases. No 1.1.1 r6, we have the beta. If you are a software developer, you know this mindset, but how do you convince your boss? Don't just tell them everyone's doing it, prove it to them. Take 10 minutes, grab an api and overlay it on google maps. We are talking about rapid prototyping.
You have now hopefully realized that Web 2.0 isn't just MySpace and Facebook, it is about time-money-value. The big talkers to your executive board. So now you are wondering, how do I bring a social component into your enterprise. Well think about it, how often are your developers duplicating work. You have developers who know Java, PHP, Apache, Linux, Tomcat, etc... Well a simple use case is an Apache/Tomcat person needs to install a new server for your Java developer. They know each other. Lets say though, you don't have a dedicated Linux staffer. How will the Apache expert solve permission issues or unforseen package dependencies on non-Apache services. IT people are famous for being hobbyists, through the use of profiles, semantic data collection, and contextual relevancy, users can be connected to each other. I have seen this work. You enterprise can not only work together, but work more efficiently. Average IT folks spent between 30 minutes and 1 hour a day researching bugs and features, why not bring collaboration to their fingertips. With a mobile/agile workforce, we can show Web 2.0 will improve the enterprise as we know it.
So let me end with this statement, Web 2.0 is here to stay and like Web 1.0 if the enterprises don't embrace it, they will be left in the dust.
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