Figuring out Web 2.0   |  November 17, 2008  

Venturing into new online waters? Two sets of experts offer useful advice

Stand around the proverbial watercooler these days and the technology initiative you’ll most likely hear discussed by business folks is Web 2.0—or at least the tools used to construct it: blogs, wikis, social networks, etc. You’re also likely to hear a lot of confusion, and even fear.

To address that, Backbone and KPMG recently hosted two roundtable discussions following our PICK 20 Web 2.0 awards. (The PICK 20 results are online at www.backbonemag.com/Web2). The events, held in Vancouver and Toronto, sold out quickly and the discussions were wide-ranging and informative. For those who couldn’t attend, here are some insights from the panelists.

Accept the fear and uncertainty: It’s okay if you don’t really get Web 2.0, because most people don’t, said Cambrian House CEO Michael Sikorsky. Of the people he meets, “less than five per cent” understand this new approach. “It’s like when the printing press was invented and there was a lot of fear over ‘how can we control this?’ because now anyone can print things.” His opinion was echoed by Leonard Brody, CEO of NowPublic. “People are wigged out. This is a very challenging point in human history.”

And get on with it: Want to get started on Web 2.0? Just jump in, said the panelists, albeit in the shallow end. Start with an experiment, a small implementation for a small audience. “You don’t need to build the next Facebook, instead start with a Facebook profile or a blog,” said Kate Trgovac, the founder of LintBucket Media.

Move beyond the myths: Trgovac outlined three myths she said are prevalent among Web 2.0 explorers. The first is that this is all about technology, the second is that Web 2.0 systems are expensive to implement and the third is that opening up a company with blogs and wikis leads to a loss of control over corporate branding. This last point has some truth in it, but Trgovac suggested branding itself needs to be redefined. A brand, she said, used to be the corporate star and personality, but “do you know what else has personality? People have personality. So this should be about the people in your organization who can represent your brand and share that with your customers. Your people, and not your brand, become your ambassadors and that is the most powerful message of Web 2.0.” Read more.

A different take on productivity: An article in this issue raises very serious concerns about Canada’s productivity. However, Brody said analyses that show we’re behind are partly missing the point: “All of those studies about productivity are correct, except they cover the mainstream industries that bring our productivity numbers down. If you look at technology, we are far ahead. There is not one country that even comes close to the production and innovation of this country. We don’t always do the best job of commercializing our products, but in terms of innovation no one even comes close.” Read more. 

Reading list: For business people looking to learn more, Sikorsky maintains two lists of book recommendations. His Top 12 Web 2.0 books list includes Peter Drucker’s Concept of the Corporation, an analysis of General Motors in the 1940s. It doesn’t talk about blogs or wikis but will help readers understand corporate cultures. His second list consists of 25 books on crowdsourcing. More on these recommendations.


Peter Wolchak
Editor
pwolchak@backbonemag.com