Web 2.0 thoughts

Jane Dysart blogged about Beth Unger's exploration of "the societal changes that could occur as a result of the technologies like Web 2.0 that will blur our current
views of interaction"

My thoughts:

Although I tend to be a skeptic about the societal impact of [insert latest web fad], I do think that Web 2.0 changes the info-sphere. It's not so much how we interact but who interacts. Most email discussion groups and BBSs (and yes, I'm still on The Well - one of the original thinking-person's BBss) do "pay" participants by attention. That is, if someone says something thoughtful, it elicits lots of responses. If someone says something that sounds dumb or clueless, they're often just ignored, hence not "paid" attention to. That means that people who are able to express their thoughts well in ASCII are better paid than those who may have a lot of knowledge and ideas but don't work well in a forum / BBS environment.

However, blogs are a medium of expression for people who may have a lot to say but don't have the time or interest in participating in an email discussion list, or who want more "space" to expand on their ideas than is appropriate for a list. A personal example is my brother. He's a film director and wouldn't be a listserv participant in a million years. But he's built a great blog that has brought him some significant business over the years. He's got a lot to say, and has found a medium that enables him to express his thoughts.

And wikis are ways that people can share their knowledge and expertise in a very unthreatening way. No one will say "what a stupid post" or "look at all those typos". Instead, people can insert their own words into a wiki, enhance the cumulative knowledge base, and do so in an unassuming way.

Now that I think about it, blogs and wikis are polar opposites in terms of who they work for. Blogs are for people who have something to say and want a place to say it, separate from other conversations. Wikis are for people who wish to contribute behind the scenes, building something organically. Both are great media; I just find it interesting that they are so different in terms of the flavor of the contribution.

Comments

[A silent watcher]

Web 2.0 rumours... I love the thought of just thinking in constantly new ways of how to interact with information. Now when I hear that Silobreaker.com will launch a 2.0 free and interactive service May 1st I just know that the future is here.