Why Web 2.0 & Social Media?

Lecture Reflection
Lecture Date: 5/19/2010. Met via Adobe Connect
Article discussed: Secrets of Successful It Teams: Socially Connected Employees; The Future of the Web: How Businesses are Using Web2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey

The point of the classs was to discuss in detail the syllabus, schedule, modes of meeting and talk about why & how Social Media and collaborative technologies affect an organization.

Web 2.0 tools are the next big thing to IT systems mainly because of the ease of use in implementing the web 2.0 apps and the way they work from grassroots level instead of top down. Web 2.0 applications can be easily implemented by anyone in the organization thereby enabling the free flow of information across all levels without any of the hassles of the permission based IT systems. With web 2.0 applications, information can be shared and accessed very easily. Individuals benefit from this model and can move forward on a project by having easy access to information. Communication and collaboration are key in the timely success of a product and web 2.0 apps provide us with collaborative tools.

Enterprises are employing web 2.0 tools due to the control it gives a team member at the grassroots levels. This “innovation without permission” model puts the power in the hands of individuals at ground level and then filtering up all the way to the top. People don’t have to wait for permission to share an idea or suggest a solution to a problem.

This “innovation without permission” model also poses the grave risk of putting too much access and control in the hands of an individual. A major concern of small and larger corporations is, protecting their valuable information. The web 2.0 apps pose the threat of information getting leaked very easily. The fact that most web 2.0 apps is easily available for free makes it even more tempting for companies to implement them considering today’s economy. But they need to be implemented with certain rules and restrictions so that information is not leaked.

I find web 2.0 applications fascinating! The world of internet is rapidly changing. What’s current today is outdated tomorrow. In a dynamically changing world like this, web 2.0 provides the tools to individuals to share their view point easily and freely. It’s great to see how you can create something and share it with anybody. Web 2.0 allows you to collaborate and be in touch with somebody half way across the globe and meet a targeted deadline without actually having to go there – to me that’s a lifesaver! Technology lets me be in touch and in control. But yes I do agree that there needs to be a certain degree of rules & restrictions adhered to such applications.