Web 2.0 And Enterprise 2.0 Concepts - Essay Example

Introduction This report is about Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 concepts and the effects that social computing tool that rely on these concepts have had in today's organizations. The report commences by presenting the history of the two concepts and the environment under which they developed. The report then shifts its focus to the potential advantages and disadvantages that organizations employing these concepts might experience. The tools and platforms that apply Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 like blogs and wikis are discussed in the next section before conclusion and recommendation is made. History of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 Concepts Today, it is hard to imagine that the concepts of web 2.0 and enterprise 2.0 concepts have been in existence for less than two decades. Official use of the term ‘Web 2.0’ can be traced back in 2004 when it was used in a discussion on potential future conference about the Web by Dale Dougherty (Anderson 5). Through use of the term, the team sought to capture the sense that even with the boom of dot-com and consequent bust, the Web was at the time still playing a key role due to continued new and exciting sites and applications that were popping up at a surprisingly regular periods (O’Reilly 1). On the other hand, enterprise 2.0 is the conception of using different services and tools that apply Web 2.0 technology including ratings, RSS, networking and sharing in the perspective of the enterprise. "Enterprise 2.0" as a new term in computing was created by Andrew McAfee of Harvard Business School (Lennon 1). Additionally, as part of Enterprise 2.0, it is common for most organizations in the world to include corporate blog publications on their Web sites. Such organizations then invite their clients and potential customers to post comments and discuss the published content. Likewise, many corporations are making enterprise wikis that are viewed and it is also possible for anyone to edit (McAfee 1). There is an intertwined relationship between Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0. The two models are not the same but are two concepts built on related foundations. Ideally, Web 2.0 labels the shift in computer application from singular and static media to a more community-oriented interactive and dynamic social media (Lennon 2). Lennon exemplifies this shift through the popularity of that blogosphere gas experienced in the past few years. Further the author defends this view by highlighting the fact that blogs have existed for a longer time than the term Web 2.0, but that these blogs are one of the best examples of what Web 2.0 is all about. Prior to blogs, people used to publish static pages personal Web sites. Such information did not provide for interactions between people which led to information becoming dated and useless in a short time. Then came the connection between Web 2.0 and blogging platforms that includes Moveable Type, Word Press, and Blogger that has the allowance for creation of, first, pages for biographical information that can be updated easily, and second, posts for writing articles and expressing opinions (Lennon 2). According to Lennon, Enterprise 2.0 vision of blogging is slightly different from that of Web 2.0. The author opines that corporate blogs are usually multi-user that includes multiple writers and contributors, or a platform having many different blogs, that are each owned by different individuals in the organization. Additionally, corporate blogging is not necessarily an extension of concept that was available before. Previously, companies posted employee bios on their Web sites yet were often not managed by the employees of the company. Thus, Blogging as we know it today is an avenue for employees to express their views on the goods and services that they are still working on and also interacting with the public on new ideas to make these goods and services better (3) Advantages of Appling Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0Concepts into Organizational Practice Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 has had a far reaching consequence on how business entities conduct their affairs in the modern world. Firstly, Lennon notes the ease with which information access is made possible due to these applications. Systems that enable application of Enterprise 2.0 concepts allow investors and personnel access to organizational data in an appropriate and latest form. This information is also tailored based on their needs and can be accessed from anywhere in the world as long as the Internet is available for access. The increased Wi-Fi and 3G networks coverage has further made sure that information can be accessed from mobile devices promptly even when the laptop or PC is not around. Secondly, these concepts have enabled Instant notification of updates on new information. According to Lennon, subscribers to company’s RSS feeds get instantaneous notification via the RSS reader on PC and cell phones as soon as new updates are posted to an organizational blog or wiki. People do not need to keep checking on the company’s web site to confirm whether it has been updated. It they do visit the web site the next time; it will be for a different issue all together. Thirdly, sharing of organizational information has been Simplified and made cost effective through the application of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 technologies. Lennon notes the technologies has contributed to the making of communication and information sharing less expensive and simpler for businesses and individuals (Lennon 10). The fourth advantage of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 concepts on organizations has to do with the discursive abilities that come with the technological tools. These tools by enabling visible texts, provides a discursive space where individuals can post opinions and engage in public deliberations (Treem and Leonardi 175). Such a platform give clients and potential customers the avenue to express their ideas on what they expect from the organization and how best to serve them. Disadvantages of Appling Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 Concepts into Organizational Practice Even as Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 continue to impress many through their potential to revolutionize the world today, there are some reservations that some people have against the technologies. Firstly, one of the major concerns many organizations have has to do with security. Lennon notes the security threats posed by viruses, malwares and hackers in the World Wide Web. Conventionally, companies maintained a stiff control on information that was available to the public. Their internal document management systems were highly guarded. Today, this is not so since Enterprise 2.0 tools like Wikis has the allowance for information creation and editing by anyone. As such, there is a possibility that employees can publish to the public Wikis that was meant to be for internal purposes. Something like this whether intentionally or accidentally done can cost the organization a lot, for example, when it leads to detailed information on the design of product getting into the hands of those in direct completion with the organization(11). Secondly, many organizations see these tools as contributing to employees’ loss of productivity. Managers fear that these technologies that integrate concepts such as social bookmarking and social networking will divert personnel attention from work leading to time waste at the work place. Already there some major organizations that have barred their employees from using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. This might be a reflection on their perception of any corporate social tools (Lennon 11). Unwillingness of staff during adoption and implementation is another disadvantage of employing these technological tools that employ Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 concepts. Response to technological ideas among people of different ages varies from young to old, which makes implementation hard. According to Lennon, younger employees are more receptive to the new software and features and are ready to spend their time to help the new system pick up. On the other hand, older employees are less likely to embrace the new ideas that come with the adoption of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 concepts since many of them do not like using computers (11). Tools and Platforms that Apply Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 Concepts Blogs are the initial starting point for organizations that are looking to implement Enterprise 2.0 strategy. Workers can subscribe to the RSS feed of their organizations’ blogs and also leave remarks about the goods and services the organization produces. It possible to have a platform that allows for many blogs, with each product team or contributor having their own blog (Lennon 9). Wikis are the other Enterprise 2.0 tools that organizations can take advantage of. Essentially, Wikis are a collection of Web pages allows editing by any person that has access to them. Today, popular wiki available is Wikipedia which is an online encyclopedia. Wikis are online tools that allow people to form new pages in addition to viewing and editing those that already exist using a WYSIWYG editor which stands for What You See Is What You Get. Wikis are a common means by which organizations manage information and documents. The Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 technologies have enabled the development of Web conferencing as a tool that has found wide usage in modern conferences. In the past, conferencing tools demanded that users have installation of the same software in their computers to share information. Web conferencing tools in most cases have downloadable modules or come with hosted services that can be installed to the Web server of the company. Web conferencing software come with features that comprise of real-time instantaneous messaging, chat, facilities that enable screen sharing, slide show presentations, and chat, audio VoIP, video functionality, screen sharing facilities, and allows for recording of the conference proceedings to be viewed later ((Lennon 10) Conclusion and recommendation In conclusion, organizations should not fear applying Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 concepts in their daily activities as they are bound to benefit from the resultant easier access to information and contributions made by clients and potential customers. The Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 tools bring the organization closer to their clients through postings on the organizational blogs and wikis. It is however recommended that organizations balance between organizational needs on one hand and employee and consumer ability to access and use the tools on the other. At the same time, security measures have to be taken to ensure that internal information remains within the precincts of the organization through minimizing chances of errors and employee compromise. Works Cited Anderson, Paul. What is Web 2.0? Ideas, Technologies and Implications for Education. JISC Technology and Standards Watch, 2007. Web. 30 Sept. 2013 Lennon, Joe. Implementing Enterprise 2.0: Balancing Social Networking and Community with Collaborative Tools and Services. New York: IBM Corporation, 2009. Print. McAfee, Andrew. Enterprise 2.0: The Dawn of Emergent Collaboration. The Sloan Management Review. 2006. 47(3). Treem, W. Jeffrey &Paul M. Leonardi. Social Media Use in Organizations: Exploring the Affordances of Visibility, Editability, Persistence, and Association. Communication Yearbook, 2012. 36, 143-189. Print. O'Reilly, Tim. What is web 2.0? Design Pattern and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software. Sebastopol (CA) O'Reilly Inc., 2009. Print. Read More