Business and Web 2.0 Technologies - Example

Article Title: Business and Web 2.0 Technologies Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Number Customer Inserts Course Customer Inserts Name of the module Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 27, 02, 2011 Abstract This paper provides the fundamental features of Web 2.0 applications like wikis, social networks, mashups, RSS filters and web blogs and the role of these technologies to the business world. The ever increasing globalization has made the role of these applications indispensible in the process of information retrieval and dissemination. Given the paramount importance of information and communication in the business world, usefulness and flexibilities of these technologies have been critical in ensuring that this is often the case. Unlike traditional web pages, these applications have an added advantage of allowing users to edit or create the content like in the case of wikis and blogs. RSS on the other hand allows users to acquire specific highlights of a given product or service without the hustle of looking for such information in the web. Social networks and mashups allow information sharing in a new way and thus making it more useful not only in the business world but also in education. 1. Introduction The relevance of Web 2.0 technologies cannot be overemphasised in the modern world. More so, Web 2.0 has no specific definition and thus opens to different interpretation by different authors. The key feature of Web 2.0 is that it encourages interactions, value enhancement of content and openness. The major role of a Web 2.0 technology is foster information dissemination and value creation in a cheaper, accessible and a faster rate. There are a number of applications that utilize the Web 2.0 concept; some of these applications are wikis, social networks, mashups, RSS filters and web blogs among others. This paper discusses applications that employ the concept of Web 2.0 and their relevance to today’s business environment. Some of the applications are; wikis, social networks, mashups, RSS filters and web blogs, these applications are mainly used in today’s business environment to disseminate useful information and also to create value through content edition and improvement like in the case of web blogs and wikis. These applications have had profound impact on the way in which business is conducted in the modern world. Their usefulness and flexibility is the key feature that makes these applications useful to businesses. 2.0. Wikis Wiki is essentially a form of Web 2.0 where its contents can be modified or altered, it is therefore finds its use in collaborative creation of content. Wikis have had significant impact in the business world as a result of its flexibility and usability. 2.1. Usefulness Content creation is one of the most important aspects in the business world, availability of useful information is critical to the evolution of a business since innovative ideas and new information can be obtained in a wiki. Wiki is essential because it promotes a collaborative platform that encourages content creation by a diverse number of users and editors. It is usually easy to create content in a wiki website which can later be organized. There is a growing demand for wikis in different fields because of the sites simplicity which is an essential feature of business growth. Some of the uses of wikis includes; reporting, documentation, management of project, discussion groups, online glossaries, dictionaries and even information applications (Mccluskey & Korobow, 2009, p.33). These are ways in which an end user can create value. Unlike blogs, wikis allow alteration of the original content. This is not the case in blogs since one can only add comments or suggestions but cannot alter the main content. According to Lytras & Damian (2008, p.3) Wikipedia is one of the world’s famous examples of wiki project; it has editors, readers, application developers, content maintainers and system administration. Wikipedia creates an environment where creation of content is open. Information and knowledge sharing is thus possible to a large number of users. Since information is the most important asset that a business can have, making it available in a free and accessible way makes it imperative in the modern world of business. The growth of Wikipedia since inception early this decade has been exponential as a result of its critical role in information sharing world. Almost all business and life issues of the world are addressed in the Wikipedia website. This means that most business people visit this page numerous times when seeking new information or adding new content. 2.2. Flexibility A wiki is one of the most flexible content creation platforms ever been created. The ability to alter the original content and insert new ideas or perform remote correction is the key point of a wiki as compared to blogs where the main content is not altered. The simple and flexible nature of a wiki has made its demand in different fields increase exponentially over the years. Since anyone can create or alter content of a wiki, large scale wiki environment have content regulators mandated with the task of establishing persons who can perform certain functions like delete, restore, update and even create. This is done to enhance the content of the page while maintaining the flexibility of the wiki. Despite the ability to edit the content, accuracy of the information through maintenance of the editing and verifying department is critical for business needs. Wikipedia for instance has managed to remain flexible while maintaining the authenticity of its contents despite the critics of its information. 2.3. Shortcomings The major shortcoming of a wiki is its openness for anyone to edit its contents. If anyone can edit the content of the page, then the accuracy of the content becomes questionable. This is the rationale behind many colleges and Universities warning its students against using a wiki such as Wikipedia as the source of their academic information. In a normal information source, the accuracy of the information is the first priority since there should be a well known author of the information which makes him or her responsible for the authenticity of the content. The author should also state the source of the information that he or she used in coming up with the ideas and thus avoiding plagiarism. In the case of a wiki, there is hardly anyone to take the responsibility of the accuracy of the content; there are no known authors or citation of the information provided. This is the major source of a wiki especially in the realm of a business environment that needs accurate information useful in decision making process. 3.0. Social Network Social network is one of the most popular Web 2.0 applications, it has found its usage globally and the increase of its usage is continually developing. Some of the common social networks are Facebook.com, twitter.com and Myspace.com. Many firms have integrated with these social networks in order to enhance their market scope over the past several years. 3.1. Usefulness The development of social network has proved imperative in business perspective. In the recent surveys conducted by William Baker of San Diego State University reveals that from a survey of 1,600 executives, radical innovation of companies that relied on social networks was 24 % more than companies which do not rely of social networks (Swearingen 2008). This clearly shows that knowledge sharing in the social network is by far more beneficial to a business than relying on traditional online or physical surveys for important customer data or innovative ideas. Collaborations is also enhanced through social networks, this enhances creativity and combined problem solution (McDermott, 2007, p.15). Some specialised social networks for professionals like within3.com makes it possible for people from diverse regions to communicate without incurring cost of travel. Combined knowledge on specific fields makes innovation and improvement of products much possible and flexible through a social network. 3.2. Flexibility Flexibility is greatly enhanced while using social network to obtain information. In most cases, even if professionals are located within the same building or in different locations, they cannot easily locate themselves easily as they can locate themselves using a social network. This is one aspect of a social network that has never been possible using other means of information dissemination. A discussion process can take place irrespective of the location of the individuals; handheld devices have further increased the flexibility that can be achieved while using a social network for communication. This aspect has made social networking more popular than other traditional means of discussions. 3.3. Shortcomings The major shortcoming of a social network is the fact that a large percentage of people in a social network are normally indulged in other social issues that are not constructive in the business perspective. The other evident problem is the knowledge of the other person at the remote end. This is basically because even unprofessional people can pose as professional and hence derailing the focus of the discussion group by providing inaccurate information about a given discussion. 4.0. Mashups Mashups is fundamentally a form of Web 2.0 technology that focuses on integrating information together. The integration of information makes it possible for all the useful information about a service or a product to be available in one place. 4.1. Usefulness Mashups are able to create value addition as a result of integration of information which could otherwise be placed on different parts. An example of this value addition Web 2.0 technique is how Google mapping joins application with a real estate service on a website like Creaiglists.com Other good examples of how this technology is useful is evident in Chicagocrime.org where the criminal statistics are basically placed on Google maps and hence giving the user knowledge on when crimes occurred in their surrounding areas (Lytras & Damian, 2008, p.5). As explained by Lytras & Damian (2008, p.5) the combination of businesses models with businesses forms the fundamental importance of Mashups in the business world. Large organizations like Amazon and Microsoft are slowly integrating Mashups applications which essentially offer their customers instant data and services. This technology enhances value of products like a computer where information such as maps onscreen instead of searching for them in distant web servers. 4.2. Flexibility Mashups greatly enhances flexibility because of its value creation in terms of integrating relevant information in one place. This makes the user acquire much information by only visiting one site or web application such as Google Maps. From a business perspective, it reduces the hustles of relating information from different sources. Integration of relevant information in one place greatly enhances the business environment and also flexibility. This flexibility helps a company to save on time and thus concentrate on better ways of enhancing customer value. 4.3. Shortcomings One of the shortcomings of this form of Web 2.0 technology is increased information that a user may find irrelevant if seeking other information. There is much information about a given subject matter but may not always be relevant to the users. Such information creates inconvenience rather than customer value as expected by companies. Another disadvantage of increased customization and applications especially in personal computers is decreased volatile memory which is usually reserved for basic applications of a computer. 5.0. RSS filters RSS technology was initially developed by Netscape for the purpose of publishing news and other useful information based on subscription structure. The aim of an RSS is to minimise the need to search the information in the web to get relevant information. This frustration of information search was the genesis of RSS development based on XML content-syndication protocol. 5.1. Usefulness An RSS filter enables one to get relevant information in a short period of time without having the struggle of searching the entire web for important information. Ad RSS is important because of its filtering ability of different information based on subscription of the user. An RSS technology is able to share metadata about a given content without the need to deliver the entire information about the origin of the information. Information dissemination about a given product or service provided by a company is delivered to the right people who have subscribed to receive such information. RSS has therefore developed as a critical marketing tool in many companies. This is because of its narrow scope of target groups who are essentially relevant to the business since they subscribed to receive such information (Donaldson, 2009, p.12). Narrowing down of a target group helps a business since it saves on its cost of advertising and general market. This is because of the ability to focus on the target market and thus be in a position to improve customer value based on the customer feedback. On the part of the user, one is simply required to have an RSS aggregator application to be in a position to receive the information feed. This improves communication process as the information which could have otherwise demanded web search are easily available and accessible to an individual by means of notification model. 5.2. Flexibility The ease of information transmission and reception by the end user is the key flexibility concern of this type of model. Dissemination of information is more focused as compared to other means of e-marketing that requires an interested individual to perform online search of information which is by far more difficult as compared to RSS feed technology. The flexibility brought about by RSS technology is more pertinent as compared to other forms of marketing. Underpinning of the target customer is a critical tool used by the RSS technology to enhance its market scope. 5.3. Shortcomings The major shortcoming of the RSS filter technology is the need to subscribe relevant information. One might miss the details of the information provided as a result of ignorance that the information provided by the RSS is adequate. In essence, it limits access to other form of information that could have been obtained through a more tedious online searching. The other shortcoming of this form of technology in the business perspective is that not many people appreciate the importance and the convenience created by an RSS feed. A large number of internet users have limited knowledge on the relevance of RSS technology in the business world. This makes its utility limited to certain target of people unlike using other forms of marketing that are common to people. 6.0. Weblogs or blogs Weblog or blogs have increased in the scope of their usage and even enabled people to form some kind of personal websites. Blogs offer users ability to add content to their blogs and disseminate the same information faster than a traditional HTML page. 6.1. Usefulness Blogs provided everybody the ability to communicate via a blog without necessarily having programmer’s knowledge of content editing. Unlike HTML pages which requires good background of coding, style and design in order for one to circulate content which could be read by a remote customer, weblogs have no such constraints as they enable a user the ability to publish their content through a standard user interface that requires no customization. The lack of customization is an essential factor since a larger number of content readers can easily contribute their view points with minimal effort and no coding skills. The major breakthrough of weblogs is unique Universal Resource Locator which is essentially permanent. This allows indexing by major search engines and thus increasing the usefulness and dissemination of information to an even larger audience (Cromity, 2008, p.34). Weblog is fast developing in terms of usage because of the development of software applications such as Typepad and Wordpress. Other companies like blogger.com have escalated the evolution of weblogs; many sectors of economies utilize weblogs for acquiring information and also spreading new information. Given the imperative role of information in the current business world, the role of weblogs is profound. Many businesses utilize weblogs for marketing purposes and also for customer information collection which is critical in the process of making decisions. The magnitude of weblogs use for business and educational reasons is growing exponentially every day. 6.2. Flexibility The major flexibility that weblogs offers is the ease of content creation while at the same time maintaining the permanence of the URL link which is critical in accessing the information for later use. User does not require any programming skills to create the content of the page since no customization which requires understanding of the Hyper-Text Mark-up Language (HTML). The support that has been offered by companies like blogger.com and applications like Typepad and Wordpress have further enhanced not only the flexibility of the weblogs but also the efficiency and effectiveness of the weblogs in information dissemination and retrieval (Orr, 2007, p.65). 6.3. Shortcomings The major shortcomings of the weblogs is that one cannot edit the content of the source URL edited by another person, one can only comment on the blog. This makes blogs less flexible as compared to wikis which allows users to edit information which are then subject to corrections by content maintainers in large scale wikis like Wikipedia. One cannot easily create links and other properties like copyrights that major sites made by HTML can offer. More so, many people still have less knowledge on the relevance of blogs to the business world and hence hampering its optimization. Conclusion The emergence of Web 2.0 applications has enhanced sharing of information and creation of useful content of information in the modern world. Dissemination of business useful information can be greatly attributed to the wide of Web 2.0 applications like wikis, social networks, mashups, RSS filters and web blogs. In business perspective, information is important in value creation through understanding of the customer. Most businesses in the modern world are customer focused given the ever increasing competition in the market. Globalization has increased the scope of businesses in terms of market access. The internet is the major window of opportunities in many firms that seek to grasp business opportunities and market niche beyond their borders. This has been fostered by the development of information source and dissemination like blogs, wikis, social networks, mashups and even RSS feeds. The usefulness and the flexibility of these technologies have seen their increase in the business world over the past decade. This paper has thus provided essential strengths and shortcomings of these new applications in a business perspective. References Cromity, J., 2008. Web 2.0 Tools for Social and Professional Use. Online Magazine article, 1 Sept. pp. 34. Donaldson, A., 2009. Another Web Revolution? African Americans Are Using Web 2.0 Technologies to Chart a New Course. Black Enterprise, Magazine,6 Nov. p. 12. Swearingen, J., 2008. Social Networking for Business. CBS Online 5th September Available at: http://www.bnet.com/article/social-networking-for-business/219914.[Accesssed on 27 February 20011] Lytras, M & Damian, E ., 2008. Web 2.0: The Business Model. London: Springer. Pp. 3-6. McDermott, E., 2007. All A-twitter about Web 2.0: What Does It Offer Libraries? Searcher Journal, 15 (2), pp.13-17. Mccluskey, T & Korobow A., 2009. Leveraging Networks and Social Software for Mission Success: Web 2.0 Tools Help Dynamically Assess Contributions, Grasp Organizational Sentiment, and Identify Key Human Capital Assets, The Public Manager, 38 (1), pp. 23-45. Orr, B., 2007. Parsing the Meaning of Web 2.0, Banking Journal, 99 (2), pp. 56-67. Read More