Web 2.0 Expo: Web 2.0 for the Enterprise

by April 19, 2007

The Web 2.0 for the Enterprise: Is It Soup Yet? panel at Web 2.0 Expo discussed the role of collaborative social software within large organizations.

  • Users are embracing collaborative, open tools (wikis, social bookmarks, blogs, etc.) regardless of whether the enterprise does anything about it.
  • Today’s working environment is all about collaboration. There’s a shift from being an individual worker to being part of a collaborative group.
  • Most software is designed for a specific use (behaviors, tasks, etc.). It’s a mistake to design software before people start using it. Emergent software enables behavior to construct itself as people interact with it.
  • Need more open standards. Provide options, its not about handing over control. By using emergent software can develop something new through using it. Share control to create value.
  • Emergent tools change corporate culture. People who hoard information get punished and those who share it get rewarded.
  • Doing your homework on MySpace is called cheating. In the enterprise it’s called collaboration.
  • If you take away the water cooler, all you will do is make people thirsty.
  • Google Apps is a complement for Microsoft Office. It meets a set of different goals and augments existing solutions with collaborative features.