Web 2.0 is not like HTML5. It's not a new specification, it's not a specific way of formatting or configuring anything online, it is defined by the behavior of the users interacting with the sites. It is community-driven, dynamic, extendable. It's also everywhere.
So it follows logically that business would want to capitalize on that community, and so Enterprise 2.0 was...well, perhaps "born" isn't the right word; "coined", then. Enterprise 2.0 is merely taking the ideas inherent in the Web 2.0 model and applying them to business situations. (Forrester Research begs to differ slightly; according to them, Enterprise 2.0 does not include anything aimed at consumers. I personally disagree with that statement: how else are businesses going to reach consumers, if they're not using Facebook and Twitter-type technologies?)
Are you in the engineering department and you need to collaborate with your coworkers in design? Set up a wiki to provide a centralized place to put mock-ups, specifications, etc. Need quick bursts of promotion? Fire off Tweets about discounts or product launches.
Sounds great, right? So why aren't all businesses Tweeting and Facebooking and blogging and wiki-ing? Dion Hinchcliffe has compiled a list of 14 reasons why Enterprise 2.0 initiatives fail. In essence, most of the problems boil down to the fact that some managers treat Enterprise 2.0 as an afterthought, something that doesn't need to have many resources allocated to it. After all, one may think, how much effort does it take to Tweet "14-inch widget on sale for 20% off, limited time offer"?
But it's not just about Tweeting, or wikis, or any one thing. It's about collaboration across the organization, destroying barriers to communication, and paying attention to the customers. Only by gaining the acceptance of the entire organization can Enterprise 2.0 initiatives succeed.
Extra reading:
Quote of the Day:
Booth: A prodigy violinist disappears and a month later his skull ends up bouncing off a garbage truck?
Cam: Obviously, we are looking for someone who really, really hates classical music.
--Bones, "The Widow's Son in a Windshield"
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