Businesses are finally waking up to Web 2.0

The business world is finally realising that Web 2.0 is an extremely useful value add technology. A poll recently conducted turns the tables on the view that Web 2.0 has poor uptake, revealing 60% of respondents are actively using Web 2.0 technologies. The survey also contradicts the view that Web 2.0 is just marketing spin with 69% of respondents feeling there is real substance to the new technologies being deployed. So, why doesn't this view seem to be commonly accepted?

As always there is scepticism about new technology. People initially questioned the worth of email and very few people could imagine a world without email now. It's gone from no use to mass use, becoming invaluable as a primary source of real-time communication in business.

Businesses have to decide how, and at what point, Web 2.0 applications can add value to their operations. To stick with the same example, we all know that email can be a hindrance if there's too much spam overloading an inbox and even in some cases an unwelcome distraction. Phones4U famously banned email in the workplace in 2003 when John Caudwell felt that staff were being constrained by the volume of internal email. Companies have to make sure they know how to use the technology they are implementing properly and, equally importantly, why before they can fully embrace the value of Web 2.0.

Business managers face an interesting challenge because organisations that are slow to get off the starting block with new technology or innovation in existing communication channels can miss out on serious competitive advantage. Whilst companies don't want their work force socialising over Instant Messenger all day, there are still many opportunities untapped around Web 2.0. Gartner, for example, has been calling for some time for financial services firms to adopt Web 2.0-based applications to imporve services to customers and promote cross-enterprise collaboration.

In amongst all of this reluctance, the interesting point is that the same survey of Internet World delegates revealed that Web 2.0 is seen as a nautral progression in the usage of Internet technology with 83% agreeing that it is an online 'evolution' rather than a radical step change in the way we use the World Wide Web. We are seeing a move towards podcasts, RSS feeds, social bookmarking and social networking increasingly becoming the norm and providing clear potential for business to benefit from a more collaborative way of working.   

The way Microsoft has used blogs to proactively engage with its communities is just one example. Companies can test the water with new ideas and ease the path for proposed service or product launches in a way that just wasn't possible before blogging. It's a powerful communication tool that can create an operational environment where stakeholders, staff, suppliers and the public feel part of what's going on. Companies also shouldn't underestimate the importance of user-controlled content in an era where we are in danger of information overload. 

Of course, some Web 2.0 applications still have a long way to go before proving their worth but it's undeniable that technology with so much potential to enable collaborative working and empowerment isn't going to go away. Companies need to assess where Web 2.0 fits in their operational and communications strategy.