Advantage and Disadvantage of Web 2.0

SOMETIMES I’m thinking about is everything good about Web 2.0?

Everything has its virtues and shortcomings even though I’m studying and using this. For example, 95% of personal computer operating system on the earth is using Microsoft Windows, but does it mean the product is good? Well my point is not about this, my point is what makes us to use Web 2.0 and how we are pushed to use Web 2.0.

In general, the main advantage of Web 2.0 is that the information flows freely. Everyone can contribute and share the information or ideas without repression. In addition, people are able to receive information from various resources, not only the newspaper and TV anymore. It also means that people are receiving different concepts for one thing. Furthermore, the community makes the use of Web 2.0 growing rapidly. People use the communities to do the communication via the Internet, a variety of ideas, opinions, and news are shared between different countries and communities.

On the other hand, the drawback of Web 2.0 is dependence. For example, cloud computing (Web e-mail, Google doc, Facebook, Youtube) is the hot topic recently, and people and enterprises are currently using it. This means we are relying on the cloud computing vendors to run our business. What if the system crashes? What will happen to our business? How many loss we will have?

More specific example for is Google Gmail. The service has been crashed for a few times (see the news here), since many small/medium enterprises are using Gmail app for their e-email solution, some of enterprises have lost money because the hang of Gmail.

Frankly, the enterprise must think about a backup solution to prevent the loss of the disable Web 2.0 solutions.

The other concerning issue is sharing. Although one of the core values of Web 2.0 is to share things, what if the things are a copyright? Don’t people have to pay for it if they’ve shared or have been shared?

I think some of firms like the movie factories and music companies are gingerly utilising Web 2.0 tools. For example, we can watch videos and listen to music via Youtube, but they may be not authorised to be played by these firms. However, Roadshow Films has deployed a channel on Youtube as a way to broadcast their movies, especially it’s a free service.

To conclude, Web 2.0 is still being adopted from this world, and there are still so many things such as the ethics of Web 2.0 or the health impact of the Web 2.0 users to be concerned. Let’s challenging Web 2.0.

Further example of a company using Web 2.0 – Eurocentres

Eurocentres is a global language school which located in 31 areas worldwide such as Australia, Japan, South Africa, Europe and the US.

For an educational organisation, sharing information and interacting with students are critical important. Eurocentres  is adopting a social networking  and video sharing platform to improve their business reputation as well as provide a platform for the students. The organisation is currently using Facebook (link here) and Youtube (link here) as their Web 2.0 tools.

Although Eurocentres has had an offical website, it cannot fulfil the organisation’s new business objective: Enterprise 2.0

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Firstly, Eurocentres has built a Facebook Page which owns 1,855 fans by 19 Oct 2009. The page contains several main items: Wall, Information, Boxes, Agenda, Photos, Reviews, Discussion, and About.

1. Wall
This field allows the organisation to post their own messages, and also allows the students/fans/guests to post message, comment and interact with each other …etc. There are too many functions can be used on ‘wall’.

2. Information
Eurocentres just simply places an offical website URL in here. But the organisation puts the introduction on ‘About’, and it is specified on #8.

3. Boxes
The use of boxes in Facebook is to store the Facebook applications (apps). Eurocentres places a video in this field.

4. Agenda
Eurocentres publishes the activities such as trip in this field. Tell the participants about what, when and where of the activities.

5. Photos
It contains the branches photos which come from the different locations worldwide. This also solve the need of photo sharing objective.

6. Reviews
The students (normally the graduated) are free to write and a review and to rate on this field. It can be a natural reference for the potential students.

7. Discussion
The students are also free to create a new topic to discuss with each other. The use is similar to a web forum. Eurocentres has started a few topics such as ‘Tell your thoughts, Visa information, and FAQ”.

8. About
Eurocentres posts the organisation’s introduction in here.

In addition, Eurocentres has also raised some events on Facebook, the function can collect how many people will attend the event and can be connected to the students’ wall.

I can see that Eurocentres is successful to adopt this social networking service. Because their fans (the graduated students) are still increasing everyday. This means that the students would like to keep in touch with the organisation even they are graduated. The further benefit is that it can be a way for the students to find their classmates. And then the community will become bigger and bigger.

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Eurocentres also utilises Youtube Channel as its exclusive video stream centre.  The videos in here differ from the videos on Facebook. Eurocentres puts several promotion videos on Facebook, while they store a series of video called “Video Competition” which come from the different branches.  I think this is an good idea because the purpose of the videos should be separated. However, I feel the number of the videos is too short. It should provide more about the teaching in the class.

In conclusion, although Eurocentres is just using 2 services for adopting Enterprise 2.0, it is fair enough to their clients. This is probably because Facebook provides many useful functions to help the organisation to achieve their E2 objectives. And the benefit for the students who are already the member on Facebook is that they do not need to jump out to the other websites to be participated in multiple communities.

Utilise Facebook’s high growth to assist the business

THE membership of Facebook is growing rapidly; according to checkfacebook.com‘s statics, the global members of Facebook has reached about 289 millions, and 6.8 millions members in Australia.

So, how does an organisation utilise this number?

If an organisation could properly use this community platform, the benefits such as cost down of R&D, increasing of attracting members, enhancing the efficiency of propaganda, and promoting community cohesion will be obtained.

There are 3 methods can be adopted to utilise Facebook to assist the business:

1. Facebook Page

The first step for the business is to implement its own Facebook Page to attract people. It is very useful to the business to initial the community and branding.  The advantages of this is based on the loyal fans that they can invite friends to visit the page. In addition, the business will be able to broadcast news to fans, and interact with them. (The figure shows a Facebook Page of a language school in Brisbane)

2. Facebook Connect (link here)

The second step to utilise Faceook is to integrate the ‘Facebook Connect’ with the organisation.

Three main benefits of Facebook Connect:

1. It allows the Facebook members to login to the organisation directly. In other word, it saves the users’ time to register a new account which is helpful to attract people.
2. Broadcast the members’ activities in the organisation website to Facebook. It helps the website branding.
3. Get the members’ friend list. This assists building the community and enhancing the interaction between the members and the organisation.

3. Facebook App (link here)

Finally, the organisation can packet its functions into an or more applications. The members can access the organisation’s website or services via Facebook without leaving it.

Reflection of reading 8 predictions for Enterprise Web 2.0 in 2009

AFTER read the ZDNET’s article 8 predictions for Enterprise Web 2.0 in 2009, I have some thoughts of it.

The article points out that the enterprises (finally) try to adopt the concept of Web 2.0 into the employees’ computer. This is the trend of 2009, and the trend is the ability of  gathering people to the enterprise.

I will briefly describe the 8 predictions and followed by my opinions:

1. Tight budgets will drive the adoption of low-cost Web 2.0 and cloud/SaaS solutions.
   This means that the small SaaS (Software as a Service) vendors will have more chances to promote.  According to this article, it deems that under the consideration of cost, the enterprises may not continue to use the huge IT multinationals’ services such as IBM and Oracle. The enterprises will try to seek the low-cost SaaS vendors which are demand-based. However, the article also points out that the enterprises may return to the huge multinational and find their value, because the enterprises probably saw a variety of services. In my opinion, this statement seems easy to say but difficult to be came true, because the enterprise owners normally do not understand Web 2.0. Although the enterprises would like to explore the small SaaS vendors and to use Web 2.0, they do not know how to find the suitable SaaS vendors. On the other hand, the small Saas vendors lack budget to do the marketing, and they can never meet the huge multinationals. So I think ZDNET may indicate that 2009 will be a good chance for the advisers and System Integrator (SI)  companies to explore the great SaaS vendors.
2. Online community and 2.0 technologies become a priority for most organisations.
   The enterprises have set community and Web 2.0 to the top priority in 2009, especially aim at Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The article mentions about ‘Web 2.0 customer service’, and I see many companies and dot com websites simply deploy a forum as the online customer service. I think this part should be considered more about how to enhance ‘the customers answer to the customers’ rates. Because to deploy a forum is very easy, once a user posts a complaint entry, other users may reply and answer the solution. The problem may be resolved before a regular customer service staff to solve it. Therefore, to build a great Web 2.0 customer service system will be valuable to the huge call centre or helpdesk companies.
3. Cloud computing will remain one of he biggest new Internet developments.
   The article deems that cloud computing is no longer a jargon, the new technologies and products are constantly developed . I think cloud computing is already a new way which enterprises cannot neglect it.
4. Internal use of 2.0 will continue growth in large enterprise while the struggle continues with market-facing 2.0 products.
   ZDNET has observed that enterprises have raised more attentions on the internal use of Web 2.0 in 2008. It mentions that the huge IT multinationals haven’t built successful  products as other small SaaS vendors. Nevertheless,the huge multinationals  attempt to use Web 2.0, is it necessary to build Web 2.0 tools by themselves? The multinationals can simply use the current tools. I agree with this statement, however it is essential to deeply understand the internal use of Web 2.0. It may start from the IT department, they shall get familiar with the tools and understand how to use the tools for the enterprise. Thus, encourage other employees to use the tools, then everyone is able to use the Web 2.0 tools.
5. The economic climate will at long last drive major advantages towards aligning IT with business.
   This means the enterprises will be forced to adjust the IT deployment due to cost down. For example, the enterprises may seek the IT outsourcing as a solution.
6. Mobile platforms and devices will become highly strategic in 2009.
   ZDNET thinks that the enterprises will increasingly rely on the mobile platforms for communications. And the desktop platforms may become a backup purpose.
7. SOA goes on a diet, picks up some new tricks, and survives.
   The article predicts that Software-Oriented Architecture) will have a significant change such as integration, but it doesn’t specify what kinds of integration.
8. The massive changes in the business landscape create new 2.0 business opportunities.
   Many online businesses may transform from 1.0 to 2.0.

It is almost the end of 2009, so how many predications above are came true? I don’t know either, but we have to confess that we spend more time to do things about Web 2.0, for instance Facebooking, blogging, twittering and watching video via Youtube. I didn’t say that Web 2.0 tools may reduce the work efficiency, but a enterprise owner would probably like to provide Web 2.0 tools which can increase the work efficiency for the employees to do their work.

Enterprise 2.0 may be starting to consume our working time, but we are still using Web 2.0 after work.

Enterprise 2.0 Adoption and its failures

IN the lecture 9, I’ve learned about Enterprise 2.0 adoption issues.

According to the lecture notes and an interview from Andrew McAfee, the adoption of Enterprises to use Web 2.0 has been disorganised and spotty. There are several reasons for this, and one of the most causes is that most large organisations are reluctant to give up the e-mail culture.

Moreover, Dion Hinchcliffe has found 14 reasons that why some Enterprise 2.0 initiatives don’t succeed.

I’ll briefly list them:

1. The E2 projects usually start in a single department
2. The needs of the strategy didn’t come first
3. The wrong tools have been selected
4. Not enough resources to adoption and training
5. Purely an IT initiative
6. Purely excludes IT
7. Engaging with some sensitive departments too soon
8. Pushing E2 as a generic toolbox
9. Lack executive champions
10. Lack participants
11. No long term plan
12. Push from top
13. Not waiting long enough

The adoption for an enterprise is always slow because business owners want to see the value immediately, especially the executives. However, the executives are the essential element to the success of adopting  Enterprise 2.0.

A comparison of how organisations apply Web 2.0 tools

THIS entry is a part of Week 5 activities.

Firstly, I’m going to discuss two professional camera companies: Canon & Nikon for their use of Web 2.0 tools.

Secondly, I’ll compare two rail companies which are Translink (Queensland, Australia) and National Rail Enquiries (UK).

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Part One:

Canon (Australia) and Nikon (Australia) are both the most famous professional camera companies in the world. They have a large number of consumers worldwide and the consumers (photographers) are often discussing the products through various fan web sites, fan blogs and relevant forums. But how about on their own official sites?

Firstly, I’ll list the tools (which I’ve founded) that they are currently using:

Canon

• EOS blog
• Facebook

Nikon

• Youtube
• Twitter
• Facebook

(Left: Canon EOS blos / Right: Nikon Australia Channel)

We can see that Canon is using  EOS blog for the customers, and their purpose is “we are constantly looking for new ways to improve our products and how we interact with our customers.” (Canon Australia Community, 2009).

Nikon doesn’t establish a blog, but they launch the Nikon Australia Channel on Youtube. It stores the product videos provided by Nikon, and allows the readers to comment and subscribe the videos.

I think Canon is more open than Nikon to the consumers, because Canon provides a platform to listen to consumers’ voice and their feedback about the products, while Nikon’s video channel on Youtube onloy allows the consumers to comment the product videos. Although consumers can still express their opinions about the products, it is difficult for other consumers who are wondering to know the views of the specific products.

However, there are so many non-official blogs of Canon and Nikon on the Internet, for instance Canon Bloggger and Nikon Camera Blog.

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Part Two:

(Left: Tranklink / Right: National Rail Enquiries)

National Rail Enquiries (NRE) is the definitive source of information for all passenger rail services on the National Rail network in the UK. Both of NRE and Translink are using Twitter for providing informatoin to the passengers.

• NRE is using Twitter
• Translink is using Twitter

In my view, the public transport services using the Web 2.0 tools are really helpful to the passengers, because the tools assist people to know the current status of traffics. The delivering speed is much quickly than the traditional mess media, and also faster than the radio, especially when accident or any unexpected vehicle failure occur.

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Reference

Canon Australia. (2009). About Canon Australia community. Retrieved August 30, 2009, from http://community.canon.com.au/about.aspx

Describing the thoughts on fulfilling Assessment 2

THE assessment 2 is open on Week 6, and this is my thoughts for the assessment 2:

• This assessment will be a really really tough task for me, because I’ve never written a proposal before. Moreover, this time we have to investigate a realy compnay.

• Our group has three members at the moment, and we are trying to pull one more mate.

• My group mates so far are all international students, because I reckon we may have less diversity of thoughts. So far we haven’t decided the company as our target.

Blogging Experience reflection

A half semester is gone! It is the 6th week of this semester, our lecturer Jason requires us to reflect the blogging experience thus far.

In the past, the only way people to express themselves were through the mass media, stood on the street to announce or just simply posted on a board. However, the outcomes might be limited and somehow difficult to achieve it. Now, people are using blogs, Wikis, social networks, video sharing, RSS, virtual worlds …etc Web 2.0 tools to brand themselves. It is much easier than before to brand ‘myself‘, ‘yourself‘ and ‘themselves‘ just in a few hours! Web 2.0  leads events to be broadcasted faster.

1. Practical ability to leverage off Web 2.0 to enhance personal branding

In my view, the featurers of blogging are exlf expression and sharing. Web 2.0 is a social computing, people express themselves and share their thoughts by Web 2.0 tools through the internet. One person’s thoughts can be sent or broadcasted to other sites.

I’m currently using several blogs (for different purposes), Twitter, Facebook and Google could services (e.g. Groups and notebook). As I mention that I’ve created several blogs, my purpose for that is to differentiate the readers. For instance one of my blogs is talking about my feeling of the relationship and this blog is only opened for my close friends; others are the fan sites to discuss my favorite Japanese bands with other fans, and my own personal blog which is open to…. you know, “normal friends”. This semester, I’ve created this blog on WordPress for the INN346 Enterprise 2.0.

I have to confess that I’m rarely using Twitter, I’ve explained it on my entry “Using Twitter” because I’m tired to explore my status and others’ status, if they are all telling crap. For example, everyone is just saying G’ day or G’ morning. Thank you for the manner, but does it show any value? However, I would still like to use it to follow information as long as the information is important to me.

I can say that Facebook is the one I’m really using eveyday. Initially I was not into Facebook because there are not so many people using it in my country. Since I’ve been in Australia, then I realise that it is a perfect platform to keep in touch with friends from different countries and indeed including Aussie. Frankly, Facebook is more interesting and has more functions. Sometimes I write some short sentences (more than 140 words) of my thoughts on FB, and upload my photography albums. The main reason is that there are over 100 friends on my list, and I reckon that there will be more people seeing my works. I’m choosing a place where more people would read to share and to brand myself.

Evidence

• Some of my personal blogs (in Chinese): aile, Floatin Feel

• Twitter: stanjuly

2. Manner & consistency of participation in weekly workshops and your contribution

I tend to post the things and my thoughts of the INN346 activities only on this blog.  As English is not my first language, I have to spend more time to research and to write my thoughts in English. This is not a good excuse but I do really feel the time is not enough to me. Our lecturer Jason suggests us to spend 12 hours peer week on this subject, however I think that if a native speaker has to spend 12 hours, I shall spend 15 hours or more! I throw my all effort  to accomplish the weekly tasks, nevertheless I just finish a few of them.  After the research, the numerous data seems to eat me, and that could be the most frustrating thing to me. However, I’ll still do my best because this subject is pretty useful in a wide variety of fields.

3. Ability to appraise Web 2.0 strategies & solutions for organisational and personal success

A lot of enterprises are utilising Web 2.0 for the strategies and solutions, and I think that the use of blogging can lead enterprises to the adapt the change of the world. Blogging for external use can be a channel between an organisation and customers. This is very important because people are willing to seek advice from the internet and other customers’ opinion. For the internal use, it is a platform to allow employees or teams to discuss and express thoughts. However, the criticism is noticeable because it may hurt the organisation’s reputation. Notwithstanding, the problems are likely to be happened even though the organisation doesn’t establish blogs. This is because of the nature of Web 2.0 which is delivered so rapidly. In contrast, if the organisation uses blogs properly, the negative comments will be seen, and organisation will be able to act and treat.

Building personal branding may be easier than enterprise branding via the internet, because the power of “share” makes the information broadcast rapidly. There are so many ways to be famous through Web 2.0, for instance exploring your privacy to appease the public, or film yourself then upload it to Youtube and embed it in Facebook or blogs. It doesn’t matter that to be ugly or pretty in the age of Web 2.0, and they can all be accepted.

Evidence

• See the news firstDell accidentally sells 140,000 monitors for $15 a pop

• See how a blogger describes the event: Dell TV monitors special pen, users do not go to sleep a lot

• Another case, see how Dell resolves a customer’s complaint via the community tool: Dell, no one to really solve the problems their customers

4. Ability to engage successfully with the wider community using Web 2.0, tools & techniques

I’ve recently chatted with friends who are in the different faculties such business, advertising and so on. We realise that the concept of Web 2.0 is used widely in many fields because everyone is trying to apply it in their business. Therefore, I recommend them to visit our community such as DigitalOrg.net to refer any information or knowledge they may need. I also discuss with my friend outside of QUT, and he is really keen on Web 2.0 tools. We like to share our findings and knowing, and comparing the tools then reveal it on our blogs.

5. Leadership via the ability to contribute to the structure and format of the workshop activities, and the smooth running of the online community.

To explain or to interpret the tasks more deeply on the community are important because for some of tasks may be not so clear, and students may go to the wrong tracks. Another point is that comment to other classmates’ blog entries regularly in order to enhance the interactivity.

Further examples of companies using Web 2.0

THIS entry is going to discuss further examples of companies using Web 2.0 principles in a significant way from lecture 3′s examples.

Initially, I was a bit worried to find companies which are using Web 2.0, especially for the 『English web-site’ as I’m an international student. I’m not familiar with the Australian companies which are using Web 2.0 and where to find them out. Therefore I think I shall look at some massive multinational, such as IBM, Sun and Cisco.

I’d like to list (as much as I can see) the Web 2 tools that these three companies are currently using on their official web-sites:

IBM (http://www.ibm.com/au/en/)

• del.icio.us
• digg
• IBM Syndicated Podcast feeds
• My developerWorks community

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Forums

• IBMer’s blogs

Sun Microsystems (http://au.sun.com/)

• Sun blogs
• Sun Forums
• Sun Wikis

Cisco Systems (http://www.cisco.com/)

• The platform (employees only blog)
• Cisco Support Wiki
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Flickr

More descriptions are as follows:

Using Twitter

FRANKLY, I had used Twitter long time ago, but it was somehow annoied and bored to tell everyone ‘what I am doing now’.
I forget my original Twitter account, so I create a new one: stanjuly.

The question now is ‘Is Twitter useful or a waste of time?‘
Well, as I mention at the first sentence, I was fad up with telling the world my status and my thought at the moment. It was very interesting and fresh at the beginning, and truely I cannot deny this. Also, I was not interested in knowing others’ status and actions (They are not my businese!! LOL).
Thus I would like to say that Twitter is just a waste of time to me.

However, Twitter has been using properly  in the recent months, and these events are much respectable than my tiny complaint. Twitter is no longer a social  tool, it becomes a rapid networking tool for helping communication in crises and disasters. It runs much quickly than the traditional media as well.

For instance, a number of immediate information and photographs were posted via Twitter when the US aircraft incident in January and the terror attacks in Mumbai, India.

In June 2009 Iran crisis, Twitter not only played a role of providing immediate news, but also a communications medium. (See Tehran Bureau)

Moreover, the super typhoon Morakot attacked Taiwan at 8 August 2009 which caused serious flood in the southern Taiwan. As the traffic failure in several area, it is difficult to know which places need assistance, food and equipment. Therefore many users utilise Twitter to provide information. (See Taiwanfloods)

Although both of Twitter and Plurk micro blogs can be used for providing immediate information rather than just web social, these platforms still have the risks such as system crash or fake information. Thus, Twitter and other related industories should only focus on the improvement of technical stuff, and the users/news providers should be responsible for their own opinion and entries.