Social Software and Web 2.0 Technology Trends

Citation

Schutte, M. (2009), "Social Software and Web 2.0 Technology Trends", Online Information Review, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 1206-1207. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520911011133

Web 2.0 tools and technologies have brought about important changes in the ability to collaborate and communicate across boundaries. Many of us make extensive use of these tools in our social and personal lives – to such a degree that we may want to incorporate them in our professional lives as well. Business leaders and managers who want to address this need may find all the options and alternatives confusing, which in turn makes it difficult to determine which tools and technologies are optimal for the business environment.

This informative volume succeeds in clarifying the business value of social software and Web 2.0 tools. It furthermore makes an important contribution to explain the possibilities, applications and the positive and negative impacts that need to be considered before deciding on suitable Web 2.0 tools and technologies. Therefore, readers from academic, business and educational backgrounds should find this a useful and illuminating read.

The ten chapters are organised in six sections. The first is Introduction to Social Software and Web 2.0, which equips the reader with knowledge to understand the relationship between concepts such as social networking, social software, Web 2.0 and collaboration. The second section, Business Applications of Web 2.0 Technologies, gives useful suggestions on how businesses could exploit Web 2.0 tools and technologies. One chapter focuses on applications in the retail industry and specifically discusses consumer‐generated content and how it influences the experiences and behaviour of customers. The next chapter suggests that – in the Web 2.0 context – the traditional marketing mix of product, pricing, promotion and placement need to be supplemented by a new p, namely participation. In this context, new marketing methods should be investigated. The third chapter in this section discusses the internal application of Web 2.0 and the significant impact these tools could have on organisational communication. This so‐called Enterprise 2.0 mind‐set presents many challenges and opportunities that are explored in this chapter.

Security and legal issues for the Enterprise 2.0 organisation. In this section the positive and negative impacts of Web 2.0 and in particular the legal and security vulnerabilities are surveyed. Issues such as privacy, intellectual property, security, fraud, e‐discovery, legal requirements and compliance standards are considered. Some of the recommendations include proactively protecting the data and selecting Web 2.0 tools wisely.

Virtual worlds. Many business and educational opportunities are made possible by virtual worlds. In this section, one chapter focuses on the features of Second Life and how politicians, businesses and educational institutions are utilising this technology. Further chapters look at how this environment has also brought about complex ethical concerns, particularly with regard to unethical behaviour and regulatory controls such as codes of conduct and service agreements to mitigate potential liability and risks.

Theoretical and educational perspectives on Web 2.0. Web 2.0 tools and technologies support new learning environments based on activity theory approaches, with a more collaborative and participatory nature. Both educational institutions and businesses need to be sensitive to the challenges and possibilities that could be the result of emerging learning styles and new ways of communication.

Glossary and Web 2.0 tutorial. The seven‐page glossary provides a concise description of the terminology associated with Web 2.0. The tutorial could be of value for those interested in understanding the practicalities of the various Web 2.0 tools and technologies. Blogs, podcasts, videocasts, wikis, virtual worlds, social networks, social bookmarks, social photo sharing, social tagging, mashups and video conferencing are each explained using the following outline:

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  Historical perspective.

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  Current trends.

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  Business applications.

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  Educational applications.

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  Hands‐on “how to” descriptions.

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  Future trends.

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  Additional relevant sources.