Today’s Wall Street Journal article The Jig Is Up . . . So What’s Next? Is designed to introduce the concept of Web 2.0 to the business community. It reinforces much of what we’ve been saying for years, that there are some fundamental architectural changes that have come to the Web, and business had better start paying attention. The shape of a second-generation Internet is emerging says writer Don Tapscott — and blogs are a key part of it.
Tapscott writes that some “are now treating the latest buzz as mere hype” and I have seen this first hand. Personal experience has shown me that many (most?) businesses who could and should be blogging have key players who are fearful, apprehensive and are hoping the whole blog thing will just go away. As Tapscott says about the current Web naysayers “They’re making a profound mistake”.
According to the piece, collaboration is at the center of this shift to a more powerful Web: “From multi-user games, blogs and photo-sharing sites to new designs for innovating and manufacturing, people and firms are using the emerging capabilities of the Web to collaborate in new ways, and new businesses are springing up to help them.”
The enabling technologies are:
* Internet-connected mobile devices
* The proliferation of broadband connections
* The rise of collaborative software
* Increasing penetration of Internet-connected computer power into everyday objects
The result is:
* Users are no longer “manacled” to PCs.
* New combinations of software are being created by small nimble companies.
* It’s inevitable that software as a service will replace the shrink wrapped monolithic software model.
From my blog-centric view, it’s clear to me that inexpensive database-driven sites that broadcast RSS feeds will almost completely replace HTML web pages in the next few years, and high-end content management systems are threatened as well. Most CEOs and IT managers we’ve talked to are not eager to hear that their Web sites will soon be dead…
The next few years will certainly be interesting.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Domiziano Galia 11.22.05 at 12:09 pm
You see, I really no longer use links, just the time to find the feed and putting it into the reader.
Through this then I reach the blog, news or whatever it is.
It’ funny to think that you could create and manage the blog and then publish only just the feed, sort of an invisible blog.
By the way, did you know that also south pole has feeds? http://www.70south.com/tools/70southrss.xml
-b- 11.22.05 at 2:27 pm
I can see that. NOAA has RSS as well, I use it to check local weather, ad free!
Jay 03.28.06 at 10:00 pm
Hmmmm, interesting but I’ve been selling pet food online for a while now at http://www.bestfood4mypet.com and it’s not as bad as all that. Our products all include shipping and they are much better than the mass produced foods that you find in supermarkets and even pet food stores. Come take a look!
-b- 03.29.06 at 7:13 am
And each one of those bags could use a Clip-n-Seal!