Week One: General Musings about Web 2.0

From reading some of the introductory articles about Web 2.0, and thinking about experiences I’ve had so far with some of this emerging technology, I have an overall positive feeling about what it can contribute to the information world. One aspect I’d like to point out is that information seems to be becoming open to more people.  In effect, it is less pretentious; there is becoming a less defined boundary between the traditional keepers and distributors of information such as librarians, and the average information seekers.

Of course, as wonderful as this may seem, it also raises the nagging question of authority, as Nicholas Carr strongly argued. But the fact remains that social software seems to be only getting stronger and more popular, and this points to the sign that people are finding it useful in their everyday lives and won’t be giving it up anytime soon.  This is especially seen when thinking about how these tools are even stepping into the workplace, such as with emerging organizational blogs and wikis.  I think people are making the realization that social software is effective primarily because it is fast and immediate. If computers are becoming centre-place in many occupations, then any sort of tool that facilitates communication between employees would naturally help make the workflow more efficient and convenient.

Another benefit I can see about Web 2.0 is the interactivity that allows for networking, although it can be somewhat superficial.  People can connect with business contacts and have the potential to develop new ones through online social networks, which could be beneficial to all.  Even those who normally wouldn’t consider themselves the “business type” could find advantages to this sort of thing, because essentially it is bringing together like-minded people who share the same interests and providing them an outlet for discussion.  As such, social software can foster community-building, and as Matthew Dames pointed out, librarians know this area better than anyone!