E-Commerce Week #8

Business Week Online

Web 2.0 in the Enterprise

Steve Hamm

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/globespotting/archives/2009/01/web_20_in_the_e_1.html?chan=technology_technology+index+page_internet

Web 2.0 has been an innovation that’s become very useful for many well-known companies around the world. P&G for example uses a wiki in it’s R&D, GM gets some feedback from its customers through a FastLane blog it uses, and Reebok even has it’s own virtual store on Second Life. Although many new things have been created through Web 2.0, the innovations haven’t even begun to reach their full capabilities and offerings. Something that’s widely used but hasn’t received much recognition may eventually make it as a technology on the mainstream.

A new technology called Mindjet which is an updated version of a once know MindManager, is used by groups of people to brainstorm new products, marketing plans, or business strategies, and people can create diagrams or relationships between ideas, or map out processes. The Mindjet products are sold in stores but usually are adopted by word of mouth. Originally, just people in companies used the product as a personal information manager and would collaborate with others through it. Now, about 1.5 million people use the software and 35,000 of those people started using it after they heard it through word of mouth. Although large companies are already using the software, the new version that was just released in November is likely to attract many more users.

It seems that many Web 2.0 software are things that only people with a lot of time on their hands could use, but unlike most things, this Mindjet software is something that could add value to Web 2.0 if it’s eventually adopted. What I learned is that there are so many new applications and software with Web 2.0 that people don’t even know about, and they are only going to be expanded upon. Eventually, there will be so many applications that anything is possible, but that doesn’t mean that all applications will serve any true value to its users.