I’ve never been particularly comfortable with the Web 2.0 label that seems to get applied to everything these days. It’s probably one of the most overused and misapplied marketing labels I’ve ever come across in my experience in the software industry. At least during the dot-com boom you knew what people were talking about – using the web to sell stuff to people¹.

What is the accepted definition of Web 2.0 anyway²? In a very real sense it’s a term that was coined by Tim O’Reilly to sell convention space. As he said in this article recently:

Web 2.0 started out as the name of a conference! And that name had a very specific purpose: to signify that the web was roaring back after the dot com bust! The 2.0 bit wasn’t about the technology, but about the resurgence of interest in the web.

And yet people insist on talking about being “Web 2.0″ and having “Web 2.0″ elements whether it’s some kind of social networking³ thingy, using a bit of AJAX for a more interactive browser experience or just having a fancy reflective logo and a nice colour scheme. I’m reminded of an old boss of mine who, back in the very early ‘90s, wanted to know if our product was “client-server”. He couldn’t define what he meant by that but it was obvious that he wanted to go out to customers and impress them with the fact that we supported the latest industry buzzwords⁴. The same is true with Web 2.0. People have heard of it so they feel that have be doing it… whatever “it” is.

The worst part about all of this is that the “2.0″ part of Web 2.0 is now being applied to other things like publishing, charity and something called Lunch 2.0 which I guess is some kind of networking thing⁵. Hell even movies are getting in on the act with Die Hard 4.0⁶ aping the theme. Does that mean there’s going to be a Die Hard 4.1? What’s that? The directors cut?⁷

Yesterday I saw one that really took the biscuit:  Firestorm 2.0

Now I know that this is referring to a collection of “social networking” sites where “user generated content” is being used to track the fires currently devastating parts of California but really! Stop 2.0! Enough Already 2.0!

There’s a lot of really cool stuff going on right now, some of which has changed the way we’ll use the web forever but the more I see this kind of thing the more I definitely think we’re in a bubble. It may be different to the dot-com one but it’s a bubble nonetheless and that is bringing the marketing bandwagon jumpers out of the woodwork. It gets worse when some people are now trying to define Web 3.0, sometimes in terms of their own product much to people’s dismay.

We may very well need a label to describe the period were going through in terms of the changes in how the Internet in general and the web in particular are being used. The name “Web 2.0″ may fill that role but can we stop using a non-specific inexact term in a very specific way?

– Fintan 1.0

Picture by dokmarius Some rights reserved.

Olvier Ansaldi beat me to the punch¹ on a small piece that appeared in this morning’s edition of the free Dublin newspaper Metro²:

Four in every five blogs on popular websites contain potentially offensive content, such as pornography, new research claims. Computer software firm ScanSafe, which commissioned the report [...]

You know, I’m really getting fed up of hearing about the latest impeding threat to our health/morality/gadget when it comes from someone who is trying to sell a solution to the threat to our health/morality/gadget especially when it’s based on research that they commissioned. A similar thing happened a few weeks ago in connection with a virus for the iPod. I mean, are people that stupid that they’d actually not realise that they’re being hoodwinked?³

I’m also fed up with the rag press who are more interested in selling sensationalism and their own agenda than selling facts. Mind you, this is nothing new. I’ve been reading Niall Ferguson’s excellent book on World War One, “The Pity of War” which has a section on the media’s behaviour in the build-up to 1914 and during the war itself. Lord Northcliffe, the Rupert Murdoch of his day, went so far as to declare in 1918 that:

I do not propose to use my newspapers and personal influence to support a new Government … unless I know definitely and in writing, and can consciously approve, the personal constitution of the Government.

Fox News how are ya?

One of the truly great things about the current wave in the tech industry⁴ is, as Darren Barefoot said at BarCamp yesterday, that the consumers are becoming the producers. Whether it’s editorial (blogs), radio (podcasts) or TV (videocasts), the tools that are available are lowering the barriers to entry to all sorts of media. Sure this is raising the noise part of the SNR but it also means that anyone with a message other than Buy My Product/Politician/Policy can also be heard.

Viva La Revolucion!

Oh and apparently 4 out of 5 blogs have offensive content so here’s some pron⁵:

Picture by Jagvar

Fwoahr!

– Fintan

BarCamp Dublin took place yesterday. It was my first BarCamp but certainly won’t be my last. It was a lot of fun and there was a great turnout. The venue in the Digital Exchange building, part of the Digital Hub in Dublin, was a good one but there were persistent internet connectivity problems throughout the day. The upside of that though was that there didn’t seem to be too many people spending all their time on Twitter¹ :-).

I had thought about writing an overview of each of the sessions I went to but there was just so much good stuff talked about that this post would have been far too long. Suffice to say that among the highlights was Conor Halpin’s talk about pricing models for SaaS, illustrated by his use of a straightjacket. He recommended a mixed model of subscription and per-usage charges. Darren Barefoot from Capulet had a session on social media marketing with some great tips on how to increase the audience for blogs and how to use bloggers for marketing products. Eoghan McCabe’s talk on web usability generated a great deal of audience discussion, surprisingly around a specific case: the way online banking sites ask for a customer’s PIN. Later Paul Campbell (pictured left), a member of the Ruby Ireland user group and along with Eoghan part of the new Patchwork team, gave a typically enthusiastic introduction to Rails, pulling off his first ever presentation really well.

After lunch there was a panel discussion on some general Web 2.0 issues with Tom Raftery, Sean O’Sullivan from Rococosoft who had earlier talked about Voice 2.0, Darren Barefoot and tech journalist Karlin Lillington. Among the questions the panel covered were how to make money from web 2.0 (advertising and a premium rate model like Flickr) and getting more readers for your blog (quality is more important than frequency; sincerity and originality is vital). There was also an interesting discussion on the recent death threats made to Kathy Sierra and the subsequent O’Reilly code of conduct kerfuffle. Darren Barefoot made an interesting observation about how the barrier of entry to fame has been lowered. The long tail effect is probably coming into play – it’s possible to become famous among a smaller niche group. Notoriety in any form tends to bring undesirable attention and that’s something that bloggers need to be aware of.

The final session I went to was a bit rushed unfortunately because previous sessions had overrun. There were also very few people at it which was a pity because Krishna De had some interesting things to say about using blogging to build buzz about your business. I look forward to being able to hear her speak again under better circumstances.

Afterwards it was down to the Lord Edward in Christchurch for a few free pints courtesy of Diageo. Overall the event was excellently organised, well supported by the various sponsors and attended by a group of interesting, passionate individuals. Hopefully next time internet connectivity will be sorted out.

– Fintan