30 mars 2008
The Impact of Web 2.0 and Emerging Social Network Models
The term Web 2.0 describes a new generation of websites allowing users to share content and create networks in online public forums. To kick off the session, Moderator Peter Schwartz, Chairman, Global Business Network, USA, asked Chad Hurley, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, YouTube, USA, for his definition. "Web 2.0 is an overused buzzword, but there is in fact a movement to leverage the power of people and community," Hurley replied. His online video-sharing service grew out of the frustration that he and his partner experienced with exchanging and distributing their own videos.
Caterina Fake, Founder, Flickr, USA, called Web 2.0 "a return to the roots of the Web. What was exciting in 1995-96 was that everyone was publishing. But we all had to be power users and learn html (a website design program). We got distracted by the dot.com and e-commerce wave, but now with more people online and with more access to broadband, we are getting back to the roots."
"I am happy to hear that the Internet is finally going back to the people," said Viviane Reding, Commissioner, Information Society and Media, European Commission, Brussels. "My principle is: keep the hands of the government off the Internet."
Mark G. Parker, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nike, USA, described an interactive element of his company’s website that allows customers to design their own shoes. "People are making sneakers, creating a customized product," he said. "These new developments on the Web are enabling a fundamental shift in power to the consumer."
William H. Gates III, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, USA, mentioned developments on the near horizon:
- Television programming on demand via the Internet: "TV is still broadcast," he said. "As you get the TV to the Internet, you can see what you want when you want."
- High-quality three-dimensional content
- A viable micro-payments system
- A digital rights model to protect content producers: "Because there is no digital rights model, content creators are hesitant to dive in," Gates said.
Reding also picked up on the digital copyrights issue. "All of the rules are for old media," she said. "We must have a new model for IPR [intellectual property rights] and content production."
Schwartz and Challenger Dennis Kneale, Managing Editor, Forbes Magazine, USA, asked the panellists to examine what, if anything, these new technologies mean for business and society. "We are changing the world because everybody has a voice," reported Hurley. Gates noted that, "These are tools of empowerment. They are not changing society but we’re letting people express themselves." He did, however, add that "there is incredible promise in the areas that most interest me, education and healthcare."
On the business side, Parker warned companies to not ignore Web 2.0. "If you don’t embrace this you are at risk," he said. "I think it could be deadly."
If today is the age of Web 2.0, that leaves an obvious question about the future: will there be a Web 3.0? "If the next buzzword is Web 3.0, I think we have a lack of creativity in buzzwords," quipped Gates. "But as we get 3D and speech, and as we decide that things like textbooks do not have to be on paper, we’ll have enough developments in the next 10 years for four new buzzwords," he said.
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