Question:
What is the difference between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0?
Answer:
These are both relatively non-specific Internet buzzwords. Generally, however, Web 2.0 refers to the evolution of the Web in two areas:
- User-generated content and networking (wikis, podcasts, blogs, social networking, mini-blogs, second life, etc.)
- Improvements in how the Web exchanges and shares (Web services, really simple syndication (RSS), rich Internet applications such as AJAX, mash-up sites)
Web 3.0 refers to the semantic Web—a future wave in Internet innovation where intelligent software agents read and "understand" Web pages and pictures to interpret what is on a website and predict what you are looking for or need based on past experiences. This is the brainchild of Tim Berners Lee, the original creator of Web 1.0.
Question:
Still unclear what a wiki is. How does it differ from a blog, static web page, search engine, etc.?
Answer:
A wiki is a collaborative website. A blog is an online journal (typically with dated entries). A podcast ins an on-demand Internet video or audio program that can be played on your computer or MP3 player. A static Web page consists of text and pictures with no interactivity (ability to sort data, make comments, etc.). A search engine is a website (such as www.google.com) to find content on the Web.
Question:
So how does Web 2.0 play into all of this? Can you set up blogs, podcasts, social networks, etc., with Web 2.0?
Answer:
Web 2.0 is a term that encompasses all of this. The key ingredient is user-generated content.
Question:
The government, in my case, requires closed captioning for the hearing-impaired. Do you have any solutions for providing real-time CC for Web-enabled meetings/webinars?
Answer:
Adobe Acrobat Connect can do this using a captioning service.
Question:
What percentage of corporations are using these technologies, and which technologies are they using?
Answer:
Corporations are all over the place on this. This is disruptive technology, and top-down "old-think" is still widely entrenched. It also depends on what type of Web 2.0 technology is being used.
Below is a recent survey of meeting professionals conducted by DMAI (Destination Marketing Association International):
Meeting Planners' Use of Web 2.0 Technology Still In Early Adoption Phase
The meeting industry is on the way to adopting new Web technology, as this recent Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) survey with responses from more than 500 meeting planners, reveals:
DMAI's Destination Showcase Survey of Meeting Professionals' Use of Technology
|
| Technology |
Use Frequently (3 Points) |
Use Occasionally (2 points) |
Don't Use Yet, But Interested (1 Point) |
No Interest (0 Point) |
Total Score |
| Webinars |
14% |
44% |
27% |
15% |
868 |
| Text Messaging |
14% |
20% |
20% |
45% |
569 |
| Wikis |
8% |
23% |
32% |
36% |
568 |
| Social Networking (e.g. Facebook, MySpace) |
13% |
19% |
26% |
42% |
567 |
| Blogs |
6% |
21% |
34% |
40% |
507 |
| Podcasts |
6% |
16% |
41% |
37% |
496 |
| RSS Readers/Feeds |
5% |
16% |
36% |
42% |
466 |
| Virtual Spaces (e.g. SecondLife) |
3% |
10% |
31% |
55% |
337 |
Question:
Are you seeing more people using online meetings that have a camera on the speaker streamlined live on the broadcast?
Answer:
This is available for webconferencing, but not as widely used as the standard webconference without video. The extra-bandwidth for video makes it difficult to reach the broadest audience. Additionally, the video info (typically a talking head) may not provide a huge amount of extra info. However, this is changing as more people are getting more-reliable and faster broadband. Also, videoconferencing is increasing in usage as well.
Question:
What other applications, like Skype, do you recommend for live videoconferencing for free?
Answer:
There are several. Skype is good. My favorite free videoconference tool is SightSpeed (www.sightspeed.com).
Question:
I would like to get more "tech savvy," but have limited time to really get involved. Can you recommend one element of Web 2.0 (e.g., Facebook, SecondLife) as a really good jumping off point? There are so many options, but I'm not sure what is most widely used, easiest to learn and/or has the most potential for widespread use in the near future.
Answer:
There are many jumping off points, as Web 2.0 covers such a wide range of tools. To start with, read the article on Web 2.0 at my website…In terms of social/business networking sites, Facebook (www.facebook.com), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) and Plaxo (www.plaxo.com) are the most widely used for business. Take a look at Twitter (www.twitter.com) if you want to use your phone to do this.
Question:
What about QR codes used for trade shows with mobile devices? Any thoughts?
Answer:
Essentially QR codes are 2D barcodes designed for mobile phone cameras; there are several types of these mobile-tagging codes. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_codes for more info.) A principal use will be to direct mobile Web browsers (i.e., the iPhone) to websites by taking a picture of this "barcode." These could be used for other applications (potentially lead retrieval) as well. I think these have great potential especially for the interim period before we standardize on something like Near Field Communication (NFC), which ultimately would be the simplest solution.
Question:
Are mobile alerts a usable option for meetings?
Answer:
There are providers that do this, including proprietary devices (such as SpotMe, www.spotme.com, and nTAG www.ntag.com) and those using mobile devices (such as VisionTree, www.visiontree.com). There are also a plethora of mobile phone networking tools such as Twitter (www.twitter.com) that could conceivably be used for this.
One caution about group text announcements—do you really want everyone's phone to be beeping nearly simultaneously during a meeting?
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