Friday 20 July 2012

Web 2.0 and Social Media, An Introduction


Web 2.0 represents the World Wide Web at a new level of development. It is everything the web has brought us with a lot more extra benefits. The web brought us information to our very own door steps, now web 2.0 adds a new dimension to the whole idea by enabling us to be the sources or the makers of the information. With web 2.0, it is no longer a matter of simply receiving information; it is about becoming a part of the informants ourselves.

In our daily lives, web 2.0 tools can be used to connect and collaborate with our intended target audience. This can therefore be a solution for many problems faced by organisations. Web 2.0 tools provide an easy communication platform that can be used by anyone to create, find and share whatever content they may need to share with the rest of the world. So in a nutshell, web 2.0 makes the World Wide Web, any mans’ platform. Anyone with basic knowledge of computer use is now able to not only get information from the internet, but also add information to the World Wide Web, or as it’s now called, the “cloud”.

The basic uses of web 2.0 tools, also known as Social Media tools, are as follows;

  1. To connect with people through social media networks,
  2. To collaborate with people in accomplishing a task,
  3. To create and share whatever material or content one may want to share, and
  4. To find, use, organise and reuse content other people’s content if allowed.

In an organisation, this simply means increased efficiency and collaboration. Because people can now work together even over long distances or across international borders using various web 2.0 tools. Various tools such as Groupware tools, Social Networking tools, are all examples of web 2.0 tools or social media tools that can help individuals and organisations to connect, communicate, work and collaborate more effectively and efficiently than before.

As with all things, social media tools must be used with caution as they do present a number of issues to watch out for. Privacy, copyright, and intellectual property concerns are all topics of concern when it comes to anything you may share using social media tools. So while these tools present an effective way of working, caution should always be taken while using some of the web 2.0 tools.

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