Where 2.0?

Brad recently presented on tailoring intranet content for Web 2.0 and had earlier also asked me:

"Is it the tools that create the demand or do the tools support the demand/need that already exists? I know organisational context is critical but I reckon it's important to start with the people first, not the technology."

Good question, Brad.

My personal take on this, if you are trying facilitate innovation around Web 2.0 inside the firewall, is that it depends... ;-)

Brad starts to hint at this in terms of the issues management might want to consider around why, who and how Web 2.0 will be used internally. However, the technology dimension is as important because:

• Employee's experience of technology outside the firewall can drive their expectations or shape their requirements;
• If employees haven't ever experienced Web 2.0 or don't understand yet how Web 2.0 can be applied inside an organisation, then they may need to see real examples of how it can be applied.

This last point is even more important with user driven technologies, like Web 2.0, because we can't plan and design everything in advance - instead we have to convince management to put the foundations in place and then let the solution emerge.

I'm presenting next week on Intranet 2.0 and will upload some slides soon after that will describe some more of my thoughts in this space.

BTW In the meantime for those with an interest in content, Brad also points to a nice post covering the key elements of "Web 2.0 content management".

Technorati tags: Brad Hinton, Enterprise 2.0, Enterprise Web 2.0, Intranet 2.0