Web 2.0 can be a valuable business tool. I will explain how you can make use of it to help your business. I will give an example where a company make use of Web 2.0 in their customer support.
Typically customer support spend 70% of their time solving customer elementary issues. The interesting thing is that 70% of these customers faced similar problems. Using traditional email and telephones calls may not as effective; it is a one to one mode. FAQ on the website takes time to edit and posted on the web.
The strategy is having a team of "champion" bloggers to run a cluster of blogs. These contributors mission is to answer questions posed by users. Other users can also take part by contributing their answers. The advantage is that users with similar problem can get the solutions from the blogs. Also these champion bloggers can also blog about their experiences.
Companies can rewards these champion bloggers (those not employed by the company) by giving them discounts to use their services or products. The key is to retain these contributors by giving them recognition.
I stumbled a site call www.scienceblogs.com. Most of the contents are contributed by their champion bloggers who are knowledge experts in their own rights. To retain them is to give them the recognition. This give them the elite status, it's part of social behaviour.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Web 2.0 - Educational Response
I just stumbled on a online forum on Web 2.0 ( I have provided the link below so that you can take a look later). One of the interesting topic that strike me regarding Educational Response to Web 2.0 (decided to use the same title).
We have grown up attending school, colleges and universities. Through out our education life cycle, there is always teachers or lecturers to explain the concept written in recommended text book (printed). The answers that you provide in the examination script has to be based on the recommended text. The printed text books are "certified" correct by the educational institutions. Is the Wikipedia challenging the traditional way of how we learn or complement our educational process. We do not have the answer now, we need to examine how Wikipedia control the information, is there a way to authenticate the information? Who is responsible for the accuracy of the information. Do we feel more confortable with our recommended printed encyclopedia (now come in digital format as well)?
The Web presents today’s students with a wide range of texts of doubtful or unestablished authenticity; text and contents that we do not have away to authenticate its reliability and accuracy. Do we know how to differentiate the truth from the myth?
On the other hand, can we take it for granted that printed material are reliable source of information. Are all the printed books checked for facts and objectivity? Who is the authority?
I would like say that Internet and Web 2.0 provides the platform for communication and sharing of views and ideas of peoples or organization that provide them. Just like printed books, there is no easy way to verified the information in them. We cannot say that Internet is bad but to argue on how the information is delivered. The problem is not with the Internet.
Follow this link to read more.
(http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/06/jabberwiki-the-educational-response-part-i/)
We have grown up attending school, colleges and universities. Through out our education life cycle, there is always teachers or lecturers to explain the concept written in recommended text book (printed). The answers that you provide in the examination script has to be based on the recommended text. The printed text books are "certified" correct by the educational institutions. Is the Wikipedia challenging the traditional way of how we learn or complement our educational process. We do not have the answer now, we need to examine how Wikipedia control the information, is there a way to authenticate the information? Who is responsible for the accuracy of the information. Do we feel more confortable with our recommended printed encyclopedia (now come in digital format as well)?
The Web presents today’s students with a wide range of texts of doubtful or unestablished authenticity; text and contents that we do not have away to authenticate its reliability and accuracy. Do we know how to differentiate the truth from the myth?
On the other hand, can we take it for granted that printed material are reliable source of information. Are all the printed books checked for facts and objectivity? Who is the authority?
I would like say that Internet and Web 2.0 provides the platform for communication and sharing of views and ideas of peoples or organization that provide them. Just like printed books, there is no easy way to verified the information in them. We cannot say that Internet is bad but to argue on how the information is delivered. The problem is not with the Internet.
Follow this link to read more.
(http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/06/jabberwiki-the-educational-response-part-i/)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Web 2.0 for Business?
Web 2.0 as I have explained earlier as a new way of using the web. Social networking software like Blogs, Wiki, Tagging are applications classify as Web 2.0.
Some examples are Facebook, Myspace, Squidoo, Wikipedia, Blogger etc. These applications focus on collaboration, communication and networking. These applications provides a platform where users can share informaiton as well as collaborate to create new information like the case of Wikipedia.
One would be very concern about the accuracy of the information posted and peer review is the key to correct any inaccuracy. But we cannot be certain if this due process works well and the result is yet to be seen in the years to come.
We are in the phase of Information Explosion; some much information to digest and all over the place. Mashup is a new technology in the making that aims to combine information from different sources into a integrated tool.
The burning question: Is Web 2.0 ready for business?. One has to be mindful and pay attention to security and confidential issue when Web 2.0 platform is to be implemented in the enterprise. I believe that it is a very useful platform for communication within the enterprise.
We will soon see the shift from open social networks to closed social networks where sensitive information needs to be properly regulated. Members of the networks are invited and contribute contents to the networks.
New business opportunities will emerge to cater for the needs of the members. There will be a shift from free to paying membership as information are now systematically reviewed and corrected from any error.
Some examples are Facebook, Myspace, Squidoo, Wikipedia, Blogger etc. These applications focus on collaboration, communication and networking. These applications provides a platform where users can share informaiton as well as collaborate to create new information like the case of Wikipedia.
One would be very concern about the accuracy of the information posted and peer review is the key to correct any inaccuracy. But we cannot be certain if this due process works well and the result is yet to be seen in the years to come.
We are in the phase of Information Explosion; some much information to digest and all over the place. Mashup is a new technology in the making that aims to combine information from different sources into a integrated tool.
The burning question: Is Web 2.0 ready for business?. One has to be mindful and pay attention to security and confidential issue when Web 2.0 platform is to be implemented in the enterprise. I believe that it is a very useful platform for communication within the enterprise.
We will soon see the shift from open social networks to closed social networks where sensitive information needs to be properly regulated. Members of the networks are invited and contribute contents to the networks.
New business opportunities will emerge to cater for the needs of the members. There will be a shift from free to paying membership as information are now systematically reviewed and corrected from any error.
Monday, October 15, 2007
What is XML?
This is the most common question I received after my seminar. The first and most important point about XML is that it's not a language itself. It's a structure that intend to describe data and to be more exact to describe volcabulary. It consists of tags which are enclosed by a pair of angle brackets. The choice of tag names and structures is flexible. Example "<name>" is a tag.
- XML is not a language, its rules are used to construct other languages. HTML is a web page mark up language based on XML.
- XML used tags to mark-up content
- XML is based on SGML.
Now what is SGML? Before XML there was a standard created for mark-up language called Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). It is so comphrensive that it is very difficult to use so XML was created to address specific needs.
- XML is not a language, its rules are used to construct other languages. HTML is a web page mark up language based on XML.
- XML used tags to mark-up content
- XML is based on SGML.
Now what is SGML? Before XML there was a standard created for mark-up language called Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). It is so comphrensive that it is very difficult to use so XML was created to address specific needs.
Monday, January 8, 2007
What is Web 2.0?
Initially I was confused too. I thought that Web is implemented using many standards and technologies and each one has its own version. I decided to do some research...
I come a cross an interesting article that provide my initial insight into this matter.(Follow this link: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html)
In the nutshell, Web 2.0 is about a new way of using Web. So it is a concept of Web applications where users are now able to contribute to the contents of the website. Should I still call it portal? Perhaps not because portal is about a central point, from there you can get to the place that you want.
Blog is one application of Web 2.0. Everyone is offered a space on the web site, example www.blogger.com, to put up the contents for any one to see or comment. The contents are open to the public or for invited people only. It is about harnessing collective intelligence as quoted in the article by O'Reilly. Never before can information and views be made available so easily and free.
Wikipedia is another example. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is based on the unlikely notion that an entry can be added by any web user, and edited by any other, is a radical experiment in trust.
There is a downside to this, how about the integrity of the information. Who is responsible for the accuracy of the information?
I come a cross an interesting article that provide my initial insight into this matter.(Follow this link: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html)
In the nutshell, Web 2.0 is about a new way of using Web. So it is a concept of Web applications where users are now able to contribute to the contents of the website. Should I still call it portal? Perhaps not because portal is about a central point, from there you can get to the place that you want.
Blog is one application of Web 2.0. Everyone is offered a space on the web site, example www.blogger.com, to put up the contents for any one to see or comment. The contents are open to the public or for invited people only. It is about harnessing collective intelligence as quoted in the article by O'Reilly. Never before can information and views be made available so easily and free.
Wikipedia is another example. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is based on the unlikely notion that an entry can be added by any web user, and edited by any other, is a radical experiment in trust.
There is a downside to this, how about the integrity of the information. Who is responsible for the accuracy of the information?
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Is Ajax and Web Services the same thing?
First I will explain what is AJAX. AJAX stands for Asynchronous Javascript and XML. It is a technique used to update a certain section of a web page without refreshing or reloading the whole page. Why we need to do that? For example, you have a web page which has a news column which display a few lines of news snippets. A “more” button is provided to fetch more information from the server. Without using AJAX, server will response with the whole page of information including those that are not change. The browser will have to reconstruct the whole page again; including the background images, menu, icons etc. This method takes longer time than just updating the section of the page that change, AJAX is used here. You can say that the server is providing a service (news feeding service) and since it is on the web then it is a web service. In strict technical term it is not. Why not?
Web Services strictly speaking is a term used to describe a set of standards that enable one computer to access a set of services or objects on another computers using Internet based network standards. One of the standards is the Object Access Protocol, refer to as SOAP. This standard is used to enable the requesting computer to set up a message which consists of methods and attributes. This is refer to as API (Application Programming Interface). This API can be decribed using a language syntax standard called Web Services Description Language (WSDL). And this information plus other information about the service can be publish to a depository using another standard call UDDI (Universal Discription, Discovery and Integration).
Web Services can be used for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) or over open Internet environment. It is not restricted on a web application server. Unlike AJAX, Web Services can be used at the server back-end application to access to services provided by other servers in a loosely coupled manner. On the other hand, AJAX focus on the browser and server communications only.
In summary they are not the same.
Andy Tan
Web Services strictly speaking is a term used to describe a set of standards that enable one computer to access a set of services or objects on another computers using Internet based network standards. One of the standards is the Object Access Protocol, refer to as SOAP. This standard is used to enable the requesting computer to set up a message which consists of methods and attributes. This is refer to as API (Application Programming Interface). This API can be decribed using a language syntax standard called Web Services Description Language (WSDL). And this information plus other information about the service can be publish to a depository using another standard call UDDI (Universal Discription, Discovery and Integration).
Web Services can be used for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) or over open Internet environment. It is not restricted on a web application server. Unlike AJAX, Web Services can be used at the server back-end application to access to services provided by other servers in a loosely coupled manner. On the other hand, AJAX focus on the browser and server communications only.
In summary they are not the same.
Andy Tan
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