I have read some good posts recently by a small number of cutting-edge bloggers who have raised interesting questions over the explosion web of 2.0 technology and its impact on our lives and profession.
What Ian Delaney, Drew B and Tom Murphy are asking us to do is add a dash of reason to our work and lives before we lose ourselves right up the back end of the web 2.0 miracle.
So, in order of reading:
Ian Delaney asks how web 2.0 fits into the academic model of Post-Modernism and more imprtantly does it matter? Ian’s post draws comparisons between Post-Modernism and web 2.0 and examines the whether web 2.0 technology is affecting us technologically in the same way society, culture and politics have been affected and demonstably changed by the ideologies of Post-Modernis. Ian concludes by asking if this matters or not. I say, "Yes." but either way it is really good stuff.
Then I read Drew B asking readers whether their media consumption has been significantly altered by RSS feeds. Robert Scoble reported that he has all but ditched ‘dead tree media’ and now gets his news via RSS. Drew says that while RSS feeds now add to his media consumption he and his clients still usually take their lead from ‘dead tree media’. He wants your views on the subject.
And last but not least, Tom Murphy, (always a voice of reason) tells us that while lots of people and businesses are getting excited by social sites like Second Life he simply doesn’t have the time to get involved. He writes:
In my opinion, the one thing that is for certain, is that consumers are developing increasingly advanced filters. These filters will ensure that only relevant, interesting information that’s delivered when and where they want it, will be received and processed.
As the noise grows and the media fragments the challenge of reaching individuals will become a more complex proposition.
Tom says that he is a sucker for a new development but cautions that not all cutting-edge products will be successful or stick around.
Tom is right. There are so many new tools coming out as Beta projects that I find I don’t just have the time to keep up. I find what I like and stick to that. Of course I will change or upgrade when I see clear benefits but with clients clamouring for catch-all social media solutions we need to make sure we are regularly grounding ourselves in reality by asking the question: ‘Will this work?’.