Defining 2.0

Terms To Know
It’s easier to show than tell, so here’s a quick rundown of nine 2.0 terms along with a representative link.
1. Blogs: Interactive online journal or commentary on one or many topics (see http://forums.industryweek.com).
2. Collective intelligence: any system that attempts to tap the expertise of a group. Examples include Dell’s Idea storm “crowd sourcing project” and the research connection site www.yourencore.com.
3. Mashups: aggregations of content from different online sources to create a new application or service. See a Google map mashup of the IW Best Plants 2006 winners at www.industryweek.com/iwbestplantsmashup.
4. Podcasts: audio or video recordings available over the Internet, such as the IFS Radio Network, available at http://ifsradionetwork.na.ifsworld.com.
5. RS (Really Simple Syndication): a method of pushing internet content to subscribers. Subscribe to the IW RS news feed for up-to-the-minute manufacturing information at www.industryweek.com/rss.
6. Social networking: online communities that allow members to learn about each others’ skills, talents, knowledge, etc. Some companies use internal systems to help identify experts, or use external networks, such as www.LinkedIn.com for recruiting.
7. Web services: systems that automatically communicate to pass information or conduct transactions over the Internet, such as online inventory updates or the free Goggle Apps software-as-a-service office suite.
8. Web widgets: scripted online tools that present an easily accessible way of viewing and performing independent tasks on one Web page (visit www.pageflakes.com).
9. Wikis: systems that allow users to add and edit content for collaborative publishing. Visit www.socialtext.com/ wikinomics to view the continually evolving last chapter of this bestselling book.