Meeting up in Web 2.0: One Online Business Edge

Filed in archive home business software on October 4, 2007

The paradigm of Web 2.0 simply talks about how integrated and collaborative the World Wide Web is. In the past, websites were there merely to talk about things, educate people, and provide information. Now, the education is a two, three, even multi-way process, and technology has advanced well enough for people to meet online to do simple things such as sharing stories or interests; as well as complex things, such as meeting on issues and coordinating the contents of a report.

Online Collaboration Tools

Today, the Internet supports services that are distributed to a wide range of people in order to give them the chance to collaborate. At the simplest, chat programs and messaging services, which are often free, are designed to accommodate large chat sessions for tens, even hundreds of people. Voice-Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP, is also advancing in order to meet teleconferencing needs. In fact, teleconferencing, along with requisite web cameras, is advancing fast in the field of online education.

The Web 2.0 mechanism also provides its own feedback and clean-up mechanism. In this model of a highly interactive Internet, services such as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia provide a venue for experts to document their knowledge, as well as forums in order to clean up entries and ensure the accuracy of their contents. There are also more forums now, where people can share their opinions and correct each other's facts in real time.

Web 2.0 on its own has many advantages to offer freelancers - writers, pundits, and designers, among others. However, there are rules and regulations that should be followed as this paradigm - which can be appropriately called Collaboration 2.0 - persists online. Specifically, Collaboration 2.0 consists of holding online meetings and managing people electronically.

Collaboration, in other words, is more globalization through the online medium, and support through security, compliance with regulations, and a transfer of the corporate culture online. If you are engaged in Collaboration 2.0 for the growth of your online business, you have a host of online meeting tools at your feet; you only need to ensure that your participants know their manners and their equipment.

Manners, People

Manners are easy to come by if you are dealing with people who are used to meetings and are familiar with meeting etiquette. Online, this means no shouting (which is signified by all capital letter when chatting), no flaming or defamatory language, and no spamming or introduction of out-of-topic subjects especially for the purpose of advertisement. Also critical is equipment, so if you are using collaboration tools, make sure that all your participants know how to use the software. You might also need a moderator on standby to do troubleshooting so that software glitches do not interfere with your ability to conduct your meeting.