Collaboration Technologies Conference

I’m at the Collaboration Technologies Conference in Boston this week listening to people talk about Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, 2.0, and generally how blogging and wikis should and will change the enterprise. Call me a skeptic, but so far I haven’t heard too many speakers that appear to understand the reality that is the corporate enterprise today. However, as usual, the questions from the audience are pretty good.

Mashup is definitely the vogue term these days, and of course if you are not using the term in the context of SOA then you don’t know what you are talking about.

The reality is that, yes, indeed the world and economy is changing and business must adapt to survive and thrive in this new world. It is also true that technology will play a big role in that transformation, but I don’t believe technology is the real obstacle to change here. It’s culture, compliance, governance, HR policies, politics, networks, a 1.0 workforce, and a bunch of other reasons.

Very nice talk given by Linda Stone, formerly of Microsoft, who really alluded to a coming backlash against the “always on” world where people are “live nodes” on the network. Her term is “continuous partial attention” which I think accurately describes the world most of us knowledge workers live in.

More later.

Has the Internet really changed things?

Here is a prime example of how the Internet is being used creatively to change convention and empower people. If you haven’t heard of Brave New Films, they have already released a few engaging films, and their latest, Iraq for Sale is being made in part from contributions of people contributing via the Internet. They raised over 200k in 8 days to exceed their goal and are proceeding to deliver a film which will reveal how people and companies are reaping insane profits and benefiting from the war and chaos in Iraq.

Every person who donates $50 or more will get their name in the credits. Not only a fun incentive, but pretty powerful statement at the end of your movie to show tons of names sybolizing endorsement of the film.