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Does Web 2.0 Suck?

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Michael thinks web 2.0 sucks.  Actually, he doesn’t, he’s the biggest user of new technologies I know.  But enterprise users have been slow to adopt the technology.  I talked about capturing collaboration networks in HR using web 2.0 technologies, but take a look at Sean Rehder’s excellent rebuttal in the comments section.

There are good reasons HR is having a hard time with web 2.0.  Some of the easy things will be ajax in our ESS and MSS sites to provide a bit more immediate user satisfaction.  But when it comes to blogs and wikis, those are currently the domain of product development and R&D – really the only places where web 2.0 has taken off within the enterprise.  They need spaces where they can share and record knowledge, where writing about their software code edits can be edited on-line by other people.

So if my idea of collaboration networks using tagging didn’t pan out, how about utilizing wikis in learning and knowledge management?  We have these huge LCMS (learning content management systems) that are constantly updated.  Content is constantly being revised, updated, outdated, and the current tools out there are not as flexible.  Granted, I don’t know how to engineer a wiki into an LCMS so it would make sense, but perhaps someone out there has an idea.

Don’t get me wrong – I think we all love web 2.0.  We just don’t know how to apply it to HR.

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10 responses to “Does Web 2.0 Suck?”

  1. Does Web 2.0 Suck? There are good reasons HR is having a hard time with web 2.0. Some of the easy things will be ajax in our ESS and MSS sites to provide a bit more immediate user satisfaction. But when it comes to blogs and wikis, those are currently the … [

  2. […] talks about why Web 2.0 sucks, and Dubs wonders how to apply Web 2.0 to HR. Maybe I’m jaded but most enetrprises haven’t yet figured out how to apply Web 1.0 to […]

  3. Michael Specht Avatar

    First up I’m glad you clarified the first sentence!

    I think the issue is we should not apply Web 2.0 to HR, instead we need to apply it to the organisation. But we need to look for innovation in the application of Web 2.0 not just solving a problem.

  4. Prashanth Avatar

    SAP has implemented this concept for collaboration between customers and partners with good results. You can visit the SDN SAP Learning Solution Wiki to see a sample. https://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/x/m2g Wiki’s in learning management, especially employee performance support systems where content can be consumed and created by an employee is a good use of wikis. It will happen soon.

  5. […] systematicHR Tags: portal  hr technology  innovation  E-mail |  PDF |  Save |  Blog this! |  Related stories:   […]

  6. Lexy Martin Avatar

    How about using wikis to update Policy Handbooks?
    And, while there are products like UPK that can be used to generate excellent “over the shoulder” coaching for how to use new functionality in employee or manager self service, another possible use would be to use a wiki to develop documentation for new services. I’m reminded also of the days of the “Learning Organization” when we all wanted to capture innovations of users…wikis would be great for that. And, we can use the RSS feeds to let employees know when there are changes, enhancements to benefits or other services from HR.

  7. Brad Masterson Avatar

    Get used to it Web 2.0 for HR is here to stay! Judging from the tone of this article, the author’s seems to be more concerned with automating the human resource processes as as opposed to wider social implications of Web 2.0. Issues such as conflict resolution or diversity training for example will be greatly impacted by the collaboratives aspects of Web 2.0. LMS and LCMS will certainly be greatly enhanced because development platforms are far cheaper. (online education can be done on Blogger if you don’t let the eLearning “experts” fool you into thinking all the pedagogical voodoo needs to cost a lot) Web 2.0 will most definitely be a great boon to the human resources industry.

  8. systematicHR Avatar

    Thanks for the comment Brad.

    I’m not sure how you read into it that I am more concerned with automation that the wider social implications. I thought my point of view was clear that the sharing and recording of knowledge for collaboration purposes was pretty well spelled out. I also pointed out that it might be interesting to use a wiki in LMS, but noted that I didn’t know how to make it “work.”

    The day anyone figures out to provide effective training using a blog, please let me know. I think we all believe in it, but we’re waiting for someone to show the way with the metrics and results to prove it.

    -Dubs

  9. Michael Specht Avatar

    Dubs, I read an interesting list of uses for a Wiki today over at Web Worker Daily, http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/07/13/15-productive-uses-for-a-wiki/.

    I think in some regard Brad is say we need to have HR (and to some degree IS) get out of the way with the implementation of Web 2.0 to help HR. Although I am not 100% sure. If that is the case then I agree in part. One of the biggest benefits I have seen of Web 2.0 technologies is the fantastic way that “self managing” (there is alway a leader but that is another discussion) groups can form, build something to meet their needs and then move on. However for these tools to gain funding for deployed (which I assume Brad would like given he linked to a vendor’s site) we need to be able to show an ROI period!

    For Web 2.0 to work in an organisation we need ROI for time, servers, bandwidth and support. Without ROI any form in any organisation will not grow past a departmental activity, for any truely enterprise product/technology/program/system must have an ROI, even ones that are deployed without big implementation budgets.

  10. Michael Specht Avatar

    Ok I press the wrong button before I proof’d and spell checked but you get the point 🙂