Of Turks, Turkeys, & Web 2.0   (Wed Nov 21 2007)

You know LinkedIn probably. If not, think of it as a sort of MySpace for the washed.

After a quick shower last night I sat down to take a look at Linked in Answers. Actually, they're Questions ... but who am I to quibble? There was the usual array of stimulating stuff: 'How would you feel about moving Thanksgiving to Saturday or to Sunday?' 'How does Turkey wish to see itself as a center for medical tourism?' 'What do business cards mean?' And then, an entry that hooked me: 'Some important Web 2.0 social networking developments for you to consider.'

I've been fascinated by the thinking behind Web 2.0 ever since I came across the Tim O'Reilly's definition 18 months back. Accelerate HR may not look like the typical Web 2.0 site - like Twitter or Digg or Flickr - but come a little closer and you'll soon see the influences. If you were reading yesterday, you'll recall that I invited you to get involved with the documentation. That's right, we're going to 'harness your collective intelligence'. That's the whole point of this blog too. To get feedback and criticism and comment. Then, as we become better known, we're going to need to develop Accelerate for different markets. Certainly with different rules and conventions for the payroll. Perhaps in different languages. Who's going to do that? Well who better than the users who live in those markets and actually need the modifications?

When you start following the Web 2.0 thinking through to its logical conclusion, it's not hard to arrive at what may be the ultimate LinkedIn question (sorry Answer) - 'What is a business?' It may not need to have the physical attributes that we've come to associate with a business - a location, offices, employees. Substitute for these: the Web, a site, committed users. Our new media are reshaping our institutions, just as way back in the 1960s, Marshall McLuhan predicted they would in The Medium is the Massage, just as they always have.

So I jumped into the LinkedIn piece immediately. And pulled up short.

Heaven forbid! ( - words like that, anyway). This is blatant advertising. And this is .. LinkedIn. It's supposed to be an Answer! (no, Question).

Knowing that I was committing a mortal sin, I furtively opened the page anyway. And I found a thoughtful, stimulating, perceptive blog. If you're a developer and you want to know more about Google's new OpenSocial standard and the impact it might have on Facebook ... if you're in business and you're wondering how collective intelligence might be relevant to you ... or if you just want to find out what this Web 2.0 business is all about ... then The Technology Edge may be just what you're looking for. Thanks J.

Oh and J. I was sorry to see that by this morning LinkedIn had removed your post, leaving this terse little note:

Hey. It's Web 2.0. You know - the wisdom of the masses / mob.

Now I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of LinkedIn. I love the site. It's one of the rare opportunities I get to rub shoulders with the good and the great in business. And who would have thought there were over 15 million such people?

And now, if you'll just excuse me, I've got to pop out and find a Turk ... or a Turkey ready for Sunday.

Just an afterthought. You've been reading my blog and I haven't even told you who I am. So if you can't wait for About Us to appear on the site and you don't like being lectured to by strangers, that's exactly what LinkedIn's for. Here's my .. er .. business card.

Filed under: Web 2.0