Libraries Interact - a personal view of practical 2.0

The phrase ‘Web 2.0’ has been used as a popular label to describe web technologies with a focus on collaboration, interactivity, user-created content, information and knowledge sharing, and social connections. It indicates a transformation of the web environment from a one-way information delivery tool, to a multi-way information sharing platform. Its popularity as a catch-phrase has spawned other terms such as enterprise 2.0 wherein social media and supporting technologies are introduced into the corporate information environment thereby transforming the way the enterprise communicates, connects and shares information among its staff and with its customers. In this paper, the author discusses how social media technologies are being introduced to the web environment at Bond University in a project to implement an enterprise content management system. The enterprise content management system is being implemented as a platform for both the university’s website and its intranet with content being re-used and surfaced in both environments as appropriate. University staff use the Internet and web interfaces to numerous systems as an integral part of their daily activities. They have become accustomed to highly interactive and collaborative sites. It is no surprise therefore, that dissatisfaction has been expressed with the static and somewhat dated functionality of the existing intranet. Stakeholder feedback consistently focuses on making it a more dynamic and effective business tool. ‘Web 2.0’ features have been requested in the form of team web logs, collaborative spaces such as wikis, the ability to capture feedback by way of online ‘conversations’ in processes such as policy development and in RSS feeds for personalised subscriptions. These requests indicate that staff is ready and willing to be engaged in information sharing, collaborative content sharing and knowledge management. Similarly, in the public arena of the corporate website there is a need to present a dynamic, up-to-date and consistent image to the World. Some of the ‘Web 2.0’ features that have been identified as being able to support this include CSS for efficient and consistent look and feel, XML and XHTML for effective transformation of data and content, and RSS for enabling users to selectively source the web content they want or need to consume in places and applications of their choosing. This selection of content for consumption via RSS feeds presents an alternative, user-focused method for news dissemination to the existing reliance on email for pushing news to stakeholders. The paper covers how social media and their supporting technologies were considered in the system selection process, how they are being implemented and the challenges being encountered. Additionally an account is given of how these technologies are introduced to web site and intranet users, and the consideration of how these technologies might contribute to Bond University’s business needs.