Web 2.0 in the business environment: The new intranet or a passing hype?

Paper i proceeding, 2008

There is much talk about the Web 2.0 in the trade press but it is still very difficult to precisely define what it is. Is it yet another technology buzz word or does the concept capture something genuinely new? In this paper we review the literature and examine the main arguments for and against Web 2.0 as a useful concept. From a supportive/obstructive and active/passive management perspective we devise four possible scenarios for Web 2.0 and the enterprise. Based on traditional intranet management principles we discuss whether or not these ideas can successfully be applied to intranets.We argue that although the Web 2.0 concept does contain a core of attitudes, ideas, and services that mark a shift in the way we interact over the Web, the edges are too difficult to define. Hence, Web 2.0 may be an empirical phenomenon that people talk about but as an analytical concept it has little to offer. Still, the technologies associated with Web 2.0 have made their entrance in the corporate world, and commentators already speak of intranet 2.0 or Enterprise 2.0. We conclude that more research on intranet 2.0 or Enterprise 2.0 is needed in order to guide tomorrow’s managers.