Web 2.0 is irritating and irrelevant
Stop brandishing buzzwords about.
By Ambrose McNevin | Techworld | Published: 07:08, 28 September 2007
Web 2.0 is of little relevance to most organisations. That's according to Business Process Management software maker K2, who has said it’s time to stop messing about with Web 2.0.
“This talk of building standards for mash ups is frankly irritating. Web 2.0 is not relevant. It doesn’t address the pain points that companies are facing,” said Perry Gale, regional director at K2.
The firm was launching Blackpearl a Microsoft Share Point snap on BPM product which targets users to build their own application workflow processes. Faced with some tough questions from customers and partners on the management issues associated with user built processes of the kind often associated with the deployment of Web 2.0 applications.
Gale distanced his company from the approach. "Firstly, in general, there is not a clear definition in the mind of anyone I’ve spoken to about what Web 2.0 really means and as a result it is becoming a “throw away” term to describe too many things. The result is that it is becoming largely meaningless at this stage. If we look at it in its broadest sense which is to provide web based availability of information from multiple sources, I guess it has some small relevance. But it’s suggestion of an undisciplined and slightly chaotic approach to application delivery is distinctly unhelpful and I think worrying for business. It was this I believe, that lay behind the questions we got."
Some customers questioned the potential for users to build too many processes in Blackpearl resulting in increased complexity and IT support.
"Our approach to this is fundamentally different in principle to the naturally unstructured and undisciplined world of Web 2.0. The business is enabled to use IT governed objects to build its own applications. This is distinct from the more chaotic approach suggested by Web 2.0. What Blackpearl is seeking to provide is in effect technical tooling for IT professionals to create "objects" for their business people in a form that is meaningful to them," said Gale.
