Student Survival Guide to Success in a Web 2.0 World: Introduction

I got off the plane from Paris, France an hour ago. I am tired and soaking wet from the storm outside but there I sit loading my photos onto the internet at Flickr and Facebook. At the same time, I am brewing up the recap blog entry for the long weekend that will be posted in another hour. After that, I will catch up on Gmail, edit some Google Documents shared with teammates for a class project. This is my life in the world of Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 Defined

I am sure that I am not the only student that spends most of my online time socializing with friends on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), constantly checking Facebook profiles, or sharing photos on Flickr. These are all examples of what Web 2.0 has come to mean. The term, “Web 2.0″ has taken on many meanings but Wikipedia defines it as, “a web technology and design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and collaboration.” What it means to me is opportunity. The opportunity to make my life accessible to those that wish to view it - a put a little part of myself into the world.

Sharing information is at the core

The old web, Web 1.0, was mostly websites shoving information at you and not really allowing users to do anything with it. These days, companies strive to make their websites interactive, to engage an audience instead of just count their eyeballs (marketing term for impressions). Sure, ads are still used but web companies are valued on their technology and communities. For example, LinkedIn, a business oriented social network, was just valued at 1 Billion dollars because of their demographic if of forty-nine year olds earning more than $110,000 annually. Web 2.0 is not a technical change; it is a revolution of how companies do business.

The masses now have a voice

Any internet user can now become a celebrity in his or her own way. Tila Tequila of MTv fame started her career as a MySpace user that posted scandalous photos. Now, she has two shows and probably hires someone to take care of her MySpace for her. Blogs and wikis - think Wikipedia - are now common and accepted sources of information… that ANYONE can use. I use my blog as a platform to talk about me and the issues that are important to me. This lets employers know who I am, a key metric that is now coming into play when trying to be hired in a web 2.0 world. I use my podcast and blog to help other students and young professionals use technology and computers to better their lives and success.

What’s to come

This series is going to address a new high-level topic every Tuesday. Fridays, I will feature a web 2.0 company/service to explain how to use it to your best advantage. We are going to cover the impact of the new internet and relationships, how to build your personal brand online, blogging and why you should be doing it, and how to manage your personal brand. As always, the podcast will be coming out Monday morning at 7am Eastern addressing important areas for your technological life.

What is Web 2.0 to you?

How do you use the social networks, online tools, and blogs? Do you think they have value? Also, if you have anything you want to hear about, please post up a comment below, email me at collegetechcentral@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at the College Tech Central Listener Line at 206-203-1877.

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Tags: facebook, flickr, james connors, linkedin, myspace, podcast, student survival guide, students, success in web 2.0, survival guide, web 2.0

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm and is filed under student survival guide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.