• by Bob Goldstein , September 9, 2008

Web 2.0 describes the proliferation of interconnectivity and social interactions on the Web. Interfaces are more friendly, information is more global, people are more connected and data is more easily searched and accessed then ever before.

The 2.0 space is rich with blogs, wikis, social networks and mashups and their content creators: bloggers, commentators, writers, reporters, pundits, podcasters, vloggers, journalists and consumers--all generating content to the point of saturation. New York Times reporter Brad Stone dubbed these tools as "an endless party where everybody shows up at a different time and slaps a yellow Post-it note on the refrigerator."

It's clear what Web 2.0 can do for consumers, allowing a voice in the marketplace and petitions en masse, but what is it doing for enterprise?

Web 2.0 services and applications are being rapidly deployed as business race to be competitive. Hart Hanks reports that "Best-in-Class" companies are using social media tools for congregating customer insights from consumer-generated content to inform future marketing actions.

Aberdeen Group suggests that "companies need to understand peoples' motivations for having a conversation and then contextually engage with that audience." Companies everywhere are monitoring online discussions for feedback on their brands, and then placing "viral" advertisements on video-sharing sites. Hard to ignore are the faked blogs and other "seeded" activities that have spurred from this race to...well, the end point hasn't been established yet.

Reality check! According to Gartner's latest Hype Cycle report, Web 2.0 continues to be one of the most-hyped areas of the Web.

For all the advanced technology available through the Web dot oh revolution, conspicuously absent is the human touch. As technology becomes more sophisticated and pervasive, it's more important than ever to stay connected to other human beings.

As Web 2.0 reaches new levels of maturity and blazes the trail to more robust forms of contact, communication real time with real people will be in highest demand. What's needed is a dynamic place where people can have instant and synchronous conversations and share experiences and media with one another, as opposed to the klugey bulletin board-type formats available with today's 2.0 applications.

Human touch is well utilized as a cornerstone to business strategy. With real-time conversational tools, a company can communicate directly with its customers to quickly understand their needs, wants and issues. Through direct connections, the company is able to collect genuine market research that can be turned back into the development cycle. Given the rarity of human contact in business, customers feel as though they've received royalty treatment. It's a win /win.

All the tagging, blogging, bookmarking and social-sharing tools are still forms of communication between machines and people--not people to people. There is a distinct difference between "sharing" by posting and experiencing a rich, complex and instant exchange in real time with other people. This human touch can encourage and enhance customer loyalty and support. The good news is that technology is trending in this direction, and the real innovators are developing applications that will allow real connections with real people in real time.