By Dominic Jones | Published: January 2, 2008 | 
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"Old Web" gurus lash out at Web 2.0 hype
LOOKS to me like the hype around so-called Web 2.0 is finally starting to take hold in the enterprise. I know this from reading the recent comments of two prominent web consultants.
In today’s Financial Times, consultant David Bowen cautions that corporate website managers are “heading straight towards a dangerous quagmire of confusion” if they follow the Web 2.0 herd and its tendency “to regard ‘new’ as better than ‘old’.”
His comments follow some astonishing remarks by web usability guru Jakob Nielsen. In a lengthy piece headlined Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous, Nielsen brands some new website features as being “hacked together by geeks drunk on the newest and coolest tech.”
And he says adding community features like commenting to websites is a waste of money, in part because “on the Web, most people are bozos and not worth listening to.” (Yikes!)
You have to wonder what precipitated their remarks. Why are they lashing out?
Some might find the answer in this advice from Nielsen: “Before throwing spending money at ‘2.0′ features, make sure that you have all the ‘1.0′ requirements working to perfection.”
Yes, if you start spending throwing money at Web 2.0 things, you’ll pay less attention to the types of services Bowen and Nielsen provide. There is definitely some self-interest at play here.
But I must admit I agree with them. It’s frustrating to see companies waste money on features they don’t need while ignoring the basics that could substantially improve the ROI of their existing web investments.
Both Bowen and Nielsen risk coming across as dinosaurs for speaking out. But the fact is they are courageous. It’s not easy to break ranks with the herd.
So please read what they have to say.
The way to exploit a medium is to understand it — David Bowen
Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous — Jakob Nielsen
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