Keep taking the Web 2.0

An academic study from parity and Bournemouth University shows that by not using Web 2.0 you can seriously damage your businesses health

While the public seems to "get" Web 2.0 business seems to be lagging far behind. In a recent research study "Web 2.0 - More than Social Networking" , conducted by business services company Parity and Bournemouth University that looked at current levels of web 2.0 adoption and understanding among UK businesses. The survey found almost half (47.1 percent) of UK senior managers do not understand the business benefits associated with embracing web 2.0 technologies, while almost a third (32.4 percent) of IT managers lack an understanding of the capabilities of web 2.0.

The results of the survey reveal endemic misunderstanding and misperception amongst both senior managers and IT personnel that has deterred investment. Indeed, only one third of businesses have made any investment in Web 2.0 and the majority of these have done so to attain tangible benefits from enhanced content management rather than embrace the benefits of collaborative working that Web 2.0 can deliver.

As a result, for the first time, the use of professional technology at home is far outstripping that in the office. Given the much lamented information overload being experienced in offices across the UK, it is time for the IT industry to ask why so few organisations understand the role Web 2.0 and collaboration can play in transforming working practices.

One of the major fears of Web 2.0 is that it will lose you control of your IT and your business, but as the Parity study points out unless industry wakes up to Web 2.0 it will remain a consumer-only tool "at a significant cost to business" can you afford to absorb that cost?

This post came from Marcus Austin at Internet Retailing for more great articles visit them here