Home : Newsletters : 2006 : June
The BBC news describes Web 2.0 as the new rock and roll - but what is Web 2.0? Enhance Media first looked at Web 2.0 at the back end of 2004 during our 'Online Recruitment - the next 10 years' conference. We speculated that Web 2.0 could be a faster, spam and ad free version of the internet that users could pay a premium to access. It turns out that we were off the mark. Web 2.0 isn't a thing or a piece of technology; it's more of a 'state of mind' and describes a genre of sites that share a common approach to the internet.
The phrase Web 2.0 is a play on the way that newversions of software are described (such as Adobe Acrobat 7.0) and was first widely used by Tim O'Reilly of the US company O'Reilly. Itis neatly summed up by Wikipedia (itself a great example of Web 2.0) that defines it as a "second generation of services that let people collaborate and share information online".
On a practical level O'Reilly lists concepts and servicesthat characterised Web 1.0 (such as Ofoto, personal websites, content management systems and stickiness) and contrasts them with those that best represent Web 2.0 (including Flickr, blogs, wikis and syndication). Web 2.0 sites are all about creating and sharing content online, rather than just consuming web pages offered by others. Amongst these services are a couple of major concepts that are worth highlighting.
Blogs - Wikipedia defines blogs as 'websites where regular entries are made (such as in a journal or diary) and presented in reverse chronological order'. Through blogging hosts, such as Typepad and Blogger (owned by Google), it’s easy for anyone to set up a blog and use it to write about anything online. Although blogs can be hard to find, this potentially gives individuals access to a world wide audience; something previously exclusive to large media organisations.
Podcasts - a podcast is an audio file that can be shared over the internet. The term comes from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast (though you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast, any PC or music player should be fine). Podcasts are becoming an increasingly popular and effective way of communicating - Ricky Gervais's first series of podcasts recently became the most downloaded podcast ever and Baddiel and Skinner are currently podcasting the world cup in association with Times Online.
Other major elements of Web 2.0 include RSS (Really Simple Syndication) - that allows for the easy sharing of information online, Flickr - the site that allows users to upload and share photos, Youtube - a relatively new site that enables users to upload and share videos, MySpace - the social networking site and LinkedIn - the business based networking site.
So, there's a lot of stuff happening in relation to Web 2.0 - but how is this relevant to recruiters? Web 2.0 offers employers the chance to communicate and interact with candidates online as never before and although some of the terms and definitions may initially seem strange to those of us aged over 30 - wikis, blogs and blurbs are every day currency to the next generation of candidates.
Some recruiters are already taking advantage of these new communication techniques. PricewaterhouseCoopers has a podcast on its graduate recruitment site that explains what it's really like to work at PwC - getting the message across in a perfect medium for the target audience. The employer also has a dedicated PwC Peopleblog that helps potential candidates understand more about working at PwC.
Ogilvy, the communications agency, has a blog that gives an overview of what the company's all about - though it doesn't appear to have been updated since September last year. Although temporarily suspended until the new 2007 graduates start, Cadburys Schweppes has a graduate recruitment blog with extensive content that describes working at the organisation.
Finally, the graduate recruitment section of Monster includes podcasts that offer either career advice or the chance to find outwhat it's actually like to work at the job board.
In summary, Web 2.0 is all about sharing and interacting online - it seems to deliver what the internet always promised it would, but failed to offer in the early years. This interactivity offers recruiters a great opportunity to communicate more effectively with candidates.Some of the more progressive employers are already starting to take advantage of this opportunity and as today's school leavers and graduates become tomorrow's candidates and employees, keeping up to date with these new techniques will be vital.
And if you can't quite get your head around Web 2.0, don't worry, it might be old news soon - Web 3.0 is already on its way!