Enterprise 2.0 - defined

It's all well and good calling this blog "Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style" but the blinking flip is "Enterprise 2.0" in any style?!?

Whilst I agree with elements of current definitions out there my definition is:
Enterprise 2.0 is the application of the Web 2.0 technology and mindset within an organisation.

To reiterate what I see as the "Web 2.0 spirit":
  • Individual production and User Generated Content
  • Harnessing the power of the crowd
  • Data on an epic scale
  • Architecture of Participation
  • Network effects, power laws and the Long Tail
  • Open-ness
These is an adopted list from a document titled What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education (pdf, February 2007) by Paul Anderson - see more at my Enterprise 2.0 starter pack

In my definition I am keen to ensure that "applying Web 2.0 to business" is not just about software and what software can achieve (which is considerable if done correctly and appropriately) . To my mind it is, more importantly, how the business is viewed. An approach to "open-ness" may mean tearing down physical walls, instituting a means of group collaboration or just having the senior management communicate directly to the masses on a regular basis - all of which can be achieved without having to turn to a computer.


Some other definitions include:
  • Enterprise 2.0; is the use of freeform social software within companies - Andrew McAfee
  • TakingAIIM: Enterprise 2.0 is ...
    • Technology that enables people to collaborate and/or form online communities
    • The application of Web 2.0 to the enterprise
    • The next generation of enterprise content management (ECM)
  • Enterprise 2.0 is the synergy of a new set of technologies, development models and delivery methods that are used to develop business software and deliver it to users. - SandHills


[Updated] A more succinct definition

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