Web 2.0 Expo Workshop: Dion Hinchcliffe on Rewriting the rules of the web

Dion Hinchcliffe was giving a high-energy workshop today at Web 2.0 Expo in Berlin. Frank did his best in taking notes here and here, this was no easy task as Dion (which btw is a really amiably guy, met him yesterday at the Berlin geek dinner …) is a fast speaker, and he gave us a rough ride through web 2.0, warts ‘n all. In fact, Dion said that his talk is the condensed version of the material he’s using at the Web 2.0 university, i.e. his executive web 2.0 bootcamps (The Future of Online Business – Bootcamps).

He explained a wide range of stuff related to web 2.0, including technological backgrounds, agility, basic rules and characteristics, economic rules like Metcalfe’s law, success factors and ways to progress in this new competitive landscape.

Here are the essential 7 rules and observations that define this space:
– web as platform
– data as the ‘intel inside’
– end of software release cycle (but please, let us all replace the worn out beta by something along the lines of agility, adaptivity etc.)
– lightweight software and business models (see here my notes on Scott Hirschs Be like the Internet session this morning)
– software and many (increasingly portable and ubiquitiously connected) devices
– rich user experience (Ajax, RIA)
– collective intelligence

And the design patterns that rule:
– long tail
– users add value
– network effects by default (Metcalfe, Reed)
– some rights reserved
– perpetual beta (agility and adaptivity, please)
– cooperate, don’t control
– architecture of participation

Enterprise 2.0 wasn’t a real topic in itself, yet Dion handled a lot of stuff that is extremely important in the Enterprise: Usability, motivation, ease of use, and yes, network effects, especially the ways to enhance adoption. If you want more information on this part of the talk, get in touch.

In relation to wikis, Dion shared a lot of stories and experiences and explained the rationale behind their use, for more info get in touch as well. I need to get into Tim O’Reilly’s keynote early on …

Update: Oliver liveblogged from the session as well (german).

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