There's No 2.0!!!

Just a bit of tongue in cheek, but I had yet another conversation with a chap at the weekend who believed Web 2.0 described the impending launch of a new version of the Internet to rival the existing one!!!

I know, I know, it's like what they say about 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire', it's only easy if you know the answer, but you can't blame people for getting the wrong idea, when marketeers around the globe have jumped on the 'latest buzzword bandwagon' and flooded the press with Web 2.0 this and Web 2.0 that, without explanation and headlines like 'how web 2.0 are you?', plus historically, technology companies have called new versions of their products version 2.1, 3.0........

I of course explained in detail where the term Web 2.0 originated from and what it meant (fastrack here), but it led to some really humorous afterthoughts given that marketeers could now continue this methodology for describing other business practices, activities and pastimes.

Our discussion then was taking place at a BBQ 2.0 because we were using gas rather than charcoal, and the liquid of choice to wash down the food was Beer 3.1 (3.1 because it was in a can rather than on draught and included a widget so we could pretend it was draught). We went on and on, probably something to do with continued flow of Beer 3.1 and the introduction of Spirit 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8.

We had to stop because it started to get annoying, but it did highlight and semi explain a real issue I have noticed in the UK recruitment market. Technologies and innovations are complex but the explanations of what they do and what value they provide don't need to be. So here is a simple request to all technology marketeers around the world. Focus on simple 'plain English' explanations of your products and services rather than creative technological jargon!!!!

It might have an influence on a current trend where many recruiters are in the process of changing their existing recruitment software because it didn't do exactly what it said it would do on the tin (thanks Ronseal)!

On a side issue, we also started discussing if an actual Competitor to the existing Internet could be created with the hard-drives of dormant PC's, Laptop's and Server's around the globe being used to power it. Probably Beer 3.1 talk again but something to ponder on the next time I get a free minute or two.