Web 2.0 for Engineers
Was given the task of writing a small report on how useful internet technologies can be implemented to enhance the capability of an engineering company. I was told to write a brief 2 pages report. Kind of got carried away because there are so many Web 2.0 system with so much potential.
Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.
Here’s a small collection of Web 2.0 which can be adopted by an engineering company to enhance its communication compatibilities internally and externally, encourage exchange of ideas, speed up the flow of information with the prospect of improving the image of the company as a whole.
Blogs
(eg http://blogger.com, http://word-press.com, http://livejournal.com)
Blog is a media already been adopted by major corporations like Microsoft, Google, BBC and the likes of NASA. Based on the Web2.0 architecture and coded in a special dataflow model, the way in which the information is delivered is a lot more efficient and dynamic. The authors of the blogs are no longer required to be skilled in the previously required computer language (HTML, Java) before they can publish materials on the internet. A very small amount of time, resources and skills are now required to set up a basic layout on to which the blog entries (articles) are displayed. Using a very simple user interface, users are able to write articles with media attachments like pictures, music and videos. Most blogging system also leaves room for additional coding to be included which will allow the use of advance features such as animated menu system or live media feeds. Using such technologies, the corporations listed above have already gained mass audience and delivered breaking news as it happens with entries similar to an article in a magazine. Employees are encouraged to write their own blog in the form of a journal (where readers can interact with the author of the article via comment box) giving their company human faces which clients could relate to. BBC editors were able to talk directly to the audience and express their view clearly and personally. Programmers from Microsoft and Google are amongst people whose blog are often viewed by software developers interested in the operation of the company. This system is very easy to implement and adapt to an existing website. Apart from addition coding mentioned above, blog can be combined with “RSS“ to deliver the entries straight to the end users and save him/her the time and effort of revisiting several blogs to check for new entries.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/launch/launch-vlcc.html
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/blogs/portalhome.mspx
Micro-blogging
(http://twitter.com, http://www.plurk.com)
An alternative of blogging system where users can send in snippets of updates (usually no longer than 140 words) via SMS from mobile devices. The short message will then be published and logged on an update page which will contain messages from the users and members of his “friend list”. If taken up and utilised, this offers a robust communication platform on which members of a team can have regular update messages on the status of other members in a neat, time-stamped and tabulated format accessible from anywhere using the internet! Users will also have the option of receiving a copy of new update message on their mobile phone whenever an update is posted. In cases where multiple agents are “out in the field” (eg surveyors, site visits), such systems would allow the status of each member to be display clearly and concisely and for their manager to monitor their progress in a precise manner, further enhancing his/her ability to manage coordinate the process.
Such updates can also be fed into and displayed on a website or a blog. This system has been used by the NASA to announce breaking news on its website and it has been known that such system was also used to exchange information during emergency events such as the Virginia Tech Shooting and California Fire. The American Red Cross also use said system to provide live update on their disaster relief efforts around the world.
http://twitter.com/RedCross
http://twitter.com/NASA
Online Forums
(http://www.phpbb.com/, http://www.vbulletin.com/)
First taken form as BBS bulletin board during the early days of the World Wide Web, online internet forum is a comprehensive community system in where topics can be discussed extensively using complex “thread” structures. A new thread can be made with specific title with an initial paragraph and other users can then participate in the discussion using the “reply” and “quote” function. Again, this offers the capacity of sharing images, diagrams and other media so collaborations and exchange of idea is encouraged. Major technical company’s like Apple and Microsoft have their own forums which contains discussion over topics ranging from ideas for new products, customer feedbacks, reviews on new releases and technical support. Some online store have also utilised such forum system to their advantage whereby high sale volume was generated from a loyal community created by a forum they have established themselves! However, the anonymity it offers often leads to abuse. Limitations to membership and the presence of moderators are often required or connection to the user’s real identity is an effect means of prevention.
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa
http://forums.microsoft.com
http://forums.macrumors.com/
http://www.homeofpoi.com/
Online Whiteboards
(http://www.scriblink.com/, http://www.skrbl.com/, http://thinkature.com/)
Effectively connecting multiple parties at different locations via an online workspace. Documents and drawings can be uploaded and displayed live on the whiteboard where comments and alterations can be added live in front of other users. Some services will even provide voice feeds which means the users could give live voice annotations as he adds creative input to a piece of work or idea.
Google Earth
(http://www.GoogleEarth.com)
The use of Google Earth have already gain widespread acceptance in many industrial. There are not add-ons available which enable which allows further customisable and modification to the existing 3D satellite images on offer. 3D model of buildings can now be imprinted on to the 3D photo-realistic terrains to provide a better project on what a project would look like. Using Google SketchUp or other CAD software packages), designs of proposed and complete projects can be added to the existing Google Earth layer. This is just one small example on how Google Earth can be adapted for the work we are doing in An engineering company. There is currently a wealth of other add-ons available which could also be put into use.
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=36241
File Delivery Service
(www.yousendit.com, www.megaupload.com, www.mydocsonline.com)
There is currently an well established industry on the internet which offers to ability to deliver digital files free of charge up to a certain file size (usually below 100 mb). Such systems offers additional services such as delivery monitor and extra securities as add-ons. Other than a web browser-based delivery system that is easy to use, software clients are also available which simplifies the sending and receiving of files even simpler and more efficient. Such system could in effective speed up the delivery of projects to the clients while reducing the load on the company’s main email server.
Facebook with existing communication portal
(www.facebook.com)
At the core of Facebook is a very comprehensive social hierarchy which connects relevant people with one another. There are a lot of elements from Facebook which can be utilised within the existing communication portal to further enhance the ability for employees to communicate and further develop the community spirit which the company is trying to foster. In FB, users can fill in details about themselves and opt for them to be displayed to people of their choosing. Such profiles system can be used to display CV, work experience and project they have been involved in. The Facebook system is also designed in such a way that events and activities attended by a member are announced to his friends and colleagues. Such a system can be encompassed into the Existing communication portal whereby members of staff are notified of relevant training courses, seminars and ICE meetings based on the attendance of their peers. The Groups section in Facebook could also be used with existing communication portal for the arrangement of team building exercises and other social activities as well as photo albums and message boards. The impact of such social network system can be seen all over the media and inclusion of such a powerful tool, if implemented in the correct manner, could serve to invigorate the social dynamics of the organisation.
Wiki
(http://pbwiki.com/, http://www.wikispaces.com/, )
Made famous by the world renowned Wikipedia, the Wiki is a concept in which knowledge are arranged categorically in a meaningful manner making retrieval easy for the readers who have also been empowered to make their own contributions and carry out enhancements to the existing entries. A Wiki library on how different engineering problems were resolved can be extrapolated to offer an archive of knowledge and past experiences from engineers. Alternative solutions to a problem or refinements to a technique can be later added by other users to produce a definitive interactive engineering handbook that is comprehensive, up-to-date and constantly improving. Such knowledge depositaries have long been used amongst software developers to share coding techniques and other useful tricks & tips.
http://engineering.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://gentoo-wiki.com/Main_Page
http://wiki.debian.org/
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
Reverse Auction
(http://www.bidjam.co.uk/, http://www.esourcingsolutions.co.uk/)
This is a concept first introduced by General Electric executive Glen Meakem back in the 1990s. This is basically a platform where a buyer can present a proposal and the sellers can bid for the contract to supply goods or service by offering the lowest price. Essentially reversing the role of the buyer and seller, this system aims to drive purchase prices down and provide extra saving to the buyer. Again, because this is an online system, this allow the reverse auction to take place with the involved parties in different locations and without the restraint of a hosting venue, it can take place over a long time scale. An engineering company can make use of such system to bulk purchase or set up contracts for things like stationary and IT equipments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_auction
http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2004_january/14/1692.asp
http://www.telebid.com
Second Life
(http://secondlife.com/ , http://secondlifegrid.net/)
This is the most ambitious and far-fetch online tool but can be extremely effective if executed correctly. Second Life is a community platform where information is presented in a virtual online 3D world. A “sandbox” environment where users can purchase their own territory to construct interactive buildings and models that can then be used to deliver information of their choosing. Using an “avatar”, a model representation of the user, s/he can travel between different maps and interacting with other people and their creations. The best example is the NASA map: As a visitor, you are free to roam a landscape filled with “life-size” models of every space rockets ever made by human. Explore exhibition halls with all the vehicles used in space exploration (like the lunar buggy or the Mars land probe). With a click of a button, the virtual models come to life and demonstrate its functions complete with sound effect and text. At a pre-arrange time schedule, lectures on topics like Quantum Physics and advance rocketry are given via video feed to the gathered audience. There is already a mature community of developers available on Second Life which means a virtual world can be made to any specifications. In other words, An engineering company can have a virtual space where all the project its been involved in are made into moving, 3D life-size models. CDs can be made and distributed to potential clients which will utilise the Second Life engine and showcase the company’s previous achievements in a living, breathing virtual world. Users can explore the interior of buildings from the prospective of an occupant or experience a highway improvement from the prospect of a road user. Automated bots can be included to further demonstrate the overall operations of a completed or prospective projects.
http://www.slideshare.net/musebrarian/a-second-life-for-your-museum-3d-multiuser-virtual-environments-and-museums
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018238
The beauty of the systems listed above is that they are tried, tested and have already established a mature user base and community. They are freely available to use and are very adaptable in their usage and implementations. Each can prove to be extremely effective as a standalone tool or in conjunction with the existing website, online communication portal and other systems being used within the organisation.
Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.
Here’s a small collection of Web 2.0 which can be adopted by an engineering company to enhance its communication compatibilities internally and externally, encourage exchange of ideas, speed up the flow of information with the prospect of improving the image of the company as a whole.
Blogs
(eg http://blogger.com, http://word-press.com, http://livejournal.com)
Blog is a media already been adopted by major corporations like Microsoft, Google, BBC and the likes of NASA. Based on the Web2.0 architecture and coded in a special dataflow model, the way in which the information is delivered is a lot more efficient and dynamic. The authors of the blogs are no longer required to be skilled in the previously required computer language (HTML, Java) before they can publish materials on the internet. A very small amount of time, resources and skills are now required to set up a basic layout on to which the blog entries (articles) are displayed. Using a very simple user interface, users are able to write articles with media attachments like pictures, music and videos. Most blogging system also leaves room for additional coding to be included which will allow the use of advance features such as animated menu system or live media feeds. Using such technologies, the corporations listed above have already gained mass audience and delivered breaking news as it happens with entries similar to an article in a magazine. Employees are encouraged to write their own blog in the form of a journal (where readers can interact with the author of the article via comment box) giving their company human faces which clients could relate to. BBC editors were able to talk directly to the audience and express their view clearly and personally. Programmers from Microsoft and Google are amongst people whose blog are often viewed by software developers interested in the operation of the company. This system is very easy to implement and adapt to an existing website. Apart from addition coding mentioned above, blog can be combined with “RSS“ to deliver the entries straight to the end users and save him/her the time and effort of revisiting several blogs to check for new entries.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/launch/launch-vlcc.html
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/blogs/portalhome.mspx
Micro-blogging
(http://twitter.com, http://www.plurk.com)
An alternative of blogging system where users can send in snippets of updates (usually no longer than 140 words) via SMS from mobile devices. The short message will then be published and logged on an update page which will contain messages from the users and members of his “friend list”. If taken up and utilised, this offers a robust communication platform on which members of a team can have regular update messages on the status of other members in a neat, time-stamped and tabulated format accessible from anywhere using the internet! Users will also have the option of receiving a copy of new update message on their mobile phone whenever an update is posted. In cases where multiple agents are “out in the field” (eg surveyors, site visits), such systems would allow the status of each member to be display clearly and concisely and for their manager to monitor their progress in a precise manner, further enhancing his/her ability to manage coordinate the process.
Such updates can also be fed into and displayed on a website or a blog. This system has been used by the NASA to announce breaking news on its website and it has been known that such system was also used to exchange information during emergency events such as the Virginia Tech Shooting and California Fire. The American Red Cross also use said system to provide live update on their disaster relief efforts around the world.
http://twitter.com/RedCross
http://twitter.com/NASA
Online Forums
(http://www.phpbb.com/, http://www.vbulletin.com/)
First taken form as BBS bulletin board during the early days of the World Wide Web, online internet forum is a comprehensive community system in where topics can be discussed extensively using complex “thread” structures. A new thread can be made with specific title with an initial paragraph and other users can then participate in the discussion using the “reply” and “quote” function. Again, this offers the capacity of sharing images, diagrams and other media so collaborations and exchange of idea is encouraged. Major technical company’s like Apple and Microsoft have their own forums which contains discussion over topics ranging from ideas for new products, customer feedbacks, reviews on new releases and technical support. Some online store have also utilised such forum system to their advantage whereby high sale volume was generated from a loyal community created by a forum they have established themselves! However, the anonymity it offers often leads to abuse. Limitations to membership and the presence of moderators are often required or connection to the user’s real identity is an effect means of prevention.
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa
http://forums.microsoft.com
http://forums.macrumors.com/
http://www.homeofpoi.com/
Online Whiteboards
(http://www.scriblink.com/, http://www.skrbl.com/, http://thinkature.com/)
Effectively connecting multiple parties at different locations via an online workspace. Documents and drawings can be uploaded and displayed live on the whiteboard where comments and alterations can be added live in front of other users. Some services will even provide voice feeds which means the users could give live voice annotations as he adds creative input to a piece of work or idea.
Google Earth
(http://www.GoogleEarth.com)
The use of Google Earth have already gain widespread acceptance in many industrial. There are not add-ons available which enable which allows further customisable and modification to the existing 3D satellite images on offer. 3D model of buildings can now be imprinted on to the 3D photo-realistic terrains to provide a better project on what a project would look like. Using Google SketchUp or other CAD software packages), designs of proposed and complete projects can be added to the existing Google Earth layer. This is just one small example on how Google Earth can be adapted for the work we are doing in An engineering company. There is currently a wealth of other add-ons available which could also be put into use.
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=36241
File Delivery Service
(www.yousendit.com, www.megaupload.com, www.mydocsonline.com)
There is currently an well established industry on the internet which offers to ability to deliver digital files free of charge up to a certain file size (usually below 100 mb). Such systems offers additional services such as delivery monitor and extra securities as add-ons. Other than a web browser-based delivery system that is easy to use, software clients are also available which simplifies the sending and receiving of files even simpler and more efficient. Such system could in effective speed up the delivery of projects to the clients while reducing the load on the company’s main email server.
Facebook with existing communication portal
(www.facebook.com)
At the core of Facebook is a very comprehensive social hierarchy which connects relevant people with one another. There are a lot of elements from Facebook which can be utilised within the existing communication portal to further enhance the ability for employees to communicate and further develop the community spirit which the company is trying to foster. In FB, users can fill in details about themselves and opt for them to be displayed to people of their choosing. Such profiles system can be used to display CV, work experience and project they have been involved in. The Facebook system is also designed in such a way that events and activities attended by a member are announced to his friends and colleagues. Such a system can be encompassed into the Existing communication portal whereby members of staff are notified of relevant training courses, seminars and ICE meetings based on the attendance of their peers. The Groups section in Facebook could also be used with existing communication portal for the arrangement of team building exercises and other social activities as well as photo albums and message boards. The impact of such social network system can be seen all over the media and inclusion of such a powerful tool, if implemented in the correct manner, could serve to invigorate the social dynamics of the organisation.
Wiki
(http://pbwiki.com/, http://www.wikispaces.com/, )
Made famous by the world renowned Wikipedia, the Wiki is a concept in which knowledge are arranged categorically in a meaningful manner making retrieval easy for the readers who have also been empowered to make their own contributions and carry out enhancements to the existing entries. A Wiki library on how different engineering problems were resolved can be extrapolated to offer an archive of knowledge and past experiences from engineers. Alternative solutions to a problem or refinements to a technique can be later added by other users to produce a definitive interactive engineering handbook that is comprehensive, up-to-date and constantly improving. Such knowledge depositaries have long been used amongst software developers to share coding techniques and other useful tricks & tips.
http://engineering.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://gentoo-wiki.com/Main_Page
http://wiki.debian.org/
http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
Reverse Auction
(http://www.bidjam.co.uk/, http://www.esourcingsolutions.co.uk/)
This is a concept first introduced by General Electric executive Glen Meakem back in the 1990s. This is basically a platform where a buyer can present a proposal and the sellers can bid for the contract to supply goods or service by offering the lowest price. Essentially reversing the role of the buyer and seller, this system aims to drive purchase prices down and provide extra saving to the buyer. Again, because this is an online system, this allow the reverse auction to take place with the involved parties in different locations and without the restraint of a hosting venue, it can take place over a long time scale. An engineering company can make use of such system to bulk purchase or set up contracts for things like stationary and IT equipments.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_auction
http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2004_january/14/1692.asp
http://www.telebid.com
Second Life
(http://secondlife.com/ , http://secondlifegrid.net/)
This is the most ambitious and far-fetch online tool but can be extremely effective if executed correctly. Second Life is a community platform where information is presented in a virtual online 3D world. A “sandbox” environment where users can purchase their own territory to construct interactive buildings and models that can then be used to deliver information of their choosing. Using an “avatar”, a model representation of the user, s/he can travel between different maps and interacting with other people and their creations. The best example is the NASA map: As a visitor, you are free to roam a landscape filled with “life-size” models of every space rockets ever made by human. Explore exhibition halls with all the vehicles used in space exploration (like the lunar buggy or the Mars land probe). With a click of a button, the virtual models come to life and demonstrate its functions complete with sound effect and text. At a pre-arrange time schedule, lectures on topics like Quantum Physics and advance rocketry are given via video feed to the gathered audience. There is already a mature community of developers available on Second Life which means a virtual world can be made to any specifications. In other words, An engineering company can have a virtual space where all the project its been involved in are made into moving, 3D life-size models. CDs can be made and distributed to potential clients which will utilise the Second Life engine and showcase the company’s previous achievements in a living, breathing virtual world. Users can explore the interior of buildings from the prospective of an occupant or experience a highway improvement from the prospect of a road user. Automated bots can be included to further demonstrate the overall operations of a completed or prospective projects.
http://www.slideshare.net/musebrarian/a-second-life-for-your-museum-3d-multiuser-virtual-environments-and-museums
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9018238
The beauty of the systems listed above is that they are tried, tested and have already established a mature user base and community. They are freely available to use and are very adaptable in their usage and implementations. Each can prove to be extremely effective as a standalone tool or in conjunction with the existing website, online communication portal and other systems being used within the organisation.
Labels: blogging, Engineering, Facebook, file delivery service, Google Earth, Google Sketchup, micro-bloging, online forums, online whiteboards, reserve auction, Second Life, Web 2.0, wiki
posted by Twisted @ 23:39:00
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