Did you know? This is compulsory viewing for anyone asking.. "what happens next?".
While the term 'Web 2.0' has been around for a while, grasping its meaning remains illusive for many. Especially as the term has been hijacked by marketers to describe new products, by agencies to describe new web design styles, and often hyped by the media, invariably incorrectly, to describe technology trends. In its literal sense, Web 2.0 is a term coined to describe the new state of the internet. However this 'state' has far less to do with the technology of the world wide web than with the fundamental changes to the way we use the technology that's already there. Essentially, the internet has changed in line with its users. Rather than being a one way media where a website presents information, it has become a shared platform where information flows organically and grows by the community it attracts. While this represents a significant change to the speed and process of how information and opinion is communicated, it also represents the emergence of a global paradigm shift in the way our society organises itself. This change is a key driver of the information/digital age. This particular paradigm commenced little more than 10 years ago with emergence of the interent itself, yet has already eclipsed the 100 year paradigm of the industrial revolution. This brief video clip does a great job summing it all up.(note: the video may seem a little technical at first but will make sense after 2 mins and within 4 mins should profoundly enhance your understanding of Web2).
Turning on e-business in the real world. Many New Zealanders feel like they need the computer literacy of Bill Gates to be able to understand the array of IT acronyms they're faced with when all they want is to be able to put their company brochure online or be able to sell their products online. It's often so confusing and expensive to get a website that many people keep putting this essential business requirement on the backburner, in the 'too hard' basket or even opting out altogether. Is being able to speak in plain English to a 'real person' in the 'real world' too much to ask? Providing web design and development services 'in the real world' is a new approach pioneered by Auckland based 'On Company Ltd'. On Company (www.on.co.nz) is a web development company that offers an 'everyday, affordable, attainable service' in a street level, retail environment. On Company's bright red retail studio in Auckland's busy Greenlane Road/Great South Road intersection has become a beacon for business owners to meet face-to-face with a web services/e-business supplier in a traditional 'bricks and mortar' retail environment. Since launching twelve months ago, On Company has been a huge success, reaching breakeven in its third month of operations and proving a welcome alternative for a rapidly expanding client base. From just $895 for a professional tailored website, when many people pay thousands, it's hardly surprising that On Company has achieved success so rapidly. "It's high-tech meets main street" explains On Company founder and CEO Andy Mundell. "With the complexities of web development and the e-businesses environment there's simply no substitute for dealing with 'real people' in a customer focussed environment to bridge that divide" he says. "Many people come in off the street and exclaim what a relief it is that we exist!" The idea of selling online services in a retail environment was conceived by Mundell following a comprehensive market study he conducted in 2005/06 that revealed that the majority (82%) of New Zealand businesses didn't have a website (source OECD Statistics). Focus groups following the study found the most common causes for NZ SME's not having a website were principally a 'lack of understanding, high costs, and a lack of knowing where to get it'. Mundell says this need was further reinforced when he first presented his business idea to key players in the IT industry with a view to outsourcing programming. "The industry is fixated on having the technology deliver the technology. While potential customers embraced the new business concept, the industry simply saw it as counter-intuitive. What they fail to recognise is that people still want to deal with people and this is especially true for those who do not wish to include IT acronyms in their vocabulary. The industry talks of selling solutions to users, we talk of selling services to customers. Therein lies the fundamental difference" Mundell says. On Company's central Auckland pilot store is at 213 Great South Road, Greenlane. Mundell plans to grow On Company into a national franchise offering all New Zealanders a tangible customer service experience to navigate the often confusing path for moving their business online. The world is changing. As Bill Gates put it Oct 2005, "We must act quickly and decisively. The next sea change is upon us." This couldn't be truer. Now New Zealand SME can find the advice, the service and the price point they need to get their own slice of the online pie. For more check out www.on.co.nz On|Company™ Print Media:
20 April 2007: On|Company's central Auckland pilot store opens its doors at 213 Great South Road, Greenlane. Rambling.On
On Internet Copyright and Piracy:
Web 2.0 explained:
We're often asked to explain what 'Web 2.0' is all about. This should help shed some light and dispell a few myths on the subject.
14 April 2008: NAMES.CO.NZ (The .NZ Space Marketplace)
ON.co.nz launches "Names.co.nz". This is NZ's first domain-brand-business and On Company's latest subsidiary venture.. See: "names.co.nz" 
Turning on e-business in the real world
On|Centre™ opens for business:
On|Company™is pioneering a new approach to the business of web development by providing street level, retail design centres. Studios where customers can interact with designers, receive plain English information, and access web development services in the real world.
