Web 2.0
ˌwɛb tuː pɔɪnt ˈəʊ/
noun
- the second stage of development of the Internet, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media.Clear? Yes, clear as mud. So I had to delve a little deeper into this Web 2.0 phenomenon. I searched all different sites to find a straight forward explanation, all the info seemed like waffle in the end, I soon lost concentration and my mind started to drift, then I found this....So It all turns out that it isn't that scary after all. Most of us use it all the time, every day in fact, we are constantly using it. I then found this comical video which helped explain it even further.So there you have it, Web 2.0 ladies and gentlemen, what a fantastic creation to keep us all connected........or is it?I personally think it is an excellent addition to technology as long as it is used in a responsible and professional way. Below I have copied a link to a site which lists the positives and negatives.I think that the positives far out weigh the negatives and I am more than happy to use and contribute to the Web 2.0 culture we have today. I believe that we all heavily rely on this technology every single day, I know I do, it makes my life so much easier. I have so much information at my finger tips, it is absolutely amazing. I can find out practically ANYTHING just by using this tool. Where would we be today without Web 2.0? Especially in the performing industry networking is a key part of being successful.It is funny really to think back to when I started in the industry, there was no Facebook, I think maybe MySpace was just becoming popular but the only way I had to find out about auditions was to go to WH Smiths and actually buy 'The Stage' newspaper. Now look how far it has progressed in such a short space of time. We have so many networks that are easily accessible now, for example 'dancers pro' and 'the hustle' group on Facebook which is just fantastic. I can go on 'the hustle' ask questions about potential employers, find auditions, available accommodation or just any advice I need. Being a part of 'the hustle' gives me a network of 21,380 people to share information with. People post on this network every couple of minutes on average. I am quite new to the hustle, I wish it had been around earlier on in my career, it would have made my life as a performer so much easier and opened many more doors for opportunity.Focusing on Facebook for a moment, I am a great fan of facebook, being a dancer and working all over I have friends everywhere. I have friends in Japan, Australia, America, Norway, Belgium, Budapest and many more. I think this is quite a common occurrence for people in my industry. Facebook allows us to keep in touch with those friends easily. For instance I made a Japanese friend back in college which was around 10 years ago now, she went back to Japan and eventually over time you tend to loose touch just because that is what happens, but not now, not with Facebook I can keep up to date with her life progress, see her pictures, comment and we still are able to have a connection. I work a lot on cruise ships, I don't go often to Japan but back in 2011 I was lucky enough to visit Japan on the ship. Back in the day I would have probably lost touch with my Japanese friend and have had no way of contacting her to let her know I was in her homeland with that feeling of being so close yet so far but not now, not with Facebook, this is why I love Facebook......... However, there is a down side to Facebook in which you do have to be careful. When Facebook started it all seemed very personal but not so much anymore. I do feel that I have to be more careful with what I broadcast and what pictures go up there as I really wouldn't want to give the wrong impression of myself, especially if potential employers can see. Not that I would broadcast anything inappropriate, it just may not be seen as "professional". My point is , would I want a potential employer to see a picture of me on my holidays acting silly with a cocktail? Probably not. They are my holiday snaps which would once have been in a photo album for just friends and family to see and I don't mind looking daft in front of them but I certainly wouldn't put that picture on a professional profile for all potential employers to see and judge. The question is, how can we be sure exactly who our audience is and exactly who is posting what of us? I know there are privacy settings but the amount of times I thought my Facebook profile was private and only for my friends to see but then realised any Joe Bloggs can see. We all have that friend who will post a picture of us looking terrible whilst they look gorgeous, they have some how managed to catch your worst angle EVER and you resemble something a little like Yoda from star wars, then they think it is appropriate to 'tag' you in it, so you instantly remove the tag and it has gone from your Facebook page, phew......however it still remains on theirs and you don't want to look vain by asking them to remove it do you? Agh the dilemma, but who else can actually see that picture of you looking like Yoda?!? A casting director? A choreographer? Who else is in their network and can see it. It can be a little scary. So the moral of the story is to never pose like Yoda! Ha, but joking aside, this is a very serious issue, especially for teachers and other professionals such as police and nurses and so on. I know a few people where Facebook has got them into hot water with an employer.Me as a professional and me as me are quite different people (not in a bad way, just the way we all are). Me as a professional I am quite reserved and diplomatic which are characteristics required by a professional I believe, me as me, well I'm just me. I act and talk in a different way dependant on who I am interacting with, now these paths I find are getting crossed with the likes of facebook. At first I was just broadcasting to my friends, now my parents are on there and their friends so now I have to think more carefully , then you have work employers and employees on there so you have to be even more careful. Are these personal and professional lines starting to cross a good thing? I'm not so sure.I must admit I do have some slight reservations about this blogging too and putting myself out there on Web 2.0 for anyone to see. How do I portray myself? I want to come across as professional but I also want to be me and add a little of my personality into my blog, I want to make it a little light hearted and hope that it is an enjoyable read rather than being hard work, but how does that come across? Should It be more robotic and keep my personality out of it? One minute I think I should and the next I don't, I think "it is my blog and my interpretation and I should be me". I'm not sure convinced though, any thoughts you fellow Bappers have would be much appreciated.Another Web 2.0 tool I love is YouTube, it allows me to watch funny videos for entertainment and I also use it for educational reasons. I used YouTube a lot to get a grasp of Alvin Ailey's work for a project I was working on. I wasn't that familiar with his creations however after finding a lot of his pieces on YouTube it enabled me to get a firm idea of his style and works.YouTube has helped me improve on different skills and even help me to teach myself new ones from beauty tricks to how to make jewellery and how to crochet. I think it is just amazing that I can be taught all these things from YouTube . It has even taught me how to make tomato soup from scratch. It is almost like your own personal teacher as well as entertainer.I am very much looking forward to creating my 1st YouTube video in the next task so I will go from being the consumer to the creator, what an exciting thought.We could all go on forever about Web 2.0 but I'm not going to because I don't want to bore you too much but one more point I would like to talk about after reading it on a fellow Bappers blog was about are we being sucked in to the culture a little too much. As great as it is, how many times have you seen a couple out for dinner and they are both more interested in their phones? Checking facebook and writing a status that states what a fabulous time they are having? No you're not having the best time ever, you are playing with your phone!Is the ancient art of human interaction becoming a thing of the past? I must admit I'm a culprit too, I'm doing it now, I'm sat here with real human company and I'm blogging! I suppose it is a little different as this is work but you get my gist right? I often sit on the sofa next to my husband, facebooking, youtubing and so on and so does he to be fair but where is the art of conversation going? I do think we need to make the effort interacting in person rather than just concentrating on the cyber world. We all do it, every day, how often do you check facebook? I know I can probably check mine at least 10 times in a day. It is quite scary when you realise how much power the cyber world has over us. Are we being sucked in and hypnotised by Web 2.0? What do you think? I don't think we are at the moment but how far is it going to go, I have seen information on Web 3.0, I haven't looked into it properly yet but I definitely intend to. How much further can it go?
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ReplyDeleteHi Danielle,
DeleteI really enjoyed ready your blog on web 2:0, I have just started to flick through reader 1 and after getting quite bleary eyed from it all I came across your blog.
It was a breath of fresh air reading something that I could easily relate to and keeping the blog light hearted is definitely a positive.
Katrina x
Hi Katrina,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment, you have made my day, ha ha. I am really glad you enjoyed it and your feedback is so reassuring.
Danni x