Mixing Old and New School Communication

Tom Davenport recently posted a nice piece, Why 1.5 Is Greater Than 2.0, that discussed the benefits of mixing old and media. Always the rock of reason, Tom wrote that asking which is better Web 1.0 or Web 2.0 is actually a false dichotomy. They complement each other. I would agree.

Enterprise 2.0 brings a new dimension but it does not replace anymore than TV replaced the radio or the telephone replaced in person conversation. Tom cites healthcare where this is very evident. We still need the scientific/medical establishment's 1.0 use of research, clinical trials, and licensed practitioners to fight disease. At the same time social media can offer patient-generated content and communities than provides an enriched dimension.

I trust the medical establishment will not abandon the old school ways of sharing information and I do not want them to. I also like that I can use Web 1.0 email with some of my doctors now. However, there are situations where I wish I had the patient’s perspective before I made certain healthcare decisions. I applaud the rise of online healthcare communities where such information is shared.

In a similar way, crowd sourcing does not replace the need for expertise. Malcolm Gladwell and James Surowiecki had a mock debate a few years back on this (see Blink vs. Wisdom of Crowds – Experts vs. the Multitude). For example, Gladwell asked Surowiecki if a 1000 people in a village in China would be better at collectively looking at x-rays than a single highly trained radiologist. I commented that I think both theories have their place and each counters a standard decision model.

Many of the enterprise 2.0 vendors recognize the need to support old and new ways of working and provide ways to integrate Web 2.0 and Web 1.0 tools. I recently talked with both Telligent’s Rob Howard and CubeTree’s Carlin Wiegner, Ross Fubini, and Gita Gupta on this. Enterprise 2.0 tools can provide the social side of collaboration to complement the transactional side.

Tom closes with, “the key word is "augment," not "replace." 1.5 is greater than either 1.0 or 2.0.” Yes.

Comments

[Jordan Frank]

Davenport talks about the social reasons in favor of a blend between social and traditional approaches. I think an answer to How 1.5, in this context, is Greater than 2.0 is both social and structural.

http://traction.tractionsoftware.com/traction/permalink/Blog1084

[bill Ives]

Jordan. I agree. Nice post on the topic. Bill