Monday's Keynote: Web 2.0 & the Internet World

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, was our first keynote speaker—a perfect choice to kick of a Web 2.0 conference. One of the great things about this conference was that the presenters assumed a level of knowledge of web 2.0 principles. Mr. Rainie spent only a brief moment talking about these principles before moving quickly on to what it means for libraries. He indicated six hallmarks that we should be aware of:

1. The Internet has become the computer
• 89% of online teens have access at home; 75% at school; 70% at a friend or relative’s house

2. Tens of millions of Americans are creating and sharing online
• content creation = artwork, photos, creative writing
• 33% have created or worked on webpages/blogs for family or community

3. Even more internet users are accessing the content created by others

4. Many are sharing what they know & feel online via ratings and reviews, tagging content, and commenting on blogs

5. Individuals are contributing their knowledge without even getting paid for it! Peer-to-peer file sharing and open source software development is being driven by bored programmers.

6. Online Americans are customizing their online experiences w/ web 2.0 tools. It was cited that 25-30% of younger users get RSS feeds, often without realizing it, so seamless is the integration with web browsers.