Is the Pinoy ready for Web 2.0?

In the past weeks, we’ve been talking with Kevin of Pandora Squared about the potential of Web 2.0 for the Pinoy.

He sums it up into 7 key points:

• It is both reflective and forward looking. It is a quantification what has already been successful on the Web, and what will drive success going forward on the Web.
• Web 2.0 isn’t about technology. It’s about understanding fundamental changes and innovations in interaction models, work models and business models that, in many cases, are only possible on the Web.
• Web 2.0 is about new interaction models, new work models and new business models that are only possible on, or with, the Web.
• Just because your first to market with a new model, doesn’t mean you’ll stay there. Web 2.0 is about constantly inventing new models, even if it’s in the same domain.
• {Taken right from O’Reilly} Network effects from user contributions are the key to market dominance in the Web 2.0 era.
• The evidence of fun, is fast viral infectious user uptake. {Taken right from O’Reilly) It is a truism that the greatest internet success stories don’t advertise their products. Their adoption is driven by “viral marketing”—that is, recommendations propagating directly from one user to another. You can almost make the case that if a site or product relies on advertising to get the word out, it isn’t Web 2.0.
• Create new models, give power to the people and make it fun. If you do that, there’s a good chance someone will look and say “now that’s Web 2.0!“

All these time, in my mind the question “Is the Pinoy ready for Web 2.0?” There are many barriers that come to mind:

• Internet penetration.
• Computer literacy.
• Cost of Access.

Think of it this way — how many of those connected are just using the internet to play online games (Ragnarok)? Or email? Friendster? Yahoo! Chat? A reckon a good piece of the pie do just that and only that.

Friendster may be the closest thing a vast number of online Pinoys could have had a taste of Web 2.0. It’s a start — and a rather long one.