Is the Pinoy ready for Web 2.0?

well there is del.icio.us, i think some pinoys are already using this to store bookmarks online and also rss feeds.

It’s rather unnecessary to label a site or a service as “web 2.0,” unless you’re after the buzz. What really matters is if it serves the purpose it was built to address.

Take friendster for example, it was made as a “linker” of people, and it does it well, though mostly because it was first in the game.

Andre said it, what drives web technology these days is broadband, and hardware advancements as well. We wouldn’t have dreamed of watching youtube videos five years ago, right? ;)

first and foremost, for the pinoys to be ready for web2.0, they have to know what really is web2.0. there’s been a lot of discussions on its definition but for me – a non-programmer but computer and internet user – web2.0 is simply an evolution of the original web as we knew it, into something dynamic that is now providing users key elements that are lacking in the static web – user-friendly interface, functionality/usability, substance, purpose, relevance, mobility and last but not the least – social interaction. i believe the sociability aspect is the most compelling reason for pinoys to embrace web2.0. culturally sociable, pinoys value human relationships and interrelationships. pinoys, in fact, make up the highest percentage of friendster users. And with friendster as it is – no context, no purpose – what more if we offer the context, relevance, conversation-tool and purpose?

before i digress, allow me to address your concerns in terms of pinoys’ readiness for web2.0:

*internet penetration- internet shops/cafes are sprouting all over the country side, even in third class municipalities. y? for two reasons: one – over a million ofws are deployed around the world. and these ofws are mostly, if not all, come from the rural areas. because telephone calls are expensive, ofws communicate with their families through internet by online chatting, email or VOIP. ask a pinay working in hongkong how she communicates with her mother in the province and she’ll tell you – internet. point two-online gaming has become popular to children and adult alike that sometimes, when you enter an internet cafe in the rural are, you dont know if you’re entering an internet shop or an arcade. so as to penetration ( of internet ;) ) – we are ready. what is traveling to poblacion for a chance to communicate with your loved one for a penny?

*computer literacy. deped has been mandated to inlcude computer learning in all public elementary and high schools. as for the computer illiterate adults, web 2.0 makes it easier for them to learn/use the internet and/or computer. besides, that is what web2.0 is all about. user-centric interface.

*cost of access. 15-25 pesos per hour of internet access in the rural areas. no need to elaborate here. :) and smart is aggressively pushing its wifi in the provinces.

so are the pinoys ready for web2.0? i say YES! and we start by EDUCATION and EVANGELIZATION.

andre and markku is right. it’s the broadband that made it right. although, even w/ broadband, it still does not matter since Web 2.0 i believe isnt coined for the general “web users”.

it’s for developers (designers and programmers and techies) just like us. using a set of technologies (AJAX,DHTML) under the scope of Web 2.0 made a website a web 2.0 application.

also, web users don’t really care about Web 2.0 at all. but we can give them a favor by giving them a better Web Experience utilizing (Web 2.0) technologies.

So it’s a two part question. Are filipino developers ready for Web 2.0? And are the Filipino Internet Users ready for the Web 2.0 experience?

well for the info “i was speaking of the term [Web 2.0]”. :-) not Web 2.0 itself…. Cheers!

i agree with kate. first, we all know what web2.0 is, right. and i think our developers and users alike do not or still does not grasp the whole idea of web2.0.

web2.0 is not something tangible. what is tangible behind web2.0 are the web-based softwares that were created through the evolved programming language such as AJAX and Ruby on Rails, etc. whose ancestors are the basic html and java. KNOWLEDGE and APPLICATION of these programming languages enable and empowers our IT people (hence our IT industry as well) to create or develop web-based free software applications that are user-centric, functional, relevant, contextual and most importantly it creates a network of users with or without anything in common. that is why the philippines is the largest user of friendster. pinoys love to interact and socialize and connect with people.

and if pinoys are into friendster and such, what more if you integrated function, purpose, relevance, context etc. into a “friendster” kind of thing? it aggregates all the essential things in our daily lives.

do not think of web2.0 as a thing. web2.0 is culture. its lifestyle. its a whole new life. its bring new meaning to the term mobile/mobility. digital life aggregation.

an for those developer who’s interested in learning Ruby on rails and AJAX for a fraction of a cost (2-day training on AJAX in new york costs P66K++ and half day workshop in ruby on raILS in aussie costs P16K++) check out:

http://training.pandorasquared.com/

just P10K for BOTH ruby on rails and ajax PLUS social software and advanced SEO. once in a lifetime. 20 slots only btw.

abe, sorry.. couldnt resist… :) thanks.

well in my view point, you can talk to any friendster user or the general web public here in the phil and ask them what is Web 2.0?

they have no idea right? but they do right now are experiencing it and consuming it. so doesnt matter still really coining or branding a Web Site as Web 2.0…

“web users doesnt actually care about Web 2.0”. They just consume it. but i believe on the other part that they themselves must know it. It’s just our job to let them experience it.

So if you ask me are pinoy web users ready for Web 2.0, yes they are! But it raises another question, like…

“Are pinoy programmers, content developers, pinoy techies ready to grasp, able to deliver and apply Web 2.0 on their own applications?”

Good Point. anyways, nice discussion. :)

j4s0n, good for you! join us who shares your passion then: http://www.pinoyweb2.com

good article. i’ve been collecting discussions relevant to web 2.0. thanks. regards from angelsoft.