Web 2.0 and Social Media for Development

Lesson 1: Summary Lesson one provides an interesting introduction on Web 2.0. Allow me to share my summary on this very insightful lesson. I've learned that Web2.0 refers to social media which can be used by anyone for development. These tools are either free or cheap interactive web-based services we can use to share information or work with others to create information. There are 4 primary uses of social media: 1. It can be used to form links or to connect with other people. The best part about these connections, is that it transcends time and any border. It allows you to interact with people from different ethnic-, religious-, educational backgrounds all around the world. 2. The world has changed where one person is stuck in its own corner and does something all by its lonesome self. These days we can rely on the various expertise of others. Social media allows people to create interactions with their connections.Suddenly the world has shrunken to a village. Where people know each other and work with- and learn from each other. 3. Social media has a variety of groupware tools to help people do things together on the web. The best part is, you don't need any fancy tech skills to use these groupware tools. Now collaborative work is published online and it becomes available to the rest of the world. 4. These social media tools even provide an opportunity to keep track of all the great resources online. These days it is easy to find information online. Tagging allows you to label any interesting info online. Now online info can be labeled and organized. This provides the user with ample opportunities to create valuable online libraries. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. Web 2.0 enables you to use online content and to adjust it to your own context. Open Resources is online content created by others, made available online for the free use by all. In addition, mash-ups allows you to create content across web platforms. However, one should also be open to the possible challenges that come with Web 2.0. For one, it can be very overwhelming to deal with all the information that is readily available online. These days there are so many things vying for your attention, that you can become enslaved to online content. Secondly, The whole concept of sharing info online is contrary to old institutional ways of sharing. Data online does not necessarily have an owner. One should also be careful when sharing personal information and how that information is shared. Despite, these challenges, Web2.0 aka social media is here to stay. The best thing to do is to embrace its affordances and to use it conscientiously. It is not meant to complicate your life but to broaden your horizons. So, irrespective of age, or tech skill, let's use these tools to create a better world, where our voices are heard.