Web 2.0 in the workplace - Architectures of Participation

I have already blogged briefly and superficially about my initial thoughts on the use of Web 2.0 as part of our Professional Practice Course. I now intend to look in more detail at each aspect of Tim O'Reilly's core competencies which relate to networking as a professional performer.

The first competency is 'Architectures of Participation'. Unlike Web 1.0 systems where there is often one creator and publisher of a web page and then many who will read the page but will be unable to interact with it, Web 2.0 allows and persuades readers of the data to, for example, comment on what they have just read and 'get involved' with it. Participatory actions such as commenting on a blog are known as emancipatory practices. These emancipatory practices are the reason why Web 2.0 is more sophisticated than what has preceded it. Instead of having 'one to one' or 'one to many' communications it is now possible to have and participate in 'many to many' communications.

Now, when thinking of how this benefits me as a professional performer I can see that being able to reach more employers, for the same amount of work, is always going to be better than only being able to reach one. For example, I have my show reel uploaded onto the Web 2.0 device YouTube, so that when I have made profiles on websites such as dancerspro.com I have added the link to my page and employers looking at it can easily access the information online. Also, this way I can get a larger number of people viewing it and it is so much more cost effective than if I were to mail it to each employer individually. Therefore, I am benefiting from a many to many communication.

Hamilton 2000 notes that the fewer barriers in the way the more people will want to participate. These barriers include time, money and skill. I will take Facebook as an example for this; there are recurring rumours on Facebook that the owners of the website are going to make the users pay for use of it. When these rumours arise users of the site use 'groups' to partition against it, saying they refuse to pay for the site and will leave Facebook if the rumours become true. This backs up Hamilton 2000's point that if barriers come between the user and the system the system will lose participants. Subsequently, the faster, cheaper and easier the Web 2.0 system is the more people will partake in it, referred to as 'architecture of assembly' by Ullrich et al (2008). Networking is an enormous part of being a professional performer, its that age old saying 'its not what you know but who you know.' Therefore, when networking this 'architecture of assembly' is greatly needed to help us communicate effectively due to it being quick, cheap and 'user-friendly.'