Wired but not Web 2.0? That's normal, study says

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The Meaning of Web 2.0

A host of technologies fall under the Web 2.0 umbrella, including wikis, blogs, RSS feeds and tagging. But I stand by my generalization that for all practical purposes Web 2.0 = WikiPedia and Google.

Google recently purchased YouTube and you should note that YouTube is fundamentally Public Broadcasting. The spectrum at risk, what I call the greatest commons in all of history, is the spectrum currently dedicated to TV broadcasting in the USA. That spectrum has been proposed to be sold with part of the proceeds going to pay for Hi-Def TV thereby compensating citizens who do not yet own Hi-Def equipment and will need it in a few years when regular TV broadcasting is to be discontinued.

Studies such as the one the article covers are often commissioned for a purpose. I find this article to be doing harm because it might be used to rationalize a public-private partnership. While it is true that the TV spectrum was not utilized as it might have been during my life time (50 plus years), it is not true that the US government must enlist the private sector to get it used. Some of that spectrum is the most desirable band width because it consists of air waves that travel through buildings. A company like Garmen should have access to that kind of bandwidth for GPS units in cars but it would go to the highest bidder under a bid system. The public is poorly served that way.

I object to the article because the study neglects use of Web 2.0 for online ordering (Amazon recently purchased a stake in a company called Wikia which was started by those who created Wikipedia) and use of Web 2.0 by those assisting them. If you think it through there isn't any aspect of the US economy that has not been touched by Web 2.0 in say 2 degrees of separation. Think of emergency personnel, law enforcement, etc.

The selection of You (as in you and I and YouTube) as Times person of the year was just so right on. ;>)

What I want those reading my dribble to start thinking is that the bandwidth from TV in the US has so much value that it can not be privatized. My parents thought that bandwidth would be used for educational purposes. It kind of was - perhaps a bit with things Public Broadcasting but it will be so much better used now that anyone can make a how-to film and post it to the web. And that is just one example of how great the commons is being used in the USA. Let lesser countries sell the air.

I assume you are not a US citizen. If otherwise please let me know. Thanks for the post. It was a good one.

Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 05/07/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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