What characterized the Web in the early 1990s?

Excitement. People were discovering new ways to use the Web for communication, education and outreach. It was a great time to be a Web designer! Then came the late nineties and the early “oughts”. Don’t get me wrong. A great deal was happening, though mostly tied to growth and adoption. Websites were being built and everyone was starting to use them. But the excitement of the early nineties had waned.

What about now? 

After a remarkable period of growth and adoption, new “second generation” Websites and Web applications are hitting the scene and the excitement in the community is palpable. No one wants to be left behind. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon called Web 2.0. 

What does this mean for us?  

Opportunity. People are excited. People hear the buzz and see what other agencies are doing. NIH leaders want to jump on that bandwagon and ride it to its destination. But what is our destination? Where do we want to go?   

What are we doing? 

Two brainstorming sessions have been conducted:  

    * Wednesday, September 19 from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm  

    * Tuesday, September 25 from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm  

Another will take place at the California Association of Museums Annual Conference in Fresno, California in February of 2008. The results of that session will be documented here as well.  

The initial outcome of the NIH sessions is a simple list of ideas related to how we can use these new web applications and technologies to meet our objectives. These notes can be viewed here: http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?BrainStormingWeb2.0atNIH-Notes  

A "Brainstorming Web 2.0" group has been created on LinkedIn. Join the experiment. Join now: {nid 3QUM} (Approval requires that your LinkedIn profile demonstrates your interest in Web 2.0, social media or Information Technology. HR recruiters are also welcome.) 

http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?BrainStormingWeb2.0Group  

Linkedin was selected because of the control it gives the member. You choose whether to make your contacts visible to other members. At the same time, you can contact other like-minded individuals. Forward the invitation to others!