I just completed an interview with Ross Kasun, Asst. Superintendent of Summit Schools (and incidental brother), on the topic of social computing and the effect on children and learning. I was the interviewee... was lots of fun (most fun was trying to get Ross to pronounce my title "technical evangelist" correctly...).
Runs about 10 minutes... ~8MB download. You can download the audio from Ross' blog here:
http://nlcommunities.com/communities/nj4521/default.aspx
My favorite quote (I often quote myself :) -
"The language of students today, and the language of children today, in many cases involves the heavy use of technology. Not that they'd admit to that..."
Comments welcome!
-Dan
How's that for a provocative subject line?
Actually... it's not. But, sometimes something that really is simple gets overcomplicated... particularly when viewed from multiple perspectives. Personally, I see that happening with the concept of Software + Services... and I'd like to put a stop to that. Right now.
We (Microsoft) finally have a good definition for S+S up on MSDN: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/aa699384.aspx
"[Software + Services] is a combination of local software and Internet services interacting with one another. Software makes services better and services make software better. And by bringing together the best of both worlds, we maximize choice, flexibility and capabilities for our customers. We describe this evolutionary path in our industry as Software + Services."
That's it. Done.
It's actually not new... people have been doing this for years. Heck... the idea of Client/Server programming started all of this. The difference, today, is the availability of technologies that provide flexibility and real choice for what software to use, and when to use it... and what services to use, and when to use them.
At one point in time, you didn't really have much choice for the user experience... it was a desktop computer (usually Windows), with a Windows interface (even prior to that, 3270 terminals). When the Internet came along, we all got forced into the web browser/HTML experience... without many options for compelling UIs. Now we have plenty of options for client delivery - from cross platform desktop solutions, to mobile solutions, RIAs, to telephony and voice... you name it.
Similarly, the use of services in the past didn't provide much choice... first, the standards hadn't been in place to allow for broad-based service, then the idea of going outside the firewall was restricted, you have identity problems, the issues of hosting an environment with appropriate SLAs, etc. Net net: The technology just wasn't ready - and businesses weren't ready to bet on services.
We're at a juncture now where we have tremendous flexibility in both software and services, with technologies that are robust the proven enough to be valid platforms for business. The axes have intersected... the time is finally right.
So while we can listen to the architects talk about SOA, SAAS, SDPs, and Web 2.0, and the Developers pine about Live, Silverlight, Ajax, Mashups, and PopFly, and the infrastructure guys talk about outsourcing and infrastructure optimization, and the business guys talk about business process optimization, service provider licensing, and monetization... and know that there's a lot to it all - and that all of those things are encompassed in an S+S strategy... we shouldn't lose sight of the simplicity of Software + Services.
Software + Services is the flexibility to use what software you want, when and where you want to, and use what services you want, when and where you want to. It is a human discussion about how you and your organization choose to use software and services, and how you intend to provide software and services to others.
Oh... and incidentally, Microsoft is, by far, the best organization to provide an end-to-end platform for Software + Services. Our software strategy is well known... and with recent additions such as Silverlight, it only gets better. Our services strategy is new... and tremendous... a game changer (all of the Live Services, all of the Online Services, Virtual Earth, SQL Server Data Services, BizTalk Internet Service Bus, and more square footage of datacenter than any human can comprehend... and it's just the beginning). Of course, I'm biased... but even we biased people are right occasionally ;)
Any questions? Come see me at the Health & Life Science Developer & Solution Conference on April 22-24 in Atlantic City, NJ. For info, visit http://www.hlsdevcon.com
Look forward to seeing you there!
-Dan
April 22-24, Atlantic City, NJ (Sheraton Atlantic City)
Register today at: http://www.hlsdevcon.com
And book your room (time is running out for the reduced rate!) here: http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/microsoft08
Space is VERY limited... if you're in the HLS industry, you really, really don't want to miss this.
-Dan
There are a lot of fantastic uses for Microsoft Surface in the Healthcare industry... some more interesting than others... we'll be discussing and showing some of these at the HLS DevCon on April 22-24 in Atlantic City.
It's FREE - and the content is going to be absolutely amazing. If you're a developer, architect, or in charge of business solutions in the Health & Life Science industry... this will be the most valuable event you can go to all year (at least one of them).
http://www.hlsdevcon.com
You can see a list of the topics here: http://blogs.msdn.com/hlsdpe/pages/HLSDevCon2008Tracks.aspx
(more to come, too)
Make sure to book your HOTEL... we have discounted rates that expire soon!
-Dan
Had some requests for my PPT on Web 2.0 in the Enterprise (in this case, specifically the HLS Enterprise presentation that I did at the HLS DevCon last year with Ben Flock). Attached to this post...
-Dan
This video was sent to me by Dave Isbitski (http://blogs.msdn.com/davedev) a while ago, and I think it does a good job of demonstrating how students (and other 1985-ers) are speaking a different language than the rest of us. For more context, read my first blog here.
If we intend to reach them (either as educators or as providers of products and services), we need to change the way we communicate.
-Dan
A little musing on the topic of HealthVault and my previous post...
Comments welcome :)
-Dan
In my last blog, I discussed my perspective of what "Software + Services" means - to sum it up: coarsely grained business services that are interacted with via client applications (in some cases, multiple types of client applications). Gee... I should've kept it that brief on the first blog.
The best way to demonstrate S+S, though, is to look at a real example... and Microsoft just came out with a doozy: Microsoft HealthVault - www.HealthVault.com
Personally, I couldn't be more excited about about HealthVault as a Microsoft employee/evangelist as I think it can be a tremendous success, but even more so as a guy who values the health and wellness of his family. A solution like this is waaay too long in the coming.
First - let's outline the problem: Health and Medical information is everywhere... but nowhere.
That is, I can name dozens of organizations that know my most intimate details, but all of that information is completely locked up where I can't even get it. This makes it impossible for me to manage my own health effectively, and every time something new arises, I have to start over from the beginning.
In addition, whenever I visit a new doctor (and sometimes even when I visit the same one multiple times), I'm required to re-submit all of my personal information to them... usually in pencil on a fuzzy copy of a health history questionnaire loosely held on a wooden clipboard.
This is an utter waste of my time, not to mention embarrassing as I not only can't recall what year I had surgery... I can't even remember what decade it was. It's also humiliating as the other patients in the waiting room gaze over my shoulder to see my selections under "bowel disorders." I'm apt to leave the section blank no matter what... even if the information would be vital to the upcoming exam.
I contrast this to my financial situation... where I have access to every teeny detail of every cent I've ever earned or spent... along with tons of applications to aggregate this information, plenty of analyses to tell me how poor I am, etc. I have total transparency into my financial life... but no control over my personal health. That just never seemed right to me.
So a waste of time and incomplete, invalid information is a result of the current situation.
But it gets worse...
I'm responsible for my family's welfare... and one day it's possible I'll be in an emergency situation where I'll need to provide vital information about my children (allergies, weight, medical history, etc.). For someone like me who has trouble remembering his own blood type (B-positive... wait... maybe B-negative), this can be a real problem. Under tremendous pressure of the moment, I may forget or get it wrong... or I may not even be there to give them the information. In situations where seconds mean life or death, delays getting this information cannot be tolerated. But today... they are.
But wait... the problem is even worse than that.
Preventable in-hospital medical errors account for between about 100,000 and 200,000 deaths EVERY YEAR (source: HealthGrades and the Institute of Medicine) in the US.
That's about 400-500 people dying - EVERY DAY.
The estimated annual cost, in the US alone, of this problem is $6,000,000,000.
The statistic is absolutely stunning... note that these are PREVENTABLE medical errors. The majority of the "errors" fall into areas such as "failure to rescue" (i.e., not recognizing when a patient is at severe risk until it's too late) and post-op complication (like sepsis) risk management. There are also the stories of medication errors - which, arguably, are a smaller percentage (thanks, in part, to Computerized Prescriber Order Entry barcoding) - but are still serious.
The following quote is taken from the Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare site in their "What Really Ails Us" article (http://www.psqh.com/julaug05/ails.html) - emphasis is mine:
"Errors of omission, on the other hand, are errors that occur as a result of a step not taken or when an appropriate step is left out from a process. The traditional use of the phrase has referred to the omission of a diagnostic test, such as routine mammography at a certain age or failure to administer a form of prophylaxis or therapy, such as giving aspirin to a patient with a strong indication, such as an acute heart attack.
Yet, other deficiencies in care also represent errors of omission. Consider this scenario: a doctor making rounds can't find the clipboard with the vital signs and as a result, doesn't know that the patient had a fever the night before. That night an even higher fever spike occurs — the infection has now been untreated for another day — and the patient goes into septic shock, which might have been avoided if the patient had received prompt therapy."
With that in mind - it's clear that one way to help PREVENT these "preventable errors" is to provide more timely and accurate information about the patients, as well as better information about patient health trends and courses of action. This is strikingly apparent in the hospital scenario - but equally as important for the family practitioner as well as those who are managing their own health at home.
Which is my final point in this lengthy diatribe about the problems with Health information today. We have a generation of boomers who are fiercely independent and are entering the age where health issues are going to be a bigger concern. Many of these folks will want to care for themselves - and those who do a good job will likely remain healthier. Of course, they need the devices (bp monitors, etc.) and tools (recording, reporting and trend analysis tools) - as well as the expertise (i.e., understanding what it all means) to do it right.
Right now the devices are out there, the tools are out there, and the expertise is out there... but they're all totally disconnected. There's nothing that brings it all together and makes it easy for them... and that makes home health management difficult.
Lots of problems... one very good solution:
Enter: Microsoft HealthVault
From the Healthvault site (www.HealthVault.com):
| Microsoft HealthVault is a new personal health platform that lets you gather, store, and share health information online. With HealthVault, you control your own health records, so you can privately share your health information with family, friends, and health care professionals, and have access to trustworthy online health management tools. Microsoft HealthVault Search is a new health search for the Web that helps you to discover, learn, and act on answers to your health questions. |
Basically, HealthVault is a set of SERVICES for personal health information management, PLUS some SOFTWARE that interacts with those services to upload device data and allow people to easily manage their information.
The HealthVault site allows you to create an account, manage and share your information - as well as interact with PROGRAMS from other vendors (almost like plug-ins) for health management.
The HealthVault Connection Center is a rich client application that allows you to manage your information and connect to devices such as:
What's really cool about HealthVault is that it's not just for uploading, storing, and sharing information... it's for actively USING the data via programs. Some examples of HealthVault partner programs include:
- American Heart Association - allows you directly take your data from HealthVault and track your blood pressure
- CapMed's ICEPHR - allows you to make your HealthVault data to healthcare providers available in case of emergency (ICE)
- PureWellness - allows you to perform online health risk assessments and leverage wellness tools with your HealthVault information
- Many more (Programs Directory: http://www.healthvault.com/applications/index.htm?rmproc=true)
In a nutshell, Microsoft HealthVault is a SOFTWARE + SERVICE solution that that allows you to:
- Upload your health data,
- Store this information securely
- Share the information
- Connect with other systems and programs
- USE your information to better manager your health.
Oh - and FINALLY... and probably most importantly to developers like me... HealthVault is open to developers.
This is great for developers in companies small and large (or hey - maybe even a great opportunity to start a new company) - as it will allow you to participate in this market and leverage the capabilities in HealthVault for your own solutions.
HealthVault provides the SERVICES... you can provide additional SERVICES for developers and consumers, or you can build some SOFTWARE that consumers and businesses can use to interact with HealthVault.
In summary:
- Microsoft HealthVault is a great example of Software + Services
- HealthVault can be a large part of the solution to making health information available in a secure, manageable way... and this will greatly improve the quality of healthcare, reduce preventable deaths, and help those who manage their health at home succeed
- HealthVault is open to developers - and represents a great business opportunity for those looking to build SOFTWARE for health information management, or SERVICES that provide additional value to businesses and consumers
Personally, I hope that all of my health providers and insurance companies get deeply involved with HealthVault, it'll make my life a lot easier... and healthier. In the meantime, I'm going to search the web to see if I can figure out what my blood type really is...
-Dan
I've been having a lot of discussions on Software + Services lately, both inside and outside of Microsoft (nothing lights up a dinner party like some witty tech banter, I always say). Invariably, I find that merely agreeing on the definition of S+S is somewhat of a challenge... so I'm compelled to try to force one on the public...
First, let's start with the comparison between S+S and Software As A Service (SAAS). I've seen both terms overloaded and confused with each other... and we (the software industry) need to figure out if we intend these terms to mean the same thing - or not. Personally, I believe we can make a strong distinction.
In my view, SAAS defines applications that have zero footprint at the client - and are delivered through some kind of remote execution means... whether that's a web interface, rdp session, or other kind of remote terminal. The idea is that the software itself is completely hosted, managed, and delivered by an external entity AS A "SERVICE" - and there is very little infrastructure required for those using this "service." Thus, the technology focus for SAAS is purely at the hoster/aggregator - such as how to implement a solid service delivery platform (SDP), etc.
Certainly there is validity to that model - specifically for businesses that don't need direct integration between their core business processes and the software they use. In small business scenarios, where there are few, if any, existing internal systems and business processes are still fairly simple it can be seen as a slam-dunk. In larger businesses, it's getting attention because of the minimization of support infrastructure.
There are also drawbacks to SAAS - primarily related to the need to customize the platform and integrate it with the core business processes. As organizations become larger, more complex, more regulated, and differentiated in their field - the ROI of SAAS solutions may no longer be realized, and such solutions may actually inhibit growth. Fred Chong and Gianpaolo Carraro have a good article on SAAS in the Enterprise where they outline some of the political, technical, financial, and legal considerations (as well as the benefits, of course) - http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/aa905332.aspx.
Software + Services, S+S, is similar to SAAS in many respects. It requires a hosting infrastructure that is multi-tenant and provides core business functions to clients from this "cloud." However, unlike SAAS, the "services" provided are not the whole ball of wax.
In SAAS, the solution delivers just about everything: the user interface as well as most or all of the business services. In S+S, the SERVICES provided are essentially "coarsely grained business functions" that, alone, only make up part of the solution. To complete the picture, additional SOFTWARE is needed to aggregate the services and present them in a usable way to users.
Thus, with S+S, you have the same technical considerations around implementing a reliable service delivery platform, as well as considerations of the SOFTWARE that leverages your services (development, deployment, management, etc.).
Now you may say to yourself, "gee... that sounds like a more complex model than SAAS"... and I can understand that. I view the complexity as a wash, though - as efficient software may ameliorate some of the challenges you may encounter on the hosting side (i.e., the software can do a lot of the work that is challenging to the service platform).
The benefits to S+S come in the capability to be more modular in implementation - which allows easier integration with complex business processes and a better opportunity to provide functional, productive user interfaces. That is, you can implement S+S in a way that molds to your business and users - rather than forcing your business and users to conform to your service platform (as is often seen in SAAS models).
In addition, S+S provides a great environment for aggregate business models where several organizations provide disparate services and several other organizations provide the software that provides user interfaces and aggregation of the services. As an ISV or other participant is this ecosystem, you can focus on delivering the best-of-breed functionality based on your competencies, rather than trying to deliver absolutely everything your clients will need.
Example: A community/blogging engine (like Telligent's Community Server http://communityserver.org/) can provide a complete SAAS solution, where it's hosted externally and provides a complete, end-to-end solution for a business need (in this case, community management). However, just using that solution as SAAS sometimes is less than desirable (for example, many people don't like the web based blogging tools)... so most platforms expose modular services that can be augmented with SOFTWARE... such as Windows Live Writer (http://get.live.com/betas/writer_betas), which I'm currently using, to provide a better experience.
Thus, the combination of Microsoft Live Writer and Community Server is: Software + Services.
The concept of Software + Services isn't really new... what's new is the clear focus on providing solid platforms to host and run services (SDPs), which was brought in by the wave of interest in SAAS, as well as many of the new client development technologies that can be used to provide extremely compelling user experiences without a significant impact on the client infrastructure (such as .NET and Silverlight). Basically, we've reached a point where it can be done well by just about everyone using the right technologies and architectural best practices.
In summary:
- Software + Services is the combination of SOFTWARE, typically running on a client machine, and coarsely-grained business services that are hosted and managed separately. (in a way, you can think of S+S as an extension on SAAS that allows you to provide more modular and flexible services via the addition of software to your solution)
- As businesses develop more robust service delivery platforms, they will be able to provide more and more value to customers via services - in both SAAS and S+S scenarios.
- Client development platforms, such as Office 2007, .NET, and Silverlight allow businesses to provide a great software complement to their business services in ways that are very amenable to the market. That is - if you're considering building or purchasing an SAAS solution, it really makes sense to also consider how S+S might be a fit.
There's some good material on S+S and SAAS up on the MSDN Architecture center - http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/architecture/aa699384.aspx - S+S/SAAS Architecture Center. Fred and Gianpaolo are doing a great job there.
Incidentally, my initial idea for the cartoon involved a brothel, but I thought that it'd be best to keep things PG-13. Comments and other ideas are always welcome.
-Dan
ps. please keep in mind these are my perspectives on S+S and SAAS, for formal Microsoft positioning, please see the MSDN architecture center referenced above
I never thought I'd say this, but I've fallen out of the mainstream - at least in the area of social computing and Internet use. I look around at all of the technology implementations that are serious parts of the everyday lives of a large portion of the population, and I find myself saying: "I don't get it."
But at least I understand why I don't get it... it's directly related to technology adoption. According to the theory of diffusion, and in Everett Rogers 1962 book "Diffusion of Innovations," there are five categories/stages of technology adopters:
- innovators (2.5%)
- early adopters (13.5%)
- early majority (34%)
- late majority (34%)
- laggards (16%)
This results in a bell curve of overall adoption over time, and an S-Curve for cumulative adoption. That is, adoption starts slowly, rapidly rises through saturation, and then levels off.
I, and most of us in the technology field, likely fall into the innovators and early adopters range. There was a time where we were lower on the adoption S-Curve, and people like me were still a large percentage of computer and internet users. It's clear that adoption has rapidly moved past that, however, and the other 85% has taken over.
We're treading near the top of the S-Curve - with even the laggards beginning to join the adoption masses, and this broad adoption has changed the dynamic of computing so much that it can, at times, be difficult for those in the early-adoption group to relate.
My term for this is the "1985 effect." Statistics from the US Census show that people born after 1985 have a much higher percentage of use than those born earlier. This difference is not just a slight one - in 2003, computer usage for those born in 1985 was close to 100%, whereas those born only 5-7 years earlier is 75-80%. 20-25% difference is a pretty big deal.
This makes a lot of sense - those born in 1985 entered a world where the PC was fairly ubiquitous - they never experienced a time where computers weren't readily available for all. This is in contrast to prior generations, who clearly remember the era before computers. Most of "us" (those born before 1985) can remember when we got our first computer... those born after 1985, can't. To them, computers were always there.
In addition, the development of self identity and one's social network typically occurs right around adolesence (11-13 years) - and that means that those born in 1985 would begin this development right around 1996-1998. What's notable about that timeframe? It's precisely when Internet technology and adoption exploded in the public. Thus - these adolescents, who have always grown up with computers and who are just starting to build their peer groups, suddenly have a method of social networking that had be unavailable to previous generations.
I draw rough analogies to the adoption of other technologies and their effect on social networking - such as the telephone, which is pretty obvious, and the automobile (i.e., cars). Cars are an interesting consideration, as it's a bit more difficult to see the direct social impact vs. the telephone, but the parallel to computers and the Internet and social computing is obvious (IMO).
In an historical view of the postwar US (1950s and 1960s), it's very clear that cars became a significant part of the social culture - particularly in the adolescent and teen groups. Keep in mind that this wasn't always the case... the American Automobile Association was originally founded in 1902 to change the significant negative perceptions about automobiles and promote their use and development. But by the 1950s or so, adoption had finally reached the top of the S-Curve, and the to the growing young population, cars were "always there" (as the personal computer and the Internet were "always there" to those born after 1985 - I call this "social ubiquity").
At the same time, the rapid population growth and the rise of suburban sprawl provided challenges to adolescents and teens who were developing their social networks - and the benefit of having an automobile became very apparent. Cars allowed people to see more friends, build a broader network, and engage in more activities - and thus became a vital part of the developing social culture. To put it crudely - if you had a car, it was easier to get a date, both from a status standpoint as well as a practical one. Songs were written about cars, movies about cars were released, drive-in theater and restaurants were built, and automobile manufacturers shifted design and production to appeal to this emotional/social connection.
There was likely a group of early adopters at this time who merely saw cars as vehicles with parts and engines... and their focus was on how to more horsepower get out of their engine because they knew that, scientifically, they could improve things with just a few tweaks. They didn't even entertain the idea of the car improving their social status, and, quite frankly, didn't understand what everyone was getting all excited about. The concept of seeing a movie from inside a car was ridiculous.
Well, that's how I feel sometimes. At times I find myself asking "People really do that??" when I learn of new models of internet socialization. People really log into Twitter and post information about what they're doing at points through the day? Even the most mundane things? Sometimes several times a day? Really??
One of my favorite examples is the "Who is sick" site (www.whoissick.org) - where people actually go up and post whatever illness ails them on a particular day (and then it's mapped out nicely so the rest of us can see where not to go this weekend). I simply cannot comprehend what drives someone to take the time to do this on the Internet... who would even WANT this information. Of course, I wasn't born after 1985. I took cursory look at several of the posts, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the majority were placed by people who are 20-25 years old.
However, if you really think about it... how do most people typically greet each other today?
Answer: Hi Dan! How are you? (provided your name is Dan)
Culturally, concern about the health of others is ingrained into us all... my disconnect is merely the new ways that people are choosing to communicate this information.
This is a common disconnect that I see with a lot of people in my "techology age group"... we have a hard time relating to the class of user that is rapidly becoming the majority in the PC/Internet space. Our reasons for using the technology are different and our expectations for the technology are different - and that creates a potential problem... those of us who have the job of building systems that impact customers and grow business may be completely out of touch with how to do it right.
Those who "get it" will be able to find much more success with this inevitable communications model. Social success is clear - kids already measure themselves on the size of their MySpace friends network. Is it possible that someone who has a "cooler" internet presence might find it easier to get a date? To folks like me, that used to seem like a laughable juxtaposition... but I now realize that the chances are this really is the case today. If you're trying to build a social network today and you're not using these new communications tools, you're just as disadvantaged as those without cars back in the 1950s and 1960s.
Not that I'm trying to build a network for social reasons today (really, I'm not... I still say that a 40-ish year old guy with a Myspace account is a bit creepy). However there are networks that I need to build in order to be successful - business networks, political networks, etc. The same mechanisms and tools can and are being used for them as well - and if I, and you, are not taking advantage of them, we will be at a competitive disadvantage.
In addition, those 1985ers are just now entering the wage-earning workforce. They will be our employees, co-workers, and our consumers. If we want to be successful with them, we better understand what communications mechanisms are best and what their overall expectations are.
To reiterate: If you still "don't get" all the bluster around social networking and Web 2.0, it's in your best interest, and the best interest of your business to figure it out. Failing to do so will put you at a disadvantage to your competitors, and doing it correctly will situate you very well in the future.
To make it easier for myself, and hopefully those of you who are similarly challenged, I put together a list of expectations that seem common to the 1985ers:
Dan Kasun's Rules for appealing to the new masses (Dan Kasun Rules for Web 2.0):
- Frictionless entry
- Must be fundamentally simple to access and enroll
- Appropriate fidelity
- From simple to high-fidelity. Don't make it fancier than it should be, but make sure you are leveraging the right technology (like Silverlight) to make the user experience a compelling one
- “It just works” (i.e., it doesn’t suck - a quote from David Platt's book). Remember that those who use your solution have a completely different perspective than you. Build for them, not for you.
- Easily personalized
- Everyday person becomes a “developer” - whether they know it or not
- Provide an Information cycle
- Allow people to store, retrieve, modify, communicate (share, provide feedback). All of them. The communicate part is the most challenging... not only do I want to look at my credit card statement online, I want to be able to add posts about each charge and possibly share with my wife.
- Networked/syndicated
- Provide the capability to flow in and out to other systems (RSS is a great start, of course)
- Allow others to provide incremental value as they leverage your work in a broader implementation
- Collective and democratic
- Give people power over content. Implement ratings on everything. Participate in the broader visibility programs like Digg and Technorati.
- Rapid change
- Users don’t just tolerate change, they DEMAND it
- Zero tolerance for downtime
- This is a fun one... particularly with the previous point of rapid change. A fluid environment that is 24x7? Yep. Why should anyone expect less (keep in mind these folks really don't care about technology)
And here's my GOLDEN RULE OF WEB 2.0: EVERY application is a Web 2.0 application.
The above rules should apply to all solutions that you build. I believe it is wrong to consider it separately, as that will provide an excuse to not focus on the above requirements for not-so-labeled solutions. The masses have the same expectations of everything they use with respect to computers and the Internet, and they certainly won't give a hoot if it's labeled "Web 2.0" or not. Neither should we.
Those expectations are very difficult to meet - almost impossible. Just the "rapid change + 24x7 uptime" seems like a showstopper. But my mantra has always been "It's SOFTWARE, you can do anything.*" so I have hope (* provided you have enough time and money).
I still believe in that mantra - but I also realize that no one has endless time and unlimited money. How are we supposed to build these kinds of solutions now that our users have upped the expectation-ante exponentially in a way that allows us to deliver a positive ROI in a short period of time?
Good software, a solid technology infrastructure, and great architects and developers are the best start, of course. Microsoft has some excellent technologies here that will get you well on your way - including Windows as a platform, the .NET frameworks, Visual Studio, Expression, SQL Server, BizTalk, Office, MOSS, Silverlight, etc.
But it won't be enough (ack! A Microsoft guys claiming that they can't do it all!)...
We need more than just software to get the job done - we need comprehensive SERVICES that provide core functionality that is easily accessible and integratable into our solutions. These SERVICES will do some of the heavy-lifting, obviating the need to develop the infrastructure and the code to provide such functionality. The SERVICES could be something as horizontal to providing unlimited storage or a blogging engine, to something more vertically specialized, such as providing ratings for credit applications or processing health insurance claims.
The solution to meeting the nearly impossible expectations of the masses in a Web 2.0 world is SOFTWARE + SERVICES (S+S).
What's nice about this model is that it provides some real opportunity in the industry - those looking to quickly build solutions as well as those looking to provide integrated services. S+S is flexible enough to work in just about any scenario - and will let businesses decide the model that is most appropriate for their target customes (as opposed to Software as a service, SaaS, which forces a model).
To that end, Microsoft has also been ramping up the SERVICES that we provide to solution developers via Microsoft Windows Live - some of the notable ones include:
- Silverlight Streaming
- Windows Live Photos
- Windows Live Contacts
- Virtual Earth
- Windows Live Search
- Windows Live ID
- Windows Live Custom Domains
- Windows Live Messenger
- Windows Live Spaces
- Windows Live Writer
In addition, there are many SDKs and tools that make integrating these services fairly simple. The best place for more information is MSDN, of course: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/live/default.aspx
In summary:
- The concepts behind Web 2.0 are merely reflections of the mass expectations now that the personal computer and Internet have reached the level of "social ubiquity."
- It is absolutely vital that those of us in the business of providing solutions understand these expectations and build to them, as this population is the growing majority, and it will only get better (or worse, depending on your perspective).
- We should consider these expectations in all solutions we build - and recognize that meeting them is a monumental task.
- The best plan for success is to leverage the capabilities provided by SOFTWARE as well as the functionality provided by SERVICES (S+S).
I'll continue to write about S+S here, provided I'm successful at reprogramming my outdated, yet ingrained, social patterns. Of course, if I'm successful I may be deemed so socially attractive that I'll have to fight off the papparazzi, and I'm not sure I need that. Maybe I'll just buy a vintage 1955 Chrysler 300...
-Dan
