Jasper Odijk

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Object of the future

The future is here, we just need to know where to look


1. Virtual Communities

New

http://www.oho.com/images/wc_virtual_img.jpg

The internet is the biggest network ever created by human beings. It enables people from all over the world to reach a large audience in just a few mouse-clicks. Virtual communities came into being because of the natural need of people to interact. The term virtual communities can be defined as online environments in which people with common interests, values, opinions, etc. can socially interact. In The Virtual Communitiy written by Howard Rheingold virtual communities are defined as "social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace."(1)

Virtual communities come in many forms, but it basically enables people to do almost anything they could do in real live, without being physically involved. Some virtual communities, like Taatu for example, go as far as creating virtual worlds in which people can live a virtual life. Virtual communities provide people with an enormous amount of freedom, opportunities, possibilities and liveliness, while still guaranteeing a certain degree of anonymity. This is for many people a fascinating and irresistible force which attracts them to get involved and be a part of virtual communities. For many people, virtual communities provide an additional dimension to life, because in this virtual world people don't judge you on how you look, but just accept you for who you are and what you say.

Virtual communities are considered a vital aspect of the Web 2.0 concept, which depends upon social interaction and exchange between users online. An important philosophy behind web 2.0 is that it is a social phenomenon referring to an approach to creating and distributing Web content itself, characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and "the market as a conversation". Virtual communities are essentially driving forces for Web 2.0. It is essentially characterized by virtual communities such as:

- Flickr: A virtual community for sharing digital photos,
- Hyves: A social network popular amongst Dutch students,
- Last.fm: An online community and music recommendation service based on profiling techniques,
- Del.icio.us: A social bookmarking service for sharing bookmarks,
- Habbo Hotel: a virtual community that combines the concept of both a chat room and online game in which people live a virtual life,
- openBC : a social networking service for business professionals.

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Change

Virtual communities provide people with the opportunity to interact with likeminded individuals instantaneously from anywhere on the globe. It empowers the individual and provides an outlet for the 'voice of the voiceless'. The possibilities are endless: chatting, 'living' in a virtual world, sharing your views & opinions with the world, building social- or business networks, and so on.

Basically, virtual communities give people the opportunity to share whatever they want with the world, while guaranteeing a certain degree of anonymity. It will change the way people interact with each other.

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References

(1) Howard Rheingold's The Virtual Community
(2) Wikipedia's article on virtual communities
(3) Habbo Hotel: A Dutch virtual community for teenagers
(4) Taatu: A virtual community for teenagers
(5) The Well: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
(6) Flickr
(7) Hyves
(8) Last.fm
(9) Del.icio.us
(10) openBC

2. IT Dashboards

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http://www.22rood.nl/stuff/dashboard.gif

IT Dashboards are visual operational tools used to monitor key business indicators. Managers use dashboards to get a bird's-eye view of all critical business information in real time. Basically, key business data is pulled from one or several corporate software system(s) and presented in an easy-to-read graphical overview. Managers can see whether the organization is performing according to the objectives and track changes in the business environment instantly. They can use the information presented on the dashboard as a basis for quick decisions. Dashboards enable executives to more conscious decision-making, because they can base their decisions on real-time data. Many dashboards are web-based which makes the key business information available to managers anywhere at any time. Dashboards can also be used for various other applications varying from operational management planning and control to tools for the monitoring of customer-service processes.

IT dashboard are a perfect example of how ICT can be a fundamental element of the strategy of organizations. With IT dashboards it is possible to align business operations through information technology. It deals with the application of IT in business processes enabling for optimization, differentiation or cost-saving. Furthermore, they are developed in such a way that they are wide-applicable, cost-efficient and easy to employ (i.e. interoperatable).

Dashboards will deliver the following benefits:
1. It’s a summary, concise overview (allowing to focus on performance at the high level, with the ability to zoom into issues)
2. It’s real time
3. They integrate data from different standalone systems into an at-one-glance overview

Replace

IT Dashboards will replace the numerous reports which organizations gather from their various software systems. These reports are often delivered to executives in paper form, because that is the easiest way to bundle reports from different systems. Furthermore, they will replace many current reporting tools, as they have the ability to integrate realtime data from several standalone systems.

Change

The biggest change dashboard technology will bring, is that it will give organizations the ability to base management-decisions on realtime integrated data. This will allow for much more grounded and precise forecasting.

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References

|1| Ante, S.E., McGregor, J. Giving the Boss The Big Picture. Business Week. 2006. Issue 3971, p48-51.
|2| Retrieved May 8, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_performance_indicator
|3| William Hoffman. The view from 50,000 feet. 2004. PM Network, Issue 27.
|4| David Parmenter. A Balanced Scorecard for the board. 2004.