Web 2.0 for the Maintenance Professional Part 1
The term Web 2.0 was introduced with the Web 2.0 Conference (Summit) by John Battelle of O’Reilly Media. It relates to a collaborative web in which all of the participants work together to build applications and information exchange. For instance a Wiki (ie: Wikipedia.com) is a collaboration of information from general editors in order to provide collaborative information. Tools such as Google, Google Tools, etc., and eBay, Amazon, and the like are all variations of Web 2.0 systems, along with blogs, Twitter, and more. Basically, provides a means for everyone to provide and have access to information from technical to personal and from research to games.
Just as with any of the public tools that have been issued over time, sales and marketing quickly takes its place and it is easy to become inundated with massive amounts of information that are not useful. Or, such things as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social network programs come along and can sap away time, energy and useful work, if not carefully managed. In the worst cases, there are people who seem to be, literally, addicted to social networking.
As part of writing this short piece and to investigate the usefulness of Web 2.0 systems, I have been observing LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, and a few other forums and social networking systems over the past little while and I am the Web Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE DEIS Web, which is set up to be a Web 2.0 system (http://www.ieee.org/go/deis). The adventure has been interesting and I continue to study the Web 2.0 concepts to see where it can be used to the advantage of my readership on here, on the IEEE DEIS Web, and for new business/research, etc.
So, how can a collaborative internet system be useful to the reliability and maintenance community?
Well, let’s start with search engines. Contrary to popular belief, the sites that make it to the top of the list in such engines as Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others actually start with the highest views and clicks. How some of these companies that offer to put you at the top of the list do is run software engines that just keep re-searching your web pages so that they get higher ranking. The search engine companies work to counter those techniques and the other companies try to find ways around it. The result is the challenge of finding non-commercial information on the particular subject you are looking for. So, for instance, if you search ‘MCSA’ (Motor Current Signature Analysis) on Google, you will notice that the first so many pages are dedicated to a Microsoft training program, and related classes, consulting and so on. Now, if you clarify your search to state ‘Motor Current Signature Analysis,’ then your results come back with results related to the subject.
Forums and blogs are interesting areas for information. What you have to remember in these cases is that the information is not edited by anyone. That means that you have to watch for accurate statements, etc. and specific commercial attempts at providing misinformation, something that the general news media has not really been able to do, either. Does this mean forums and blogs are not effective? No, but it does mean that you will want to verify the information before you implement or present such things as fact. The primary usefulness of forums and blogs is to provide a means to collaborate with others, or see others’ opinions, on specific matters that can point you in a direction or provide options that can be explored. The danger, as with the next topic, is that many people believe that if something is in writing than it must be true. That would be correct in the past, when people reviewed information through a third party before it went to print, but with today’s rapid fire responses and urgency to be seen as first, facts are not checked. Some very bad information can get out very quickly.
Wiki’s are similar to forum and blogs in that a community of people will update and edit information on a specific topic. The danger is that rumor, old wives tales, and incorrect facts can be included in such editing as most wiki’s are not policed except by the community. The concept is that a community mind is smarter and more able to police itself than individual researchers. This is mostly true, but should be dealt with from the standpoint of understanding that it is possible that when you present facts from such wiki’s, you might be put on the spot. Basically, verify your research.
Online tools, such as those provided directly from vendors to customers and vice-versa, can be a powerful means of improving communication and insight as to the health of your system. For instance, in the electric motor repair and electronics repair industry, a number of companies will provide you the ability to view information on your equipment that has been through the process, identify where a repair is in a process, and other valuable information for planning and RCFA.
Originally, I was planning a single article on this subject, but realized that it deserves a far more in-depth review and concepts and ideas of how you can use the internet and Web 2.0 systems effectively for your work. In particular, how to get through the fluff of advertising and marketing. So, we will take each system one step at a time with the greatest opportunity for you to use Web 2.0 for your advantage – systems such as YouTube.
These systems are not just for social networking, sales and marketing, but can be extremely effective for everything from training to information and strategy.
Just as with any of the public tools that have been issued over time, sales and marketing quickly takes its place and it is easy to become inundated with massive amounts of information that are not useful. Or, such things as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social network programs come along and can sap away time, energy and useful work, if not carefully managed. In the worst cases, there are people who seem to be, literally, addicted to social networking.
As part of writing this short piece and to investigate the usefulness of Web 2.0 systems, I have been observing LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, and a few other forums and social networking systems over the past little while and I am the Web Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE DEIS Web, which is set up to be a Web 2.0 system (http://www.ieee.org/go/deis). The adventure has been interesting and I continue to study the Web 2.0 concepts to see where it can be used to the advantage of my readership on here, on the IEEE DEIS Web, and for new business/research, etc.
So, how can a collaborative internet system be useful to the reliability and maintenance community?
Well, let’s start with search engines. Contrary to popular belief, the sites that make it to the top of the list in such engines as Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others actually start with the highest views and clicks. How some of these companies that offer to put you at the top of the list do is run software engines that just keep re-searching your web pages so that they get higher ranking. The search engine companies work to counter those techniques and the other companies try to find ways around it. The result is the challenge of finding non-commercial information on the particular subject you are looking for. So, for instance, if you search ‘MCSA’ (Motor Current Signature Analysis) on Google, you will notice that the first so many pages are dedicated to a Microsoft training program, and related classes, consulting and so on. Now, if you clarify your search to state ‘Motor Current Signature Analysis,’ then your results come back with results related to the subject.
Forums and blogs are interesting areas for information. What you have to remember in these cases is that the information is not edited by anyone. That means that you have to watch for accurate statements, etc. and specific commercial attempts at providing misinformation, something that the general news media has not really been able to do, either. Does this mean forums and blogs are not effective? No, but it does mean that you will want to verify the information before you implement or present such things as fact. The primary usefulness of forums and blogs is to provide a means to collaborate with others, or see others’ opinions, on specific matters that can point you in a direction or provide options that can be explored. The danger, as with the next topic, is that many people believe that if something is in writing than it must be true. That would be correct in the past, when people reviewed information through a third party before it went to print, but with today’s rapid fire responses and urgency to be seen as first, facts are not checked. Some very bad information can get out very quickly.
Wiki’s are similar to forum and blogs in that a community of people will update and edit information on a specific topic. The danger is that rumor, old wives tales, and incorrect facts can be included in such editing as most wiki’s are not policed except by the community. The concept is that a community mind is smarter and more able to police itself than individual researchers. This is mostly true, but should be dealt with from the standpoint of understanding that it is possible that when you present facts from such wiki’s, you might be put on the spot. Basically, verify your research.
Online tools, such as those provided directly from vendors to customers and vice-versa, can be a powerful means of improving communication and insight as to the health of your system. For instance, in the electric motor repair and electronics repair industry, a number of companies will provide you the ability to view information on your equipment that has been through the process, identify where a repair is in a process, and other valuable information for planning and RCFA.
Originally, I was planning a single article on this subject, but realized that it deserves a far more in-depth review and concepts and ideas of how you can use the internet and Web 2.0 systems effectively for your work. In particular, how to get through the fluff of advertising and marketing. So, we will take each system one step at a time with the greatest opportunity for you to use Web 2.0 for your advantage – systems such as YouTube.
These systems are not just for social networking, sales and marketing, but can be extremely effective for everything from training to information and strategy.
Labels: maintenance, rcfa, research, web 2.0
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