Analysis and Debate of the Impact of Web 2.0
Barcelona (ES), July 2012 - The second BCN MEETING international conference, organised by the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) and the Pompeu Fabra (UPC), looked at Social e·xperiences. The meeting focused on analysis and debate of the impact of web 2.0 and information technologies in the fields of communication, eLearning, and public relations.
It involved experts such as Steve Wheeler, from Plymouth University, W. Timothy Coombs and Sherry J. Holladay, from the University of Central Florida, and Christy Dena, director of Universe Creation 101.
The "digital skills" of people who have been born and have grown up alongside the new technologies, the so-called digital natives, have transformed their ways of learning. According to Steve Wheeler, "We consume, produce, mix, and share from birth. But ICTs are changing the way we do so and thus changing the way we learn".
Wheeler stated that, alongside the traditional academic support, digital natives spontaneously incorporate support from the social networks and the technical resources they have access to (web, mobile, video, etc.), contrasting and discussing their findings in a collaborative environment. This means that the educational community has to reassess its role in the teaching and learning process.
Likewise, it is important that companies be aware of these changes and make effective use of these tools in their relationships with consumers. With this in mind, Coombs highlighted some of the risks that companies face if they do not use digital platforms properly and talked about how they should respond to attacks on their reputation arising on the web. During the Conference, there was also discussion of the new methods organisations can employ to self-assess their 2.0 presence.
Christy Dena, expert in transmedia content, said that "The barriers between formats and technologies are disappearing, and we will end up using transmedia content to learn, work, play, create, etc.". One example of this kind of project is The Hunt, a game designed for the sales force at the multinational CISCO to improve their sales skills and reinforce corporate identity. It is a multiplatform game (web, blog, mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) with action taking place all over the world and even taking into account the different time zones.
This international conference, the only one of its kind held in Spain, brought together participants from nineteen countries and five continents.
