McKinsey: Companies Remain Wary of Web 2.0

Despite what some of you might think, I am not trying to be the single bearish voice among all the live streaming giddiness that is Web 2.0 Expo week. The signs of over enthusiasm - at times my own included - are however piling up in my RSS reader. Once again, it all comes back to economics. It's good to take a step back and look at the reality. It helps us move forward.

According to a thoroughly researched report from the McKisney management consulting firm, executives are wary of investing in Web 2.0 initiatives. The reason continues to remain fear. This goes beyond a willingness to engage in blogs. It also extends to internal wikis. The enterprise is afraid of letting go of the command and control structure.

That said, there is investment. McKinsey says that money is following web services. I wonder if RSS is beating out other initiatives.

The story also notes that a generational gap between Gen X/millennials and the older guard could be at play here too.

The marketing environment has changed, without a doubt. However, it has not done so enough to force everyone yet to adapt how they communicate. Over time they will. It just is going to take longer than we would all like.

This is a big part of what motivates me and why I love my job at Edelman. We have a long road ahead of us to help big companies get over their fears and see the value in participating in the conversation. I am with the right company to make this happen quickly.

Remember, lots of prognosticators and pundits were ahead of their time in the 1.0 era too. The reality was back then that we needed more people on broadband. Every exuberant time brings with it projections that go too far. Some of that is here today. That doesn't mean that there hasn't been a shift.