This week's post is brief, as I'll be leading a webcast on Thursday, December 13th. You can sign up for it here. I thought I'd write about some of the issues that are  on my mind and that I plan to discuss on Thursday.

Do you think social computing is important? I do and I suspect that most of you do as well. Going forward, I bekieve that elements of social computing will be a part of most websites and web applications. It is leveling the playing field and becoming a key strategic focus for many businesses.

You may be surprised to learn that only 5% of IT workers polled by Information Week thought social computing was important to their businesses. Blogs fared only slightly better at 13%. By and large, however, the IT professionals dismissed the importance of Web 2.0 to business.

I think this is a serious strategic error and a real misread of how the web is evolving. I believe that almost every website will be concerned with communication and community in some form. To be successful in this area will be difficult for some businesses where relationships and relationship management is not a core competence. Yet Web 2.0 will be impossible to ignore.

Web 2.0 is largly about community and relationship. People-centric thinking is basic to both usability professionals and business analysts. Our role has always been about connecting people with technology.  This suggests a considerable emerging opportunity. How should we prepare?

To be continued on Thursday...

Charlie