BBC embraces Web 2.0

Further evidence that Web 2.0 may be more then just a passing phenomenon.

The BBC today unveiled radical plans to rebuild its website around user-generated content, including blogs and home videos, with the aim of creating a public service version of MySpace.com.
three-pronged approach to refocus all future BBC digital output and services around three concepts – “share”, “find” and “play”.
“BBC iPlayer is going to offer catch-up television up to seven days after transmission,” said Mr Highfield. “At any time you will be able to download any programme from the eight BBC channels and watch it on your PC and, we hope, move it across to your TV set or down to your mobile phone to watch it when you want.”

As OM Malik sais, “the BBC is betting the farm on user generated content”. Interesting to see how it develops.

Taking a Break

I was going to try and do a post on property website proposals this weekend, but I'm not really happy with what I've got. I think I may have been overambitious in my expectations. Anyway, for personal reasons I don't think I can commit enough energy to this project, so I am going to take a break from it for a while. I will continue doing some posts on the blog, but they will be more lightweight posts than essays. Apologies if i raised expectations.

Web 2.0 isnt just about commerce

Interesting Article on merits of using Web 2.0 within Science.

Shoot the middleman?

I suggested in a previous post that I was going to talk about the idea of developing a property website using google mashups. At first, I was reluctant to use this as a business idea, as property sites are not a very exciting subject, I guess, for developers. As a business idea, I want something that not only has the potential to make money, but also an idealistic side to it, so that people will be motivated to stick with it. I think such projects have the most potential for bringing people on board in the kind of collaborative framework that I suggested in my Web 2 Association post.

Then I thought, what if we were to try and subvert the conventional model of property website development. Property sites typically are owned by Estate agents or by companies who work in partnership with estate agents. While they provide the consumer with some convenience regarding the searching of property, they don't really challenge the high commissions charged by Estate Agents in any significant way.

If you look at the Travel industry, and the disintermediation brought about by online travel booking engines, resulting in lower commissions for the travel agents and lower prices for the consumer, one wonders why something similar doesn't happen in the property market. Some of you might point out that booking a flight is not the same as buying a house, in terms of financial risk. People are less likely to take a chance when buying a house? This is true to an extent, but I'm not totally convinced. Look at online investing. There are a lot of online brokers today that specialise in low commission transactions (eg Ameritrade). They provide the basic functionality to trade to the consumer without any intermediary advice from a broker. These companies are flourishing, which suggests to me that a lot more people have the confidence to do things for themselves when it comes to investing large sums of money, then we imagine.

Having done a little bit of research on whats happening in the States, this does seem to be the trend. Charline Li of Forrester Research has reviewed some of the latest property sites and comes to this conclusion:

Overall, I believe all of these tools are still in their infancy. Realtors have by and large embraced using technologies like email and digital photography to update their business practices. But the central premise of realtors and also of the MLS is that they control the data, and hence, the process and the power. But as tools like Zillow tap into public databases – and more importantly, into the information that consumers themselves enter, that power will pass into the hands of the real estate consumer communities. This is yet another example of social computing taking its toll on traditional business models.

I am going to suggest a number of possible application models, many of them involving some form of disintermediation, over the next few posts. When I finish each post I will paste them into the Web 2.0 (the word that dare not speak its name) wiki and if people are interested they can add or subtract as they see fit.

I guess its fair to say that house prices are one of the top 3 problems in Ireland today. So I guess the idealistic goal, would be to bring down real estate commission rates and empower consumers more in the buying and selling process.

Bear in mind that I am only trying to set a conversation in motion here. If people are interested in it will take wings hopefully, else on to the next hairbrained idea. This is not meant to be market research or a definitive proposal for a business start up.