Wherein I claim that Web 2.0 makes my data less
accessible while providing me with more freedom.
Dion Hinchcliffe’s post The Best Web 2. 0 Software of 2005 got
me thinking about how these offerings have changed the way I work, what they
enable and how they limit me.
I use a variety of new web applications to create and store information. Software and services like 37signals’ Backpack (of which I’m a big fan), Writely, del.icio.us, and Calendarhub all move mechanisms and content from the desktop to the web. While this is enabling, it is also limiting.
In most cases, with these applications, lack of an internet
connection means lack of productivity. I BART between San Francisco and Berkeley everyday during which I have no internet connection and no access to these services. As a result, I have no access to my data stored on those sites and no ability to enter data into their applications.
There are some attempts to work around this: Backpack allows
me to send information to their database through e-mail, so I can write an e-mail while on the
train, store it in the outbox, and then send it to Backpack when I next connect
to the internet (assuming that I have the address for each of my backpacks in
my Outlook address book). Good thing that I don’t rely on internet-based e-mail
clients exclusively or even this option wouldn’t be available. Writerly allows me to
write a document in Word while on BART and import it when I connect, but it
does not give me access to my documents that I’ve already started unless I
purposefully saved a copy on my desktop which would be a little outside of their proposed
process. If I’m at a café without an internet connection (which do exist even in San Francisco), then I’m
stuck again. Techcrunch wants to see all of MS Office online AJAX-style, but that again limits usability for me. Om Malik talked about concern with using online text editors because of security concerns, but I think that his reluctance also includes a fear of inaccessibility.
What’s missing is a seamless integration between the services’
online and offline states, whereby a desktop client takes over when I’m offline
and seamlessly synchs my information with my online app when I’m connected.
Current workarounds are cumbersome and add an extra layer of data management
that these tools should be trying to reduce. While desktop integration may seem
antithetical to the Web 2.0 movement, it’s fundamental to my needs until
internet connectivity is present everywhere.
However, there is a very strong way in which these Web 2.0 services are
freeing, and that is by allowing me to leave my laptop behind and still have
access to my data. This is particularly important for me if a web software
system provides a mobile version of their service so that I can access my data
on my Treo. Web 2.0 services are also freeing as more connected computers are
available to me in different locations. This frees me up from taking my laptop
everywhere as long as I know I will have access to a computer. For the first
time I may not bring my laptop with me when I visit my parents over the
holidays—I will have access to everything I need through their PC, their
internet connection and my data provided by Web 2.0 services.
