The BBC News web site is 10 years old today.  Or is it?  A closer reading of the report reveals that there were a few news web sites created for special events before the 'official' News website was launched (such as the death of Diana or the 1995 Budget).  The article goes on to say that they cannot be sure when it was launched this week, they are just pretty sure it was some time this week in 1997.  This is due in part to people on the project being too busy to record exactly what happened, but also, as the site says "the start being more like a swimmer carefully inching into icy waters than an ocean liner proudly splashing in a spray of champagne".  The BBC News website evolved more than being launched.

Perhaps this uncertainty around when Web 1.0 happened for the BBC is reflected in Web 2.0.  At Trovus we talk to customers a lot about how to 'make' them Web 2.0 but it is equally difficult to define an exact arrival moment for the following reasons:

1)  Big bang IT projects where switchovers happen overnight or at a definable instant are bad in whatever context.  Just ask the public sector or any project manager who has survived a major ERP implementation.

2)  Web 2.0 is more a cultural change than a technical change.  You cannot change cultures overnight, you need to move piecemeal ensuring that your first movers are satisfied and your laggards can cope.

3)  Not only is it a cultural change for your organisation but also for your customers.  If a company has simply had a brochureware site and moves immediately to an all-singing, all-dancing interactive collaborative site customers are going to be confused and suspicious.  Start slowly by having a single blog offering the right of reply interwoven in the existing site and move from there.

"Start small, grow fast" has always been a good maxim in the IT industry to go by, and Web 2.0 is no different.

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