Active use of Web 2.0 appears to still be largely centred on early adopters. These people are willing to try out new tools and services as they hear about them, experiment with them and then use or drop them and they are often enthusiastic promoters of their chosen favourite service(s) to colleagues and peers – who themselves are now starting to use Web 2.0 tools and services in increasing numbers.
Although mainstream use of Web 2.0 services is growing and will continue to grow over time, no specific predictions can be made regarding the rate of take-up. An increasing proportion of new entrants to HE and FE are already familiar with and using Web 2.0 services but this does not apply to everyone and there is a need to support a range of very varied learner backgrounds and expectations. Similarly staff attitudes encompass the technophobe and the enthusiast along with the cautious but happy to learn middle ground. Web 2.0 digital literacy (and illiteracy) is still an issue that needs to be addressed.
Not all Web 2.0 tools and services are used to the same extent and some services (e.g. blogs, microblogging and tagging) are more popular than others. Within any one type of tool or service there are the market leaders, which are the most likely choice of new users: crucially such services have a large user base and a large amount of openly shared content. The primary factors governing initial choice of service are simple sign up, ease of use and good interface design, while the important factors favouring continuing use are good fit with the task, reliability and how much it is used by the individual’s peer group – or in the case of institutional marketing and outreach, how much it is used by the target audience.
Source: Joint Information Systems Committee / UKOLN
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