On the first of June, we aim to open the doors for our new subscription-based web application service OnlineGroups.Net. You will be able to create websites with email groups where people can hold conversations and share information.
One of my questions as we do this is “what is the environment that we are starting this business in?”. Now that’s a big question but a quick answer is surprisingly easy.
Some of the alternatives to OnlineGroups.Net have been around for a long time. You could always get a mailman mailing list or a pHpBB web forum or WebCrossing site hosted. You could always get Yahoo! Groups to combine some of the virtues of both email lists and web forums. You could always get CMS tools like Drupal or Plone hosted, or perhaps a blogging tool like WordPress. With sites like wordpress.com, this has got easier.
From an enterprise point of view, you could always implement a portal. Now this is called ECM (enterprise content management).
There is new upsurge of applications that enable people to occupy and create shared spaces on the Web. Social networking sites where you can create your own profile have been around for a few years. Some of these, like MySpace have expanded into entire communities. Others are more focused on specific tasks like del.icio.us, the business-oriented foldera and BaseCamp and there are general and multi-purpose tools like Backpack and (Andreessen’s) Ning. All of these can easily be integrated using loose links like RSS/Atom. Some tools like netvibes create private personal portals. Others, like flickr, create private/public spaces located in wide-ranging communities where others can interact with you and your content.
ECM is getting more an more like the Web. Portal interfaces are becoming more personalisable. People are expecting Web 2.0 functionality on their intranets.
This is the writeable, integrated Web where everyone and every group can have their own place.