In Steven Johnson’s “It’s All About Us” and Brian Williams’ “Enough About You”, they both can agree that Web 1.0 was designed for people to look up information and now Web 2.0 thrives with the involvement of people. Johnson argues that this is better for communities. Instead of hearing information that you don’t want you can write or tune into what you are interested in. Williams feels that only consuming the sources that reflect our already held views tunes us out from what is happening in the world. Williams states in his article “The implied message is that if it has to do with you, or your life, it’s important enough to tell someone.” (Williams Pg.449) We become passive to the world and center it amongst ourselves but it is a great way of communicating. Although people go throughout their day not paying attention to world news, Johnson has a good point when he says Web 2.0 is a good thing because it gets us more into that community. This doesn’t mean it is right to ignore global issues but we have to start somewhere, and Web 2.0 seems like a start for local communities.
Leaning more into Johnson’s side, Web 2.0 is beneficial for the self to be involved in a community. Johnson believes that it opens up a huge discussion in which everyone can be involved. That is exactly what it does, there isn’t facts about information we want to know about only, but now there are opinions of people reading it. “It’s working in a zone where there are no experts or where the users themselves are the experts.” (Johnson Pg.447) It is letting us construct a community in which we come together to discuss whether it be the latest movie that just came out or a proposition being passed. When you bring it into local communities it makes a bigger impact than world news coverage on TV. Like the Seattle community in which they gather thoughts, ideas, and resolutions in making their schools a better and safer place for constructive learning.
The Seattle Public Schools Community Blog (http://www.saveseattleschools. blogspot.com/) was constructed for members of the community to broadcast their concerns, questions, or comments on what is happening to their school system. The main concern of this blog is to get people from the community involved. It is not only a forum in which you come and vent out your problems but find a solution. The blog consist of links of different sites in which you can get updated of the Seattle Public School System. This is an example of how Web 2.0 like Johnson stated helps communities to get more involved and participate. They voice their opinions and Web 2.0 puts them out there for everyone to view and construct positive conversations.
Johnson says that local communities that blog know their issues more than the media, most people would agree with his statement. A community that constructs their members to be involved in a forum where they can share their thoughts and ideas gets everyone involved. It takes the opportunity Web 2.0 gives to voice themselves and whichever the cause is, focuses on that idea and share their opinions in a safe manner. It’s hard for a local community to get media coverage to raise awareness but now they have a place where they can go to be heard. It’s a sufficient step to connect everyone that wants to be involved, because they build a self-generated conversation. Welcoming new ideas and respecting all the different views for a single purpose.
Seattle Public Schools Community Blog opens up a space where people can come in and discuss issues of their school system. In the main title of this blog it welcomes people to come in and expand the community by participating. “Debate the issues facing Seattle Public Schools, share your opinions, read the latest news, organize and work for high quality public schools that educate all students to become passionate, lifelong learners.” (S.P.S Community Blog) It provides an environment in which people come in and address their issues but as well when you read a few blogs you can see the commitment these people have to participate. It is not only about posting a blog but it is a discussion providing solutions or new information that can clear things up. The information you find is not just hearsay, it provides links to government or information sites than can either support or clarify. Recently they posted a concern they had about the Spectrum Program and they provided the exact link for what they were discussing to clear the questions many bloggers had about what was going on. A site like this emphasizes the idea of which Johnson discussed that it builds a positive community that knows their issues better than the media and gets everyone involved in the community.
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