The idea of open systems and standards is not new but took some time to take hold. An open web of course is an important extension of that idea. For anything that extends the ability of individuals to communicate and work more productively, or stay abreast of what's important to their lives or the lives of their coleagues, family and freinds, is a force for good in this world. The essence of free markets is a free and fair exchange of ideas and information, filtered up and out rather than down and in. What I mean by that is as filters function more to include what's important to us, rather than to exclude what's noise the open web will truly become more of a reality. And in 2010 I think it's finally starting to happen. We see this with the smart search utilities of Amazon.com, social media such as Digg.com and delicious.com and others. All of these are the next generation of helping us stay abreast of what's important and think and talk about what's most important now, but what is becoming important to us, maybe even before we quite know it. At my own company, Pacific Timesheet, we work with customers and their employees on tracking time, work and leave to help them understand what is most important and what is becoming important to their company, their work and their jobs. Over time we are seeking appropriate ways to migrate social media technology into our products and services, in effect to generate a cumulative benefit that we should expect from any knowledgebase of how people spend their time. Any ideas on how you would like to see this happen at your workplace or within your company? We are all ears. We hope to get there with your help and the help of our customers and employees.
