CTO: make a business case for Web 2.0

Government champions of Web 2.0 technology such as blogs and wikis must give their upper management solid examples of how those applications can be used by agencies, according to Tim Schmidt, the Transportation Department's chief technology officer.Speaking April 16 at the Advanced Learning Institute’s Social Media for Government conference in Alexandria, Va., Schmidt said although Web 2.0 offers many benefits, members of upper management are resistant to using it because they fear new technology. He noted that senior executives once expressed similar reservations about personal computers and e-mail.To counter that resistance, Schmidt said Web 2.0 advocates must make concrete business cases based on facts, and use information from analysts at companies such as Forrester and Gartner to add weight to their positions.Arguments against Web 2.0 should be considered and countered with prepared answers, he said. “Point out that it’s less expensive to use Web 2.0,” Schmidt said. “Some of these technologies, dollar for dollar, are much cheaper if you put them out there correctly.”Schmidt said Web 2.0 pioneers must prepare briefing packages they can present to key people at a moment's notice.