In a comment exchange on a Bill Ives post regarding IBMs mashup moves I suggested that many of the current mashup tools still take us to a place where the developer is central in the conversation. In fact, shouldn’t the success of social media and Web 2.0 found in the often referenced of FaceBook, Wikipedia and blogoshpere inspire us to place the enterprise user right in the middle of the technology?
After considering Mr. Ives’ response,
“I agree that mashups do not directly put the user in the center. They are more of a developer short cut. However, by easing the developer’s burden, more time can be spent on user requirements and thus putting the user in the center. They also allow for business units to more easily develop their own applications”
I thought about my own experience with users and I am not sure they want more time spent on requirements (no matter how extreme the techniques). No, in the BI 2.0 world, knowledge management and corporate information worlds we need to push not only for easier to develop applications but continue the hunt for the elusive user developed application.
I feel that mashup technology done correctly will lead to a partial answer to user-developed applications and bring about self-service solutions like never before. Don’t get me wrong — my own 10+ years around start-ups and big shop IT leaves me painfully aware that certain tasks and solutions will always be the domain of experienced developers teaming with quality subject matter experts to arrive at powerful solutions. But it is clear, that much of the energy of crowdsourcing, the READ-WRITE web and web 2.0 should hit the enterprise as user directed, created and deployed application and content experiences.
It is with that thought I applauded Intel, as reported by Slashdot, on its work in the mashup world. Like Zua Scene, it appears the semantic bug has bitten Mash Maker (and then some) to continue to push self-service forward. As the demo shows legroom finding its way into an open flight search, airline enterprise users should just as easily be able to mix delayed flights with important traveler information and baggage handling systems to increase customer service and loyalty (and it should not require the development of a new customer service-baggage-traveler information system to do it).
