New Web Technologies and the Face of the Future for Business

By Chris Wain

Business success for Internet-based companies means finding creative ways to keep abreast of the constant stream of new tools and technologies, according to 3 senior Internet executives participating in an SAO panel discussion. It’s not enough be the first with the “new toy,” or to embrace technology for its own sake. “If someone says, ‘I want some Ajax on my website,’ I’ll be running away,” joked Steve Rosenbaum, CEO of PopArt.

Keep up with the technologies
Web technology is still in its infancy, said Al Hooton (director of operations at Cayuse) and the churn in web tools is rapid. Only 10% of new tools might be relevant to the problem at hand.

But evaluating every new and “cool” web technology is nearly impossible. For example, 43 new open source scripting languages appeared last year. Evaluating these and other new technologies takes time away from delivering solutions to customers. “Customers are getting more sophisticated,” Hooton said. “Cool stuff by itself doesn’t fly with them.”

On the other hand, developing only what the customer asks for – within the limits of proven technologies – runs two risks. By not pushing the technology envelope, customers' solutions will eventually fall behind their competition. And your best developers will eventually move on to look for more interesting challenges.

One way Cayuse dealt with this challenge has been by working with customers to define their requirements in terms of a broader palette of capabilities. For example, for a client’s system for managing grant proposals, this approach made the client realize that the tool needed to function like a spreadsheet. Cayuse’s developers then evaluated technologies to meet the requirements, and among other tools, made extensive use of Ajax and local JavaScript applications. The result: the application provides desktop-like interactivity, where a change in one portion of the application updates 25 other fields – without requiring the data to make a round trip to a server.

How to embrace Web 2.0 technologies
The current feeding frenzy around Web 2.0 presents a different set of challenges and opportunities. “Virtually all software companies seeking venture capital are identifying themselves as Web 2.0 architecture,” said Debi Coleman (co-managing partner of Smart Forest Ventures), “although they often wave their hands when we ask for specifics.”

Web 2.0 technology is maturing, but still has a way to go, she said. There will be some shakeouts along the way, and Web 2.0 developer tools will need to become more cost-effective. Today, she said, “Adobe product licenses take 10% of one client’s gross margins.”

As a potential investor in Web 2.0 companies, she looks for an architecture that’s scalable and leading edge – “but not bleeding edge.”

PopArt’s Rosenbaum outlined “4 pillars” of embracing Web 2.0:

• Create a rich interactive user experience, using technologies such as Ajax, CSS, Flash and streaming video. Video production is a big growth area, with YouTube raising visitors’ expectations. “A lot of the videos on YouTube are incredibly well done,” Rosenbaum said.
  
• Fine-tune your site for the mobile web. Globally, more mobile users have access to the Internet through cell phones and other mobile devices than via desktop computers. 
  
• “Mash up” (i.e., combine the best technologies) by using third-party technologies in your site. For instance, a company can host videos on YouTube, rather than licensing video streaming software on its own site. 
  
• Create an architecture of participation. Having user-generated content on your site is increasingly critical, although there are risks and tradeoffs to manage (for example, setting standards for user comment – without appearing to stifle criticism).

Trends for managing web projects
The complexity of web applications is now rivaling that of traditional back office or desktop software. “We’re all past developing websites,” said Hooton. “We are now developing web applications.”

With projects becoming more complex and expensive, project planning has become more critical. “We can’t wait until the end to see the finished product,” Rosenbaum said. PopArt has increasingly emphasized defining requirements early, starting with business requirements. Project teams conduct early-phase user testing using paper prototypes: “Two users have to agree on what each action or link means.”

Project complexity has also led to an increase in the size of project teams – including adding front-end architects (aka cascading style sheets producers) and professional copywriters (to optimize the site’s content for search engines). Video producers and flash developers are also in great demand. Another trend has been a blurring of front- and back-end development. “A lot of our programming,” Rosenbaum said, “now gets done in our design department.”

For more information
View the New Web Technology presentations 

About the speakers

• Debi Coleman is managing partner at SmartForest Ventures and former chairman of the board of Merix Corp. 
  
• Al Hooton is director of operations at Cayuse, Inc. and has been professionally active in the software and information system industries for 27 years. 
  
• Steve Rosenbaum is president and CEO of Pop Art, Inc. – a full-service interactive marketing agency, working with market leaders to evolve brand and drive business.

About the author
Chris Wain, a local marketing consultant and writer, is a 10-year veteran of eBusiness and Internet marketing. His eBusiness experience encompasses website management, communications, training, managing a user experience team, and transition and change management. The common thread in these roles is a passion for understanding the customer or end user, and ensuring the quality and value of the solutions being delivered to them. He can be reached at chris.wain@comcast.net.