Five Things Al Gore Wants Us To Know About the Internet
1. The Web has revolutionized how candidates run for president
The Internet has empowered people to launch Web sites, write blogs and communicate their ideas. It allowed communities of supporters to reach out and find each other. In addition, fundraising was conducted through an expanded channel. Larger channel = more cash. E-mail alerts on various hot-button issues (like the selection of vice president) also created buzz. Barrack Obama's use of online media is a blueprint for running a successful political campaign through the Internet. Look at how the My.BarackObama.com social network was used by 35,000 groups to create 200,000 events during the Obama presidential campaign. And the site is going to remain active.
2. We haven't achieved Web 2.0 -- yet
During his presentation, Gore made an analogy: When the electric dynamo was introduced at the end of the 1800s, businesses struggled to find a compelling case to use it. It turned out that simply replacing water wheels with electric motors was inefficient because of the way in which the factories were built. When newer factories were constructed -- specifically incorporating use of the dynamo -- productivity rapidly increased, and electricity was no longer just used for providing power to "gee whiz" applications. It's the same story for the Internet. The challenge will be to put the "gee whiz" features into everyday uses so that we take them for granted, so they become "the water the fish doesn't know it's swimming in," as Gore put it.
3. Web 2.0 has to have a purpose
For Gore, one of the main purposes of the Internet is to generate a higher level of consciousness humans have of their relationship with the environment. The Internet is the means by which the "climate crisis" can be addressed. It's easy to take the environment out of that context and see how Web 2.0 can have business implications: Want to change how you do business? Want to understand best practices of others in your industry? What to raise cash? The Internet provides tools -- community building, interactivity, hypercommunication -- that can be employed to deliver valuable feedback.
4. The Internet will "democratize" TV
Gore is the founder of Current TV, which features "pods" -- short programs largely created by member viewers. Members get to vote on the pods, causing them to go up or down in the ratings (clearly less complicated than Google's ranking algorithm). What Gore seems to promote is the idea that providing this type of media entertainment will offer more choices and to a broader audience. A quick tour of Current TV does indicate a platform on which social issues (oh, say, global warming) could be promoted. But there is also room for tech talk -- user-created content that could bring, for example, regularly scheduled instruction on technology issues. That can be focused on seniors who want to learn about downloading pictures, kids who want to learn about Photoshop or adults who just need to brush up on computer skills. Think "public access" in a slick package.
5. The issue of climate change can be stored in the cloud (No pun intended)
Gore believes that the United States can reduce its dependence on foreign oil and halt global warming through the Internet. In practical terms, however, what that means is that he expects the Internet will keep up the drumbeat on global warming, melting ice caps and deforestation. "It needs to be stored in the cloud," Gore told the Web 2.0 audience. "It's the aggregate bandwidth that counts ... so that we can respond to it collectively." The social connections that so effectively worked toward Obama's election can also, Gore reasons, work toward coming up with solutions to what he has so famously labeled "An inconvenient truth."