Web 2.0 Berlin: Ich liebe Deutschland!

Wirklich, mit meinem ganzen Herzen, ich liebe Berlin!! This city just speaks to me and is so alive. Aus irgendeinem Grund glaube ich etwas im Common mit den deutschen Leuten mehr als irgendwoanders.

I am here for Web 2.0 Berlin, probably the most important technical and social conference to hit Europe this year. I don't just say this lightly either. As someone who has worked as a Vice Chair for the United Nations, I see the social impact of Web 2.0 as the single most important thing affecting people within the European Union. Web 2.0 is not just about computing and technology. It is about the migration to the web as a platform upon which democracy prevails, where people with common beliefs find each other, and where new ideas become reality.

Some themes that a year ago might have seemed radical are happening. Video formats on the Internet are now better than most people's home TVs. (Note - when you get to this URL, make sure to click on the lower right hand side icon for full screen view. You WILL NOT believe your eyes.) When you think that the average person can buy an HDTV (the H.264 codec) video camera and editing software for under $2000, this means that anyone can have their own TV channel.

So what else is Web 2.0 about? CNN news is recruiting ordinary people to videotape questions for US presidential candidates on YouTube. During the recent Lebanon-Israeli conflict/war ordinary citizens blogging about it were getting their versions of the events out just as fast as the mainstream television networks. A single opinion about a bad customer experience with a company that lies to its customers like Rheem can circle the globe in one day and result in a loss of revenue based on their mistruths.

Web 2.0 is affecting the very social fabric in which we exist. Those who figure out what it is and how they can use it prosper. This conference is about finding that truth. I will be speaking on a topic that brings the matter closely into focus. The session is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:00 AM and is titled Web 2.0 Design Patterns, Models, and Analysis. The abstract describes it as follows:

Many enterprises seek knowledge of the design patterns used by successful Web 2.0 companies. This session starts with Tim O'Reilly's list of Web 2.0 examples and distills the abstract architectural patterns from behind the examples. By using the patterns notation, the core knowledge of the design principles is preserved in a template which can be reused in multiple contexts.

Duane will also show the evolution of the client server model into a 5-tier model based on the consistent concepts of most successful Web 2.0 patterns. The model serves as a useful starting point for anyone either designing business models or technology for Web 2.0. The Web 2.0 model is also used to illustrate a reference architecture. This abstract set of technology components allows developers to start thinking about the types of technology decisions required for building Web 2.0 projects.

The conference is full of the best Web 2.0 speakers in the world. O'Reilly has truly put together the best of the best for Europe. I urge anyone who can to come to this show, as it truly is a global phenomena and understanding what Web 2.0 is all about can be really useful.

I also look forward to newspaper interviews with some of Europe's most prestigious newspapers - Die Welt and Die Zeit. As I write this, more are being arranged and I hope they come through.

Ich liebe Berlin und ich bin ein Berliner!