Stephen Nold

Sitting at the Feet of the Masters
December 4, 2007

One of the privileges I have experienced in my business career was the access to business leaders that shaped the business world. Ross Perot, Trammell Crow, and T. Boone Pickens were all entrepreneurs that fashioned the business world during the days that I learned about the business. I had the chance to talk to these men and many other leaders, often in a one on one setting, as jobs and responsibilities drew me into their circles. Some became mentors, but all were inspirational.

Tim O’Reilly is a recent master of a new school of business dealing with informational communication (having founded O’Reilly Media) and Web 2.0 technology (having been credited with coining the term ‘Web 2.0’). Being a supporter of the free software and open source movements, it is only appropriate that Tim O’Reilly makes himself likewise available to the public, which he does through his weblog O’Reilly’s Radar.

O’Reilly’s Radar is a text book example of how Web 2.0 technology can open up communication between an industry leader and the people he or she inspires. O’Reilly regularly posts entries on topics of interest on his weblog, giving his thoughts or misgivings, his opinion and vision on current news and developments. One obvious beauty of Web 2.0 technology is the comment system, which allows readers to post their comments, ideas, or objections in response to a blog post. The real beauty is when the bloggers respond to their readers, as O’Reilly frequently does, answering his readers’ questions and elaborating on the points they bring up in their comments. The result is the development of a dialogue between a blogger and his audience, or in O’Reilly’s case, a master and his students.

Before, to sit at the feet of the masters and learn from the best in the business required one to actually be in their presence - to learn from them hands on. Not just anybody could be their student - one must have known them personally, either through personal or business relations. Now, anybody can be a student. Anybody with a computer and an internet connection can communicate with these new masters like O’Reilly.

The opening of new frontiers previously closed is just one of the benefits of Web 2.0 technology. Where else can the average guy interact on a regular basis with industry leaders?

Posted by Stephen Nold on December 4, 2007 | Comments (0)