An old upright piano given to me by my mother-in-law, and 30 years in 2 seconds – these things have led me to reflect upon the potential importance of Google and Web 2.0 worker productivity boosts.
Let me explain, you will see that these points are related.
Having neglected a hobby I once enjoyed – playing rock and jazz piano – since my college years in the early 80’s, I was thrilled to have the chance to get back into it after my mother-in-law recently gave me a piano.
However I quickly learned that the “chops” I once had were now more like freezer-burnt cutlets. I realized that if I wanted to do this right I would need to (sigh) take lessons again.
It had been about 30 years since I had taken piano lessons, back in high school. I studied under an extremely talented musician named John Lampkin. At the time I wanted to rock out and play the keyboard riffs from The Doors, Traffic and Jethro Tull; John reined me in and taught me to appreciate and play the finer piano things in life: Dave Brubeck, and songs by Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, etc.
At any rate, I decided to go ahead and contact John after all these years to see if he still remembered me, and could recommend any good piano teachers in my area. I know that actually getting my hands on a piano to practice on might be tricky, but I’ve had a couple of places recommended to me. Plus, I know that pianomoversoftexas.com will be able to transport it securely for me if I ever move house, so at least that’s something sorted.
Not knowing where he lived, or even if he was still alive, on a whim I did a Google search and found his Web site in about 2 seconds. In almost no time at all, I had sent him an email, he replied, and we were back in touch. John’s Web shingle and a quick search and email exchange allowed me to traverse 30 years in seconds.
It then occurred to me that most of us take for granted the efficiencies in finding information we have gained these days, and led me to wonder whether there is some productivity dividend specifically related to search and the Web that all those economists who crunch numbers should be considering.
Let’s consider some of the factors at play.
Few would disagree that information is getting easier to find these days.
Google is the most visible driver of this, but not the only one. People are becoming more search savvy – getting better at searching with Google, and other tools where appropriate. Second, it is not only Google but other facets of our online experiences which aid discoverability of online content – tags, social bookmarks, and the fact the Web 2.0 era means quick and easy blogs, Web sites and user generated content.
John’s information rose to the top was because he has his own Web site, John Lampkin. And who (or what) doesn’t have some kind of Web presence today?
The net, I think, is that IT in general will continue to contribute to improved productivity, and that Google and Web 2.0 will be an increasingly important part of this.
