MIKESTOPFORTH

Good idea, bad idea.

Good idea: Formulate a curriculum around the DNA of the social Web, a momement that has dominated the last three years of web development, design and growth.

Bad idea: Call it the Web 2.0 University.

If it weren’t for the fact that two of the leading collectives around 2.0 thinking – O’Reilly Media (who coined the phrase Web 2.0) and Hinchcliffe & Co – were behind it I’d think it was farce.

This is when ‘versioning’ a culture or evolution (as in Web “2.0″) is an enormous obstacle. This university will do well, even on the back of buzz and hype. It may even have plans to export day-long modules into business schools around the globe. Bravo.

But what happens when Web 2.0 becomes (cringe!) Web 3.0 (which some are referring to as the Semantic Web)? Do you close the university? Do you subtly update your corporate ID to suit?

How about the University of the World Wide Web – completely virtual (or based in Second Life), which satellite programs run around the globe via accredited partners? Courses include history, development, design, sociology, business management, entrepreneurship and more.

Currently the Web 2.0 University offers – wait for it – Web 2.0 ‘bootcamp’ and Ajax ‘bootcamp‘. Gad.

Besides all that, the site is amateurish and disappointing.