When I started a new job last January I had the opportunity to learn more about the world of web 2.0, and apply when I already knew to a business environment. To help me better understand the environment and some of the relationships between technologies, I looked for a visual representation of web 2.0 and came across the Map of Online Communities by XKCD:
A fun way to visually represent a small amount of what’s going on in the web 2.0 world. I’ve had this poster on my office wall since January now, but my collection has grown lately to include other broader images that present collections of tools and applications in different ways. The collection of posters on my walls certainly makes for a more colorful space, and is a great conversation starter when people drop by to visit.
Above is the 2007 version 2 Web Trend Map from Information Architects Japan – one of my favourite maps.
I’m not sure who created the Periodic Table of the Internet, but it’s another colorful perspective on the landscape, although quite limited in what’s presented.
The 2008 WebTrends map (multiple versions of this map are available from Information Architects Japan) gets a bit too busy for my liking, although there is a lot of info on there to explore and discover.
Finally, The Conversation: The Art of Listening, Learning, and Sharing by Brian Solis and JESS3 is a summary of some of the key applications for a whole range of social media tools.
Do you have any other examples to share? Have you used any of these (or other) maps in your work?
Web Communications 4Gov 