Thursday, September 27, 2007

Using web applications

One of the fascinating things with the rise of web 2.0 applications is how they are changing business practices. Pretty well every week I see a few new and unexpected ways people are adapting the new tools to their work.

Yesterday I visited a hazardous goods consultant. Most of his business involves inspecting warehouses and factories and advising on how they can meet standards and reduce risks.

Before taking an assignment he uses the satellite view of Google Maps to check out the premises. He's found this helps him pick up features he might have missed when visiting onsite or reviewing plans, it also saves him a lot of time in preparing proposals, quotes and reports.

One of the important aspects is that he can now check out potential clients in places that he wouldn't have considered two or three years ago. While I was there he was checking out a warehouse and factory complex in Perth to see if the job was worth his while.

This is the exciting thing about the new generation of web based applications, they are allowing smaller businesses to reach into markets they couldn't have considered a few years back.

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