Web2.u is not Web2.U

You’ll want to read From Web2.0 to Web2.U, and Web2.0 Must Go, as the present idea is founded upon those earlier posts.

If an application or site is “Web2.u”, it approaches personalization from a technology-centric point of view. Such an application or site is conceived first to solve a recognized problem. Afterwards, it is tailored to fit the needs of a generic “user,” with the hopes that a generic approach will satisfy as many actual “Users” as possible. Unfortunately, such a development process fails oftentimes to meet User expectations.

Web2.U is the idea that each individual “User” ought to be valued for their presence on and contribution to the Web. A User is a person, an individual with an identity. A genuine Web2.U application or site is one that considers the individual User in ways that provide for distinguishing each User, anknowledging each User, and pointing each User towards that which might provide genuine benefit.

While I’m sure this raises more questions than it answers, the goal here is to have you think about the User as an individual. What attributes do they possess that when taken as a whole add up to someone unique. How ought the designer or developer acknowledge the User’s uniqueness in the context of the site?