What is Web-Awareness?

Web-awareness is a state of being where you know about everything happening on the Web about a specific topic of interest. It involves being informed about new developments, and also comprehending their causes, evolution and implications in the overall picture. It has become very difficult to stay on top of new content and remaining aware seems almost impossible. However, the current volumes of information present new opportunities for web-awareness.

The 4 Levels of Web-Awareness

There are 4 levels of web-awareness. Users that strive to achieve all of them will continue to stay ahead of the curve and make better decisions than those who don’t. 

1. Discovering Nuggets

The increase in the volume of information on the Web is challenging users’ ability to find information that is relevant to them. Every once in a while, users stumble across valuable nuggets of information that prove more valuable information than the rest. An information nugget is a piece of information that is highly valued by a specific user. The quest for awareness is mostly tailored towards making sure that users effectively identify information nuggets. There is a race to be the first one to discover the “best” new pieces of information and build tools that support this goal. 

2. Scoping the Scene

The ability to visualize the big picture is as important as discovering information nuggets. It allows placing new developments in their larger context. Since events are influenced by their environment, setting the context is essential for awareness. The environment not only has influence over the events, but also is essential to understand their meaning and importance. Once you understand the larger picture, you are one step closer to web-awareness. 

3. Understanding Relationships

Observing the various developments that are taking place at a given time is not enough to be aware of what is truly going on. The next level of awareness demands grasping how particular events, players and sources are inter-related. “Connecting the dots.” The relationship between events and the influencing factors is a critical component in understanding the significance of certain events within their overall environment. Once you know the different pieces and the relationship between them, it is easier to make sense of the situation.  

4. Identifying Patterns

Seeing patterns within the relationships can radically alter our ability to predict future events. Environments change progressively and not all at once. Patterns are the key to perceiving anomalies in a known environment. Those anomalies are happenings that are new and unexpected. Anomalies in the environment can offer the opportunity to be aware of developing disruptive events. This is the highest level of awareness and it opens the door to predictive capabilities.

To Conclude

• Finding information nuggets is not enough to be aware of what is going on
• The growth of the volume of information makes if increasingly difficult to find nuggets but provides the opportunity to identify emerging patterns
• Tools that effectively reveal patterns among information nuggets and detect anomalies will enhance the awareness of users, experts and organizations

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Search and Discovery: How They Complement Each Other

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