The relevance of Web 2.0

Over the past two decades the internet has evolved from a pure information platform to an interactive and collaborative participatory platform Web 2.0. Numerous Web 2.0 applications such as blogs online communities and instant messaging support interaction between users and generate so-called 'user-generated content'. In order to leverage the advantages and potential of Web 2.0 applications more and more companies are integrating these tools into their everyday business processes. The aim of this thesis is to determine the relevance of these Web 2.0 applications for customer integration in the innovation process of Austrian small and medium-sized enterprises and to identify the associated opportunities and challenges. To answer the underlying research question theoretical content from the literature review is linked to the experiences of experts in the field. Consequently the research design is based on expert interviews with Austrian small and medium-sized enterprises which were documented categorised and evaluated using content analysis.