It’s 20 years since the Web first started to take shape in a lab in CERN Switzerland, and last Friday saw the great and the good of the UK tech community gather at the BBC for the launch of the Beeb’s Web at 20 project.
The event, chaired by Dr Aleks Krotoski (technology journalist at The Guardian ) featured Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Baroness Susan Greenfield, tech critic and journalist Bill Thompson and via satellite from the US, Wired Magazine editor Chris Anderson. The high profile nature of the audience prompted one wag to tweet “with so many of the UK tech aristocracy in one place, Stephen Fry had better be in a safe house.”
Following short speeches from each of the panel, the debate was lively and interactive. For me, Tim Berners-Lee’s response to a question about censorship on the web particularly stood out for its clarity. He described the web as a blank sheet of paper. When you buy a piece of paper, it comes with no restrictions. You are not prevented from writing something defamatory on it, or drawing a picture of a naked person. You can see segments of the debate here
Aside from being an entertaining discussion, the event also launched the Web at 20 project in which the BBC is planning to use the web to contribute heavily to a multiplatform project to celebrate the anniversary. In the words of the programmes producer “Right now we’re embarking on an experiment to see how you can help us to shape both TV and online projects. We want you to get involved because we want to make a series that is true to its subject and welcomes the collaborative power of the Web. At every stage of production we’ll invite your opinions and insights through our blog and other social media.”
The contributions have started to roll-in, but can you really make a series of programmes via web democracy? Who’s ideas are the most important, those who shout loudest or those with the most support? Time will tell, but this is definitely one to watch (and get involved with).