Title: Streamlining Communication Processes in Organizations using Web 2.0 Principle Speaker: Pascal Grosset Authors: Anwar Chutoo - a.chutoo@uom.ac.mu Begum Durgahee - b.durgahee@uom.ac.mu Pascal Grosset - p.grosset@uom.ac.mu Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius Paper Type: Oral Paper ABSTRACT The ease of sending emails has resulted in an average of at least 50 emails being received daily per person. This huge amount of information has resulted in an Information Overload problem. The consequence is that the amount of time spent filtering emails has drastically increased although some important information is still sometimes overlooked. The solution proposed in this paper is the use of an array of so-called “Web 2.0” tools like Blogs, Wikis, Instant Messaging, Online Calendar, Collaborative Documents and Syndication to create a new communication model that will help classify information and reduce unsolicited information. Keywords Information Overload, Web 2.0, email, Blogs, Wikis, Instant Messaging, Online Calendar, Collaborative Documents, Syndication SUMMARY 1.Introduction Formally, all communication in organizations were through paper memos but nowadays most of the daily communication takes place through emails. The latter definitely provides a more efficient way of communicating since it reduces paper use and reaches the recipient faster. However, this has proved to be its main disadvantage as well since it is now being abused of; for example, spam have reached immeasurable levels. Moreover, while it was reported that people received about 16 emails per day in 1996, this figure has risen to about 86 in 2006 [1] eventually causing a problem of Information Overload. “Information Overload is the feeling of stress when the information load goes beyond the processing capacity.” [4] The problems associated with Information Overload via email can be accrued when a user belongs to different mailing lists and the sender sends the same email to the different lists. This results in multiple copies of the same information reaching the receiver. It was reported that 79% of the complaints associated with Information Overload is due to an “excessive volume of communication” [7]. Ideally email should be used only when information need to be sent directly to one or a small group of people. While many of the approaches at solving the Information Overload problem have focused only on trying to filter out information, this paper proposes a model to efficiently communicate and classify information through the use of different accessible tools. Rather than trying to limit the information that reaches the end user, this model if followed will reduce the amount of