Experience to date with Web 2.0

Web 2.0 technologies are something I've been playing with for some time. I have the privilege to work with a group of people who are always considering how to be on the leading edge - not "bleeding edge" (use of new stuff without an appropriate application) - of learning technolgies. The average age of an employee at my company is 26, at last count, so it's important for us to leverage learning technologies appropriate to our demographic. However, our first job is educating this group of employees, so there must be ample research conducted or already available that indicates its value in education for us to invest in the use of new technologies. As such, I would say that I am more of a leader than a follower, though I have not been the earliest adopter of things historically - I've been tweeting for roughly three months at this point, although I've known about Twitter for about two and a half years.

Currently, I use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yammer, Pandora, and Picasa in day-to-day life. I have used Wikis and blogs, and as I like to write, I see blogs as something I'll have time to enjoy more post-grad school. I understand the technologies teenagers talk about, and yes, I text. Lots. I have wondered if putting a page for my dad's pet store in California on Facebook might improve his business, and I have to figure out how to explain it to him - he eBays, which isn't bad for being 65 and now owning a computer until somewhere around the age of 55, but social networking is a different idea altogether to him (why don't you just call people if you want to talk to them?)

From the class I'm currently taking on Web 2.0 Technologies, and their use in learning and performance, I'd like to learn how to better anticipate the application of emerging technologies to learning needs, and how to identify which of the new things developed are going to have staying power, and which are just a blip on the way to something else (HD DVD, anyone?)