What’s Web 2.0 – we're doing it!
June 2008
Web 2.0 refers to the second generation of web services. The
overall defining factor is that Web 2.0 services encourage
participation, collaboration and sharing online. It’s about the
consumer driving what they want rather than the supplier pushing
their way of doing things and making users conform.
Key components of Web 2.0 are
- Audience participation - Trademe
- Social networking - Facebook
- Harnessing collective knowledge – Google and Wikipedia
- Combining different services (mash-ups) – Google maps
- Software as a service delivered over the web - mailRoom
- Software which works seamlessly across devices – iTunes
- Systems designed for user participation rather than top-down
control - Flickr
- Emphasis on local – Google NZ
YouTube, Facebook and Wikipedia are tools for people to post
content at no cost. These websites have taken the web by storm and
are currently ranked 3rd, 8th and 7th, respectively in terms of
traffic. In New Zealand they currently rank 6th, 8th and 9th,
respectively.
What does this mean for your business?
It means even non-technology companies can use technology to
their advantage. As traditional advertising channels such as the
yellow pages decline the internet has become increasingly important
for people searching for information. People now expect to find
stuff online and to do stuff online so even non-tech companies need
to provide information and ways to interact online.
Many of the Web 2.0 tools out there are free to join, free to
post content to and you can generate links and traffic back to your
website.
Some of these include
- FacebookWikis
- YouTube
- Blogger
- WordPress
- Google Maps
- Google apps, Google docs
- Basecamp
- Highrise
- Twitter
. . .anything that makes it easier for you to collaborate with
your customers and partners. You can use these tools/website instead
of a website, as well as a website – use them to enhance the service
you offer to your customers.
Web 2.0 is not some scary new internet bubble thingy –
it’s about small businesses with realistic goals delivering value
and growing.
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