Clients will ask me from time to time, with trepidation on their face: “What is web 2.0?” The underlying question is: “Am I missing something?”
Web 2.0 “refers to a perceived second-generation of Web based communities and hosted services such as social networking sites, wikis and folksonomies that facilitate collaboration and sharing between users” (Wikipedia). Sharing…collaboration…communities….are these really new? As this Wikipedia article attests, the term becomes a bit meaningless when you consider that these capabilities have all existed since the beginning of the web.
It is most helpful to think of web 2.0 as an increased emphasis on participatory websites. Think dialogue…not monologue. Have you considered how effectively your website is engaging visitors? Statistics software like Google Analytics can help you analyze which pages are most popular on your website, and which pages visitors remain on the longest.
To enhance the “stickiness” of your site and increase your return traffic, take advantage of the many community tools available today
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Wikis
Also, many corporations and organizations are effectively using websites like MySpace and Facebook to raise awareness about their services and products.
Are you missing anything with web 2.0? Only if you ignore the opportunity to engage your visitors by deploying today’s community website tools.
Speaking of collaboration…click on “Leave a comment” below and tell us what you think!
