Web 2.0 (as many of you have seen) is the new emerging model of the Internet that refers to a second generation of Internet-based services that let people collaborate and share information online in new ways such as social networking sites, wikis, weblogs, communication tools, and folksonomies.
At the heart of this shift are standards-based applications - mostly driven through adoption of XML - in turn, this creates tremendous opportunities for content integration at very low costs. This shift toward XML and web services based on agreed-upon standards has made it possible for rapid creation of new and useful applications like Google Maps, A9, BaseCamp, MyYahoo! and hundreds of others. These applications are setting the stage for the new Internet - a place where seamless interaction between your web content and other applications are possible without any human effort or intervention; XML makes this possible. I'm not going to tell you how this is possible - it would make your head explode.
All of this jargon and new thought is indeed overwhelming for business people. However, many highly technical people also struggle with these new ideas and rapid changes; the rate of change itself is accelerating. So try not to feel like you're clueless - the fact that you're reading this on ActiveRain is an indication that you're an early adopter and technically advanced in your market sector.
Ideally, no business is ever caught or blind-sided by disruptive technology. This is not the case of course - how many of your friends are professional travel agents? Remember PointCast? How about cell phones with black and white screens? You don't have to become a technical guru to avoid technology-based disruption.
There are some simple steps you can take today that will help you transition to Web 2.0.
- Blog - if you aren't blogging, you aren't participating in the web of conversations. If you can't afford a commercial blogging platform or service, get a free one - there's no excuse for not participating.
- Get a newsreader - if you aren't using a newsreader to stay abreast of your industry, you are less productive and you are likely to be less informed than your competitors.
- Subscribe to The Long Tail - this is a very enlightening weblog (and book) about how markets are changing - largely as a result of new Internet capabilities.
- Learn about content syndication - of all concepts that have emerged in Web 2.0, this idea will have the greatest [early] impact on your business. Syndicated content in XML formats (such as RSS) will soon be a requirement for Internet visibility and discovery.
- Get a Skype account - learn to use VoIP and broadband services to communicate with your prospects and customers. Much like cell phones are a necessity, this idea will become a requirement much sooner than you think.
- Read the Cluetrain Manifesto - this is an early document signaling a shift in the way the Internet ought to be used for conversations with customers.
- Clean up your content - you should embark upon a new web strategy that focuses on your brand identity and your marketing message. What does this have to do with Web 2.0? -- everything! The new web is smarter; search engines will continue to improve their ability to understand your content better; syndication services will help consumers identify quality sites and services - the increased us of XML makes this possible of course. If your content is messy, lacking focus, and includes irrelevant links, you will be less visible than competitors that focus on a high-quality content experience.
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