Web 2.0 – What's in it for you?

Basic knowledge about the new participative web that can earn you revenue

Web 2.0 is a phrase coined by an advertising guy called Tim O'Reilly in 2003 that somehow seemed to catch on with both tekkies and web marketing gurus alike. Web 2.0 has nothing to do with technology per se but is a means of describing change in the way people use the web. Principally that change is from one of passive information gathering to participation. It is supported by a bunch of new technologies. But that's not the point.

Its critics (including Tim Berners-Lee, the acknowledged 'father of the web') say that web usage evolves and to name a new version of the web is not useful; most of the technologies cited by Web 2.0 have been around for ages anyway, and that hyping it up might bring about a second dot-bomb, encouraging organisations to embrace technology without sound business planning.

Whichever side you take, web use is evolving fast and the concept of Web 2.0 can provide a useful framework for that vital business planning. So read our 'what's hot' guide for the future of web users, follow the links to more detailed information, and make sure you keep pace with changing needs.

What's hot in Web 2.0?

• Delivering and allowing users to operate applications through a browser alone (SitesToGo was an early adopter of this type of technology and is still browser based five years later)
• Web based applications and desktops
• Web users owning data on the website and interacting with it (like YouTube)
• Users adding value to the application as they use it through participation
• User friendly interfaces to create a rich interactive environment
• Social networking environments (from chat rooms and forums to Second Life)
• Sharing and syndicating web content

What's cold in Web 2.0?

• Downloading and installing software on individual computers
• Websites that can only be updated by their designers
• Hierarchical access control to web editing interfaces and update systems
• Web as a 'silo' of information sources alone
• Not allowing web users to interact with you online
• Limiting transactions possible

5 things to do now

So now you have the gist of what some people call Web 2.0 – what should you do?

• Develop an understanding of how your client group are using the web and how they want to interact with you online. Ask them the question, look at the competition, examine parallel industries. Use survey tools like Survey Monkey. By identifying future demands you can leapfrog the competition online
• Organise your information. Interactivity requires the ability to personalise the website experience and this in turn requires information that can be searched in a meaningful way. Almost half the websites we are now building include searchable product databases which can be linked to e-commerce systems immediately or as the user needs evolve, and which allow users to create product listings or services that suit their individual needs, feed content to third party sites and update product information in minutes.
• Participate in the new generation of web by posting on forums, blogging, screening your videos on YouTube, add your business to collaborative services like Google Mapping. By linking all this activity to your own website you can boost search ranking and traffic.
• Create relevant interactivity as part of your web presence, using the many tools available to establish a dialogue with your clients and prospects.
• Update your web presence – it is no longer a matter of just putting up a website – make this new generation of the web work for you by keeping your site and other web content dynamic and up to date

Some SitesToGo Web 2.0 people

These guys take our awards for capturing the new participative web (and we know they never even heard of Web 2.0 til now, which says a lot about the need for this sort of label!)

Top Dog award - John Toland Cavan Monaghan Rural Development

John is the type of client we love – he pushes us into new and very different fields and rightly deserves this award for both creativity and energy. He wins this award for two very different sites.
Talk Tourism– a community of more than 130 tourism providers that stretches well beyond the border area. Why Fáilte Ireland never did this is a mystery!
The Goal project – an online e-learning project with video (arguably THE new web media) that is also published on YouTube – some like the fishing ones achieving almost cult status

Runner up – Mairead Robinson Hotel Reviews Ireland

Travel sites like IgoUgo and TripAdvisor have been around a long time but there are relatively few forums where professional reviewers can post reviews. More than a blog, this site is now a vital marketing tool for participating hotels like The Mills Inn, Ballyvourney, who feature their reviews prominently throughout their site

Best newcomer – The ladies of the Lshaped Room

Being gay and female in Ireland is apparently quite difficult. Using the web to unite the community for dating, friendship and just plain old gossip is changing lives as well as being a very good example of Web 2.0 in practice. We also like the business model!