Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is simply a phase in the evolution of the World Wide Web. The overarching characteristic of this phase is that the Web is no longer simply about information, it is now about interaction. There are new and existing technologies associated with Web 2.0 which enables consumers to interact with your company and other consumers, participate in and influence discussions, and control their experience. Social Networking and User-Generated Content are changing the way that consumers live on the Web. From Facebook to LinkedIn to MySpace, from blogging to photo-sharing to YouTube, smart marketers are looking for new, conversational forms of advertising that work well in a world where users are in charge.

Winning in a Web 2.0 world means that you need to measure and value engagement with your consumers. It is no longer about conversion at a point in time. It is now about the nature of the relationship over time, and the many ways that an individual can add value to your business.

Web 2.0 technologies serve three key functions:
• Enabling users to develop content.
• Providing new means to reach a target audience.
• Providing richer, more interactive applications that give visitors more control.

A number of Web 2.0 technologies enable visitors to contribute content on your site. These include user reviews, blogs, wikis and forums. The Internet, and especially new Web 2.0 technologies, has extended “word of mouth” into “word of mouse,” whereby a single individual can reach a much larger number of people, including people they do not personally know.