Web 2.0

 What Does It Mean for You?

What exactly is Web 2.0?  Does it matter to you and your business?  How can you become part of the most up-to-date possibilities for the web?  You have probably used sites that are Web 2.0 without realizing it.  Web 2.0 refers in the broadest sense to sites that use the Internet as a platform for applications, offer an “architecture of participation,” and return dynamic data (based on user input or preferences).  All of these are grassroots ideas that have come from web designers and companies developing newer and better ways to deliver web content.  Sites that are considered Web 2.0 are ones that have taken the next logical step, embracing these ideas in order to be exceptionally responsive to the needs, interests, and abilities of their visitors and users.

The Web as a Platform for Applications

Two well-known sites that use the web as a platform for applications are Salesforce.com and Flickr.com.  (See the article about Salesforce.com in last month’s “Digital Corner.”)  Rather than requiring users to install software on their own computers, these sites provide their software as a web service.

‘Digital Solutions has the expertise and experience to bring the exciting possibilities of Web 2.0 to your business.’

The advantages for users are that they can access the applications from any place with a broadband connection, and that they do not have to install or maintain the software.  For the Web 2.0 site, this means more potential business, less technical support for hardware-related or platform-related issues, and the ability to provide immediate updates and bug fixes for every user.

Participatory Web

Another term for Web 2.0 is “participatory web,” and this aspect of Web 2.0 is probably the most recognized as being part of a new ideology on the web.  Sites such as blogs and wikis that allow users to upload, maintain, modify, comment on, and otherwise participate in content development are the most obvious participatory sites.  A well-designed forum can be just as participatory, allowing users to share information with each other and with the company hosting the forum. 

Dynamic and Interactive Pages

Google AdSense™ is an example of a dynamic Web 2.0 technology.  AdSense looks at the content on the host page and dynamically serves ads that are related to that content.  Displaying RSS feeds is another way to offer dynamic content by pulling information from other relevant sites.  Of course, dynamic content alone does not mean that a site should be considered Web 2.0; many “Web 1.0” sites such as search engines deliver content based on user input.  A serious Web 2.0 site offers well-organized, easily navigated, relevant content that is focused on the user’s input and preferences.  A prime example of Web 2.0 dynamism is the use of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) on maps.google.com and in the new ordering system at dell.com.  Whereas older methods required a reload of the entire page in order to display updated information, AJAX allows a site to immediately update individual fields and sections based on user input.  This gives sites a responsive and interactive feel, like a well-designed desktop application.

What Does Web 2.0 Mean for Your Business?

The possibilities for Web 2.0 are truly vast.  Nearly every site can offer better service to its visitors by making its content more dynamic and user-focused.  Here are just a few examples of ways that other Web 2.0 ideas can improve your web presence:

• If you are a newspaper, magazine, or any other provider of information, you can syndicate your content into an RSS feed to which users can subscribe and which other sites can display, broadening your audience and giving you free, targeted publicity.
• If you are a realtor, you can add value and interest to your home and commercial listings by dynamically including Google Maps and other locale-specific data. 
• If you are a brokerage, you can pull up-to-date stock information from an RSS feed and let each site visitor choose which stocks to monitor.
• If you are a software provider, you can offer web-based versions of your applications.
• If you offer any kind of service or product, you can create a forum for your users, letting them share information and post questions to you and each other.  This helps customers know that their concerns and experience matter, gives you access to a group of already-interested users to whom you can offer new information and products, and helps you find out what your users want and need from you.

Digital Solutions has the expertise and experience to bring the exciting possibilities of Web 2.0 to your business.  Our specialty is user-oriented, dynamic web design, and we strive constantly to make sure that we can not only offer the newest, best technology to fit your needs, but can also demystify new technology so that you can use it to its greatest advantage.