Web 2.0 is neither a technology nor an application; it is a broad framework for the digitally networked economy. The phrase was first coined by O’Reilly Media in 2003 and refers to a second-generation of web-based communities and services such as social networking, wikis and folksonomies that facilitate collaboration and sharing.
Web 2.0 is best seen as a set of principles and practices that exist both in and beyond the web environment. But due to the blistering pace at which this landscape transforms itself, the challenge for businesses is to stay up-to-date, embracing the opportunities that exist whilst making wise investments.
The ‘buzz’ around social media and network marketing has been extraordinary, but when you examine the business significance of this element of Web 2.0, the landscape becomes more fuzzy and fragmented. Many well-known brands have attempted to make Facebook – the UK’s most popular social networking site with 8.5 million unique users – work for them. But a vast number of these applications have failed to take off, getting lost among the 22,000 existing applications and achieving less than five daily users. In fact, there are no brands within Facebook’s 50 most popular applications, and whilst applications can cost anything from £2000 to £30,000, a higher level of investment doesn’t necessarily guarantee success.
Take advantage of social networks
To be successful, B2B companies should look at either exploiting the social side of the networks or provide users with a means of self-expression.
Here are some examples:
- Career site Jobster.com for example, gets other businesses to pay for access to Facebook users. Its Facebook application, called Jobster Career Networking, allows users to post their CVs and declare career ambitions. Jobster then feeds those CVs to companies such as Microsoft, Nike, GE and Merrill Lynch, which pay a monthly fee to access young workers with perhaps non-traditional backgrounds.
- Microsoft Office has a Facebook application called Office Poke. A ‘poke’ is an online ‘nudge’ to attract the attention of another user. The Office Poke application gets around 3000 daily users and lets them send funny work-related pokes to friends, such as, ‘Throw a stapler’, and ‘Climb up the corporate ladder’. Microsoft’s investment has successfully harnessed the social power of Facebook to drive it to download a free trial of its Microsoft Office 2007 system.
- Businesses are also shifting towards piggybacking existing successful applications such as FunWall and Superpoke, which have already established a reputation. Advertising costs vary enormously in this embryonic marketplace.
There are however signs of social network fatigue as users are finding the sheer amount of trivial information a turn-off and rejecting traditional advertising. At the same time, niche sites are on the increase. Ignore the social media phenomenon at your peril but, if you want to play, research and invest carefully, and use specialist help.
New technology explained
There has been a long-tail of new digital tools such as AJAX and mashups – but what do they do?
‘AJAX’ which stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML – enables websites to offer the interactivity and speed of response of a desktop application. In simple terms, users get a more fluid and personalised customer experience with drag-n-drop abilities and smart interfaces.
The new BBC home page makes use of AJAX, allowing users to personalise their home page. The important element of Web 2.0 here is the level of speed and usability that can be achieved. BBC users can create a tailored online experience that brings benefits to them on a daily basis.
A mashup originally referred to the practice in hip-hop music of producing a new song by mixing two or more existing pieces. A mashup in Web 2.0 terms is similar; a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool.
For B2B mashups, the focus should be on engaging with the user and offering them something useful, interesting and easy to use.
An example of a mashup is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps added to location information of property finder websites; creating a web service that was not originally provided by either source.
By using the right technology to create sophisticated web experiences, B2B companies can allow users to be in control. The majority of customers want to buy rather than being ‘sold-to’. Businesses that welcome new applications and adapt their online marketing activity accordingly will reap the financial rewards.
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