Forms Library

Social Networking and Web 2.0 - What is it?
Part One

By Ginger Bisek

Social networking is your new best friend, forever. It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Social networking is the best cocktail at the bar and we are all drunk in love with this ubiquitous Web 2.0 technology.

Only when your legal organization publishes a blog, a video on YouTube, a resume on LinkedIn, a profile on Facebook or MySpace, and a bunch of tweets on Twitter, only then can you proudly declare yourself a member of the 21st century.

Forrester reports that $24 billion was spent on interactive marketing in 2008 alone—an increase of more than 32% in 2007. If you Google “effective online marketing strategies” you’ll come up with more than 260,000 search results. A recent report by Pew Research indicates that the number of adults who have an online profile has more than quadrupled in the past four years.

Social networking is not a flash in the pan. It’s safe to assume that it’s here to stay.

What the Heck is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is about engaging your audience with content that has value to your users. It’s about using new technology to create a more satisfying customer experience. Web 2.0 is about interaction and dialogue and placing user needs before business needs.

Web 1.0 was FAQs (frequently asked questions) and email. FAQs were there to answer your questions in a static environment on your Web site, and email was a passive way to communicate.

Web 2.0 is Twitter and Facebook. Companies use Twitter to engage followers and answer questions, in essence replacing FAQs with specific responses and dialogue. Facebook is a way to engage and talk with your peers. Email is last century to many of these people.

But the real question is, “Where’s the value?” Every organization asks, “How will this help?”

Read Part 2: How to Create Good Content & How to Measure a Return.

Virginia Bisek helps companies create content for Web sites that is valuable to the user. Visit www.virginiabisek.com or email ginger@virginiabisek.com.