Enterprise Web 2.0 Consulting
The internet era heralded a revolution in many different areas of human activties, communication, and commerce. Enterprise Web 2.0 promises a reinforcement and reinvigoration of that revolution, by enabling online applications the same immediacy of desktop applications,yet with the power and connectivity of online applications.
The Enterprise Web 2.0 Revolution. How can your business flourish?
The web ushered in a revolution in communication. Businesses across the spectrum have been radically altered as a consequence. And now, we have a whole new revolution occurring.
Many recent technology innovations have created a conglomerate of technologies that have radically altered the web and promise to revolutionize computer usage. New media professionals refer to these technologies as “Web 2.0”. Technologies include (but are not limited to):
- Blogs
- Social Networking (like Youtube.com and Myspace.com)
- Podcasting
- Wikis
- RSS
- AJAX
Blogs
Corporate America is frightened of blogs. In blogging, anyone can share any opinion. And when information flows freely, we call that “transparency”. Many articles have been published lately about the potential value of transparency in communications, and it can be found in use as some of the largest corporations in America today. In many businesses, it necessary to be cautious about what is published on the web due to potential litigation. One work-around is to use a blogging service, such as blogs.com, and to link to the blog. The company that starts instituting this as a corporate and cultural practice is going to be providing more meaningful content to its users, and be seen as an entity that is easier to do business with.
With any of the technologies that allow you to send information out into the world, it’s important to not be blatant about pushing your product. Create content that is relevant to your users, and they will return, and perhaps even share the information with others.
Social Networking
Social Networking is more of an approach to online communications as opposed to any one technology. It can be as simple as “send this to someone else”, to portals where users post text, sound, or video. Right now, the majority of websites are unidirectional. But if we can somehow see our users as belonging to a society based on our products, we might approach the issues differently. Is it possible that there can be a society of “Pepsi drinkers” or “BMW drivers”? Perhaps the only reason there isn’t a society of these users is that there isn’t a means for them to communicate. And that is something that an organization can provide through social networking tools.
Wikis
Wikis are best know by the wiki of them all, Wikipedia. But wikis can also exist within the context of any given website. Basically, the wiki is a tool whereby anyone can add, edit, or delete content from an article. Other users can see what has been edited, and even edit back. Ultimately, the group of users will decide which content stays. Wikis can provide some of the transparency mentioned in the paragraph about blogs, and the social networking mentioned above. We’re not suggesting that companies would allow the general public to edit their product information page, but it could be possible for a website to have information on the issues important to its users.
Podcasting
Podcasts are basically audio files available to users to either listen to on their computer, or to download on to a audio device, such as an iPod. It doesn’t sound like much, but for that target user that has just gotten a new iPod for the holidays, and discovers that they can download and listen to your podcast on a regular basis, then it can be pretty hot. If an organization is capable of producing enough content on a regular basis, a podcast, while perhaps not driving a large audience, will help to create a faithful audience. We recommend creating regular blogs first – and if that is successful, consider podcasts.
RSS
All over the internet, little orange buttons are popping up on web pages that say “RSS”. Blogs, podcasts, and newsfeeds can be delivered to users who “subscribe” to the feeds. Many email clients now include the ability to receive RSS feeds. The benefit of an RSS feed is that chunks of information can be sent to users, and they have requested it!
AJAX
AJAX is an acronym for “Asynchronous JavaScript and XML”. While the name isn’t all the exciting, the implication of the technology is one of the most powerful of the Web 2.0 technologies. In an AJAX web page, you might mouse-over the name of a product, and a full description and other information might immediately display on the page. The webpage is requesting data from the server then displaying that data to the user without reloading.
It could mean, for example, that your website could have a feedback widget that users submit feedback in, with the page never reloading to another page. It’s fast. And what that quickness means is that a web application becomes a fast as a desktop application.
And all the old-school stuff too
A lot of the concepts and technologies of Web 1.0 are still relevant, and not only worth considering, but help to make to make web 2.0 technologies more effective.
Online Newsletters
Spam has gone a long way in decreasing the effectiveness of online newsletters – but they are still a valuable tool. It is necessary that any newsletter list is an “Opt-in” list, meaning the users have chosen to be on the list, and can choose to remove themselves from the list at any time. More information on email newsletters
Discussion Boards
Discussion boards can still be valuable, providing users the opportunity to ask questions, make statements, or otherwise just be heard. Other users can respond, creating threads of “conversation”. Discussion boards can be moderated, or self-policed, but either way, its pretty much necessary today to require user accounts, for without that, your discussion board will become a spam target.
To Flash or not?
Flash, and the way it’s used, has gone through a lot of growing pains. When it was developed, it was meant as a way to animate vector graphics in a web browser. The technology grew to enable database connectivity and video streaming. It was also the tool of choice for some of the least user-friendly websites on the internet, with flash-splash (but “skip intro”!) pages, and all-flash websites that were difficult to maintain and would just never show up in the first 1000 pages of a Google search result.
Used well, Flash can still provide a website with an added credibility, even a bit of sexiness. Used really well, it can create more value all around by facilitating the communication of relevant information.
Stickiness
“Stickiness” as a concept for websites was a hot buzzword for a short while. The concept is still powerful, and deserves attention. Basically, a “sticky” website is one which provides users with content or interactivity that makes the user want to spend time on the site. The idea is that in spending time they are exposed to the brand more, and develop a top-of-mind awareness of the brand. A heartburn medication website, for instance, might have a flash game wherein the user shoots little pills at pizzas and chili peppers. Or it could mean providing a library of really great clinical research so that doctors return to your website frequently.
 Oxclove Workshop specializes in Enterprise Web 2.0 consulting. Please check back here for more information soon, or feel free to contact us.
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