Catching up on Buzzwords - "Web 2.0"
July 7, 2006
I just loved this article from Dianna Huff! Web 2.0 is one of those buzzwords that simply refers to something marketers already know about. The first time you hear the term it's like "Yeah! That makes sense!" Here's Dianna's take, plus some information on where the term Web 2.0 came from. Enjoy!
I Thought I Missed the Web 2.0 On-Ramp
By Dianna Huff
Driving in Boston is never easy but it gets even worse when the tunnel that takes you to your major highway is closed -- and you're dumped onto a downtown surface street in the middle of a construction project with no clue where you are. Yes, that was my exact experience a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, prominently placed detour signs pointed the way to the highway. I carefully followed the signs, which after a couple of miles, suddenly stopped. "Oh no," I panicked, "how do I get back to the highway?"
Long story short, after driving lost for a good 20 minutes, I called my version of a GPS -- my husband. He determined I was heading in the right direction, and a few minutes later, I was cruising along the highway.
I had a similar experience when I attended Anne Holland's (publisher of MarketingSherpa) Web 2.0 keynote address at the New England Direct Marketing Association's conference.
I take great effort to stay up-to-date on trends and technologies: RSS (re: news feeds and syndicated content) -- I'm there. Wikis and blogs -- love them. Podcasts -- I'm thinking about it. YouTube and MySpace -- thank goodness my son is only nine years old.
But Web 2.0? Like driving in Boston, when I heard about Web 2.0 I felt like I had been following the signs but missed the on-ramp. Fortunately, minutes into Holland's talk, I realized I've been traveling the right highway, I just didn't know it.
Web 2.0, a term coined by O'Reilly and MediaLive International, refers to those activities most of us do online every day: reading news, "Googling," buying things on eBay, selling things on Craigslist, writing or posting to blogs, editing Wikis, listening to podcasts, and watching video.
In a nutshell, Web 2.0 is "power to the people" on steroids. It's no longer enough to build a Website, blog, or "killer app." Now you have to ensure people can find it, that it's relevant to their lives and/or jobs, and that they tell everyone else about it.
Which means, copywriters and their skills will be in great demand in the coming years. Why?
Because someone will have to write the content that gets people to not only visit a site, blog, or landing page but actually do something once they arrive -- whether it's downloading information, building a link back to the content, or editing or commenting on the content that's already there.
I know it's a bit naïve given the hype of the dotcom era, but I'm actually very excited about what's taking place online right now. While writing this newsletter I checked out Debbie Weil's Website, pre-ordered her book, emailed her, and received a nice email in return -- all in the space of about 20 minutes. Without her blog I would have never known about her upcoming book . . . or about the other services she's offering, such as blog coaching for CEOs like Bill Gates!
That, my friends, is Web 2.0 in action.
Dianna Huff specializes in B-to-B marketing communications consulting and copywriting. You can subscribe to her e-newsletter at www.dhcommunications.com.
I Thought I Missed the Web 2.0 On-Ramp
By Dianna Huff
Driving in Boston is never easy but it gets even worse when the tunnel that takes you to your major highway is closed -- and you're dumped onto a downtown surface street in the middle of a construction project with no clue where you are. Yes, that was my exact experience a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, prominently placed detour signs pointed the way to the highway. I carefully followed the signs, which after a couple of miles, suddenly stopped. "Oh no," I panicked, "how do I get back to the highway?"
Long story short, after driving lost for a good 20 minutes, I called my version of a GPS -- my husband. He determined I was heading in the right direction, and a few minutes later, I was cruising along the highway.
I had a similar experience when I attended Anne Holland's (publisher of MarketingSherpa) Web 2.0 keynote address at the New England Direct Marketing Association's conference.
I take great effort to stay up-to-date on trends and technologies: RSS (re: news feeds and syndicated content) -- I'm there. Wikis and blogs -- love them. Podcasts -- I'm thinking about it. YouTube and MySpace -- thank goodness my son is only nine years old.
But Web 2.0? Like driving in Boston, when I heard about Web 2.0 I felt like I had been following the signs but missed the on-ramp. Fortunately, minutes into Holland's talk, I realized I've been traveling the right highway, I just didn't know it.
Web 2.0, a term coined by O'Reilly and MediaLive International, refers to those activities most of us do online every day: reading news, "Googling," buying things on eBay, selling things on Craigslist, writing or posting to blogs, editing Wikis, listening to podcasts, and watching video.
In a nutshell, Web 2.0 is "power to the people" on steroids. It's no longer enough to build a Website, blog, or "killer app." Now you have to ensure people can find it, that it's relevant to their lives and/or jobs, and that they tell everyone else about it.
Which means, copywriters and their skills will be in great demand in the coming years. Why?
Because someone will have to write the content that gets people to not only visit a site, blog, or landing page but actually do something once they arrive -- whether it's downloading information, building a link back to the content, or editing or commenting on the content that's already there.
I know it's a bit naïve given the hype of the dotcom era, but I'm actually very excited about what's taking place online right now. While writing this newsletter I checked out Debbie Weil's Website, pre-ordered her book, emailed her, and received a nice email in return -- all in the space of about 20 minutes. Without her blog I would have never known about her upcoming book . . . or about the other services she's offering, such as blog coaching for CEOs like Bill Gates!
That, my friends, is Web 2.0 in action.
Dianna Huff specializes in B-to-B marketing communications consulting and copywriting. You can subscribe to her e-newsletter at www.dhcommunications.com.
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