Interactive websites: What is Web 2.0?

We've all heard of Web 2.0, but what does it mean? I think of it as the Interactive Internet. It encourages collaboration between users and is driving the trend towards more interactive websites.

The Internet as we have come to know it has been around for over ten years now. To date it has principally been used for searching, browsing and reading static information.

Now it is evolving into something quite different. We are now in what is being coined the “Web 2.0 era”, where the Internet is now about interactivity.

No longer do Internet users want to just look at and read a page they want to interact, leave comments, upload music or photos and be involved in the Internet community.

The Internet is no longer solely the domain of the technical expert. With the increase in user friendly interfaces, it is now possible to get involved even if you have limited technical knowledge.

What tools make up Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 can be defined as the set of technologies which enable collaboration and sharing between Internet users. These can be web pages, web-based communities or hosted services such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs and podcasts.

These tools, such as blogs, make it easier for anyone to get their material online, even if they have no knowledge of HTML.

Blogs are online diaries or journals created by individuals or companies and stored on the Internet. Blogs generally consist of text and images appearing in chronological order with the most recent entry shown at the top of the page.

Wikipedias are online encyclopaedia maintained by users. They allow people to contribute to and add definitions or topics.

Social networking include sites like MySpace and Facebook. Here, people put up a public profile about themselves. They can add their favourite photos, music and website links and choose to share these with friends only or the general public.

Podcasting. A 'podcast' is an audio file or series of audio files that can be shared with others. You can subscribe to a podcast in much the same way as you subscribe to an email newsletter.

Do I need Web 2.0 for my business?

When developing a website, you'd do well to consider not only the look and content, but also the user experience.

An interactive website can give prospective customers another way to interact and make contact with you. Whether through live chat or feedback or comments on your blog, you have the opportunity to make contact with a new person and encourage communication.

Do you want visitors to interact with your website? If so, how do you want to interact with them? Let us know via the comments.

Melissa Norfolk is an Internet expert who speaks to business, school and community groups about online marketing, email newsletters, effective use of the Internet, finding what you need online and Internet safety.

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It sounds great in theory, Melissa, but maintenance issues make me wonder if Web2.0 isn't a monster that can be bigger than its maker? (i.e. will we have enough time left over to run our businesses?). Grant Hyman from Sydney | Read my articles
Grant, Web 2.0 applications are much easier for the ordinary person to keep up to date than a traditional HTML web page. So it is not time consuming. The idea is to only choose and use these applications if they will benefit your business and then any time spent is worth it. Melissa Norfolk from Melbourne | Read my articles
I agree with you Melissa. Web 2.0 is not about doing things in a complex way, but about harnessing the potential of collaborative media like social indexing to enhance user experience. This has strong ramifications for online marketing.
Interestingly, as mentioned in the wikipedia ''Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2003[1] and popularized by the first Web 2.0 conference in 2004[2] , refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. O'Reilly Media titled a series of conferences around the phrase, and it has since become widely adopted.
Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to Web technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the web as a platform. According to Tim O'Reilly, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."
It is a pleasant surprise to see that a number of people from Generation Y are launching exciting projects like online communities and unleashing the power of social indexing to garner popularity.
Anup Batra from www.searchenginerankings.com.au from Melbourne, Australia
Melissa, interesting article but I think you omitted another strong point for solopreneurs when looking at 'web 2.0'. The presence of user-generated content and social networks are an important place for solo and micro-business to generate buzz. You can contribute to online communities, create profiles in all types of sites from myspace, flickr, linkedin etc and try and generate 'friends' for your business. Follow the rules of the site and you can generate interest, leads and networks. All without even touching your own website, or even having your own website in some cases (though I wouldn't recommend that!) Oh, and I don't mean posting comment spam copied directly from Wikipedia like Anup Batra above. That's not a very nice way to try and use other peoples sites to build your search engine rankings. The key is adding unique, valuable content, not just trying to spam keywords for your own purposes. Follow the rules, post original content on the partner sites and you'll be welcomed. Bruce Chapman from www.ifinity.com.au
I think it would be naive to say that it's not more effort. From a technology standpoint the setting up of such sites is more complex and expensive, but one that's done, then the maintenance of such sites is pretty easy.
The time consuming bit is the content. Look at this website for example. Consider all the articles, editorials, advertising and moderation. Some individuals blog everyday. If that's a business blog, then it can take some time because the blog is an extension of your professional persona, not just telling the public what your cat ate for breakfast.
Is it worth it? Most people are saying yes. Australians traditionally buy products or services based on trust. Blogs and other forms of open communication allow potential and existing customers to get to know you through your online identity. Many large corporations feel that although blogs and forums allow people to criticise thier products/services/company, that the transparency and openness is beneficial for thier branding.
But as Melissa says, you need to decide if that kind of web presence is important for you business. As soloists, it's easy to overcommit ourselves. Stay focussed on what's important, but keep your eye on Web 2.0. My suspicion is that -- due to interactivity, control and convenience -- it will overtake TV as people's medium of choice. Tyswan, administrator of www.health-harmony.com.au from Blue Mountains
Bruce, I was very intrigued to find your comment on 'spamming keywords for your own purposes'
There are no keywords to be put in here for indexing purposes. My comment does not link to my website, so where does the question of spamming keywords arise. I have quoted wikipedia to elaborate on the article giving full credence to O'Really Media who coined the term web 2.0. This should be taken in proper perspective Anup from www.searchenginerankings.com.au from Melbourne, Australia

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