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Casual Articles - Gaining Real Business Value From Web 2.0
Universal principals are those “self-evident” truths that have guided brilliant minds and withstood the test of time.Today, however, most of us forget to apply them consistently. As a reminder, here are a few Universal Principals based on genius thinking past and present that Baby Boomer Business Owners can use to inspire consistent accomplishment.Today, I have reflected on my own thinking along with the best genius thinking both past and present and wove them into 10 Universal Principals for both professional and personal growth.The 10 Universal Principals1. “Thoughts become things, so think the good ones.” Mike Dooley of Totally Unique Thoughts (tut.com) does a very nice job reminding
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they
Small business owners are amazing. They have the courage to do what so many others only dream about. Small business owners also are challenged. They often are specialists. This makes them great at one or two aspects of their business but often lack the knowledge and skill in other areas. One area many business owners have little to no knowledge is how to effectively market their enterprise. For those businesses that rely on the customer coming into the store or rely on the customer calling to request a service, radio should be their weapon of choice.When you want to have others know something about you, do you write it down and hope they stop by the location it's written, your desk, you table, the bulletin board, and hope they read it o
While our peers in the Internet industry are already growing tired of the discussion, I find that many of clients are just beginning to understand how they can benefit from these ideas.
So, what does our industry mean when we talk about Web 2.0? The underlying, fundamental concept is simple:
It's about the user.
User-centered content, functionality and technology is at the heart of Web 2.0. In fact, the rise of the website user as an active participant in a site's content and community is the cornerstone of the shift from the original web model to second generation ideas and methods. The following characteristics largely define this new era of websites:
1. User-enhanced content
Everyone loves Amazon -- you can find just about anything there and purchase it in "one-click". But without the innumerable bits of user-added information like product ratings, reviews, rankings, etc, Amazon would be just another eCommerce site. By harnessing the value of their users, Amazon has transformed itself into an incredible source of information, and, in the process, has set the bar high for would-be competitors.
This user-extended value concept can also be seen in the best blogs and socially-focused news sites like Slashdot, Daily Kos, TechCrunch, (and to a lesser degree, Digg), where half (if not more) of the value of sites is in the comments themselves. The appeal is audience-centered, as users carry on lively (ahem) debates, refine and/or rebut the points made in original posts.
Key features of user-added value include:
* Comments - accepting comments from site users
* Ratings - allowing users to rate an item or story according to their perception of its value
* Ranking (based on user feedback or tracking - what the most popular stories are, most popular search terms, etc.
* Tagging - adding information to a given item on a site by adding tags/labels that help clarify or categorize the site's content
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they a
When tested quality programs such as Six Sigma are implemented the right way, process improvement in a company can result in tangible gains within 3 to 6 months. Employees feel satisfied and ultimately, the shareholders also benefit from the overall results. While it is possible for business owners to study quality initiatives and effect changes within their organization on their own, sometimes an external consultant with expertise in Six Sigma might be the best person to help lead the change. Consultants are immune to a company's internal politics and have the advantage of exposure to information and best practices from other companies where they have implemented the procedure.Choosing The Appropriate ConsultantSelecting the ri
It's about the user.
User-centered content, functionality and technology is at the heart of Web 2.0. In fact, the rise of the website user as an active participant in a site's content and community is the cornerstone of the shift from the original web model to second generation ideas and methods. The following characteristics largely define this new era of websites:
1. User-enhanced content
Everyone loves Amazon -- you can find just about anything there and purchase it in "one-click". But without the innumerable bits of user-added information like product ratings, reviews, rankings, etc, Amazon would be just another eCommerce site. By harnessing the value of their users, Amazon has transformed itself into an incredible source of information, and, in the process, has set the bar high for would-be competitors.
This user-extended value concept can also be seen in the best blogs and socially-focused news sites like Slashdot, Daily Kos, TechCrunch, (and to a lesser degree, Digg), where half (if not more) of the value of sites is in the comments themselves. The appeal is audience-centered, as users carry on lively (ahem) debates, refine and/or rebut the points made in original posts.
Key features of user-added value include:
* Comments - accepting comments from site users
* Ratings - allowing users to rate an item or story according to their perception of its value
* Ranking (based on user feedback or tracking - what the most popular stories are, most popular search terms, etc.
* Tagging - adding information to a given item on a site by adding tags/labels that help clarify or categorize the site's content
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they
Are you a small business owner who’s just getting started or a veteran who is eager to review the basics and generate more income through effective marketing? Walk through these 9 keys and turn your dread of marketing into a passion.1. Craft your vision statement: Answer the question, “Why does my company exist?” This is the heart and soul of your organization and the platform from which you should make every decision be it marketing, product development, or customer service related.2. Identify your ideal client: Take a hard look again at why you’re in business in the first place. Then identify who’s really going to want what you’re selling. Who’s going to understand exactly where you’re coming from and jump at the chance t
This user-extended value concept can also be seen in the best blogs and socially-focused news sites like Slashdot, Daily Kos, TechCrunch, (and to a lesser degree, Digg), where half (if not more) of the value of sites is in the comments themselves. The appeal is audience-centered, as users carry on lively (ahem) debates, refine and/or rebut the points made in original posts.
Key features of user-added value include:
* Comments - accepting comments from site users
* Ratings - allowing users to rate an item or story according to their perception of its value
* Ranking (based on user feedback or tracking - what the most popular stories are, most popular search terms, etc.
* Tagging - adding information to a given item on a site by adding tags/labels that help clarify or categorize the site's content
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they
From Ebay to the smallest home-operated start-up, e-businesses of all sizes struggle to accurately answer a common question: who are my customers? If you can’t answer that question, chances are you’re also in the dark about the following questions. What customer demand trends can I expect in the future? How can I improve customer retention? What can I do to build long-term relationships of trust with customers? Knowing the answer to these questions can mean the difference between long-term growth and profitability and crashing and burning.Enter eCRMWith the proliferation of e-business into just about every consumer market, customers are faced with more options than ever. As a result, they have naturally become increa
Key features of user-added value include:
* Comments - accepting comments from site users
* Ratings - allowing users to rate an item or story according to their perception of its value
* Ranking (based on user feedback or tracking - what the most popular stories are, most popular search terms, etc.
* Tagging - adding information to a given item on a site by adding tags/labels that help clarify or categorize the site's content
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they
A completed communication consists of a sender and a receiver. If there is just a sender - like in a pitch, or a lecture, or a commercial, or advertisement, or even a newsletter - it's not a communication, but an assertion, or a monologue, or an opinion.Sometimes, when we have something we passionately want to say, we become so involved in formulating the crucial words that might make the listener take heed (we are caught up in needing to be heard) that we forget to ask ourselves one fundamental question: do we want to speak? Or have someone hear us?I just found out how difficult this choice can be on a recent trip to Hong Kong and Shanghai. And this is a problem many of us face when attempting to enter another culture - be it a
2. User-contributed content
Partially due to the the rise and mainstreaming of blogging, users have gone from passive consumers of website content to active participants who expect to be involved in the content on their favorite sites. In fact, sites that have failed to recognize this trend have fallen far behind newer competitors that offer these capabilities. A great example of this is Google's purchase of YouTube. Why, since Google already had a YouTube competitor in GoogleVideo, would Google spend money to essentially create what they already had? Simple. YouTube made it so much easier for users to upload and contribute their own content that YouTube quickly became the defacto site for video upload and sharing.
Other sites that enable (even rely on) user-contributed content include Wikipedia, photo-sharing site Flickr (and its dozens of copycats), many politically-focused news/blog sites like Free Republic and Daily Kos, and of course, MySpace which is nothing without the contributions of its huge userbase.
A great hybrid model of user-contributed content with is NewsVine, where users suggest "official" news stories for promotion to the main page, create their own original content for inclusion side-by-side with the "official" news stories, and debate the value/accuracy/relevancy of all these stories.
Key features of user-contributed content include:
* Wikis
* Blogging
* Photo and Video upload
* User-suggested or promoted content
3. User-focused technology and functionality
The days of the "walled garden" are over. Users want and expect access to your site's information and data in ways previously unimaginable. From the simple (RSS feeds) to the complex (APIs), users expect to be provided with methods to get to your site's content and functionality. After all, it's often their own content and data they're after.
Users also expect that the site's user experience is going to be as advanced and smooth as possible. Page content and functionality that might be clickable, draggable or otherwise interactive should be. Users that have grown accustomed to the seamless experience of working with Google Maps or Flickr's slideshows expect similar interface conventions everywhere they go.
Key features of User-focused technology and functionality include:
* RSS Feeds for content syndication and aggregation
* Site API for remote interoperability with site functionality and data
* SaaS - Software as a Service
* AJAX or similar user interface conventions
4. Community/Social Networking
In addition to being able to interact with data and information in new ways, users want to be able to make meaningful connections with other site users. We see this taking place in superfi
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