MICHAEL ELLAN
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I recently released an iPhone conducive version of my site. Many more details to come, but you can point your iPhone to the current release here: http://www.figit.com/iphone/. Desktop users – the iFigit site utilizes code specifically developed for mobile safari so I must warn you that there are a few rendering issues in IE, FF, and Safari for the desktop.
I've been asked many times, what my personal definition of "web 2.0" is. I decided it would be a good idea for me to cover it on my site. In short, web 2.0 enables online applications the same immediacy of desktop applications.
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. New media professionals refer to these technologies as “Web 2.0”. A lot of the concepts and technologies of Web 1.0 are still relevant, and not only worth considering, but can help to make web 2.0 technologies more effective.
There is an exciting new class of application that incorporates great design and an outside-the-browser experience to appeal to end users. Rich Internet Applications (RIA) take many forms and RIAs on the desktop include exciting technologies like Adobe's AIR (formerly Apollo) and Microsoft Silverlight (formerly windows presentation foundation). Experience is the name of the game and by breaking out of the browser you have total control over the experience.
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 web page is requesting data from the server then displaying that data to the user without reloading.
It could mean, for example, that your web site could have a contact widget that users submit feedback to, 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. My contact page is an example of AJAX in action on a small, yet effective scale.
Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills (HTML, JavaScript, Ajax, Flash, Flex) to build and deploy rich Internet applications (RIA's) to the desktop.
By allowing web developers to extend their applications beyond the browser, Adobe AIR is poised to become a springboard for innovation in the next chapter in the life of web technologies — the desktop. When good old XMLHttpRequest gets data returned, it can save directly to the user's file system, or even store that data in a local relational database. Taking this even further, there's support for new types of data exchange that include binary data and persistent socket connections.
Exploring this newfound freedom and combining these new abilities with the massive proliferation of services opens the door to an entirely new world of possibilities, such as media storage with YouTube or Flickr, data storage with Amazon S3, workflow and CRM infrastructure with Salesforce.com.
Silverlight is a new technology introduced in 2006 to allow the creation of more compelling user experiences for web-based experiences. Silverlight was originally dubbed by the Internet community at large as a "Flash Killer" when its existence was announced, and the comparisons between Adobe's Flash and Microsoft's Silverlight continue to be made.
The technologies do, in fact, have a lot in common. Namely, the main goal of both technologies is to aid in the creation of Rich Internet Applications (RIA's) functional, online applications which go far beyond the limitations of traditional HTML and CSS.
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 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 web sites 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 are best know by the wiki of them all, Wikipedia. But wikis can also exist within the context of any given web site. 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 web site to have information on the issues important to its users.
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.
All over the internet, little orange buttons are popping up on web pages that say “RSS”. Blogs, podcasts, and news feeds 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!
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.
Internet Forums 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”. Internet Forums 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.
“Stickiness” as a concept for web sites was a hot buzzword for a short while. The concept is still powerful, and deserves attention. Basically, a “sticky” web site 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 web site, 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 web site frequently.