innovation showcase : business innovation case studies : Regional Innovation Strategy - 2007

2007 - The Year of Web 2.0

What does the label ‘Web 2.0’ actually mean? There’s certainly some disagreement about the terminology but in general you’ll find it used as a catch-all term which applies to the transition to the 2nd stage of internet development.

Although many feel ‘Web 2.0’ is nothing more than a meaningless marketing term, it seems to have been adopted by as an appropriate term to describe the ‘new internet methodology’.

According to Wikipedia: “Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users. Ultimately Web 2.0 services are expected to replace desktop computing applications for many purposes.”

Social media websites with user-generated content fall squarely under the Web 2.0 umbrella. Loosely defined as webspace where visitors produce and upload their own content, social media sites look set to become even bigger throughout 2007. Not just for the fun element either – as the sites gain popularity, astute companies are realising the potential online marketing opportunities.

The rapid rise of social media sites has opened the door to a flood of opportunities for online marketers. For example, a memorable video posted on YouTube can work wonders for the awareness of your brand. Taking part in discussion groups and forums online can keep your name in the foreground. And many have tapped into the art of blogging using advanced features like RSS feeds.

Things like Social Media Optimization - optimising a website to maximise visitor and user awareness on the popular social media sites. Or Social Media Marketing - a generic term to describe the creation and distribution of content through social websites using some form of viral marketing like a video or photo.

Just a few months ago, these terms didn’t exist – now they look destined to become favourite buzzwords of 2007.

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[ 2007 - The Year of Web 2.0 ]