The
blogosphere is buzzing this week about Web 2.0 articles in mainstream
media. The catalyst is a piece in the
current edition of Newsweek titled “The New Wisdom of the Web”. The article is a thoughtful exploration of
the intellectual framework and user dynamics of Web 2.0 as well as some of the early
successes among Web 2.0 companies.
Though
Newsweek recasts it as the “live web” (an unfortunate moniker at best), and the
blogosphere derides it as “ironic” this examination of various elements of Web
2.0 is well done and should serve as a great primer for those not already
engaged in Web 2.0 or consumer generated media. Some of the more salient observations are about shifts in user
behaviors, from the domination of online news among the “non-arthritic
population”, to the phenomenon of citizen journalism empowered by Flickr and
others.
Some
mainstream media outlets still struggle to embrace Web 2.0. (When is the Washington Post going to devise
a successful blog strategy?) But it’s
clear that others are making great strides. Today’s New York Times reports on Heavy.com, and its brilliant
combination of micro-segmentation strategy and user generated content to market
Fortune 500 brands like American Express and GM to the 18 –
34-year-old-market. And BusinessWeek has
an article about the surge in mobile advertising, and the use of SMS text
messaging for consumer promotions.
So what are
the keys to success in this new world? It sounds alarmingly familiar: listen to
your customers, don’t treat all customers alike, allow for customization (what
I want, when I want it), and market and sell your brand in context. It sure sounds a lot like Web 1.0, or for
that matter savvy one-to-one marketing to me. As one of these articles says, Web 2.0 “fulfills some of the outlandish
promises that we heard in the ‘90’s”. Maybe
now we’ll get it right.
Technorati Tags:
CGM, Live Web, Marketing, Newsweek Social Networking, Web2.0
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