Digital Mountain Top

Oh how we chuckle, at the thought of blinky animated GIFs being fun, flash intros being absolutely essential and we won't even mention frames!

Now of course the buzz word, the "new raver" in the digital world is Web 2.0. Although web 2.0 has many advantages and certainly won't end up on the rubbish heap with blinking text, it has it's time and place.

The problem is that many businesses are effectively shoe horning web 2.0 into their existing sites or planning their entire site around social media when it's not always appropriate. It's the new must have and some people are buying into it without thinking.

Therefore I've put together 5 questions you need to ask before setting up a web 2.0 site.


1. Are Web 2.0 elements appropiate to meet your business needs?

Ask yourself why you are creating your social network, video uploader etc. What advantage does your customer/audience base being friends, making comments and connecting really have for your business? Could it even damage your business?

2. How will you build a community?

You can build an all singing, all dancing web 2.0 site with a mini facebook and UGC galore but unless you have an online community to use it, then it's pointless. People get over zealous about web 2.0 and want to jump in feet first. It's the equivalent of opening a 1000 people capacity venue and then just 10 people from the pub next door turning up. You'd feel silly wouldn't you?

Now that there is so much competition out there and social media is some what overcrowded, it may be better to phase in your web 2.0 elements a bit at a time and slowly build a community. That way you can get to know your punters and understand if your site is a strictly shoes only venue or if t-shirt 'n' jeans are just fine.


3. How will the site be moderated?

Don't even ask if the site needs to be moderated if you are using UGC- it does. If you are selling actual products rather than making money from attracting visitors to your new shiny web 2.0 site then I suggest you need pre-moderation as this will protect you from any malicious comments from competitors etc. That established, who is going to do this? Perhaps the community can moderate it's self by flagging offensive comments?


4. Are you re-inventing the wheel?

Maybe social media is your USP within your industry but what is your USP within social media? What does your site do that facebook, youtube, last fm, digg etc, don't?

Can you link up with other social/UGC sites? Why make users upload all their photos to your site as well as Flickr - save them the hassle and integrate Flicker with your site (dopplr.com does this well). It's unlikely you can successfully build the next facebook so work with them, not against them. If there is already a community built up that would be interested in your service/product then why not become part of that community rather than making your own?


5. Do you have the resources attend to your web 2.0 needs?

Web 2.0 doesn't look after it's self. For example, you cannot have a blog that is not updated regularly - it's worse than not having one at all. Have you got the resources or indeed enough news to write regular blog? Have you got staff ready to moderate comments, forums etc. Do they understand social media? Have your got the resources to gather the feedback received from your community?


I could write loads more points to look out for but you'd be bored, and I'd sound like I was raining on the web 2.0 parade a little too much.

I like 2.0 (I don't like it's name), it's turning traditional media/marketing on it's head, it is here to stay and by in large we should embrace it but how we do that should be very carefully thought about.