Assured Social Media

Defining WEB 2.0 as a series of building blocks is not really possible. However, it is possible to point to some common factors that exist across most of the new webs “virtual holdings”.

Here are three key features to WEB 2.0. These are perhaps the most important for someone looking to market their own ideas on the web. These methods are ones that you, as an end user, can utilize to get your message across more effectively.

1 – Tagging and Tags. Tags are like the keywords of a particular message, video, article or application. They are a “short cut” to understanding what it is about. As an example, if you produce a video about rock climbing you might choose “rock climbing”, “mountaineering” and “ascent” as three of your tags. This gives both the end user, and the engines on the web that categorize your video an idea of how and where to file it, and allow people to find it when searching under appropriate keywords.

2 – Collaborative Work – Having teams of people add to a topic, pushing the conversation along, adding backup videos, voting up your work, linking it to other work in the same field. This is part of the new collaborative way of using the internet. It works both ways. Initially you may want to see how things are done, and add to existing discussions, rate other people’s videos and articles in a constructive way. Then produce your own and hope that you start a conversation of your own.

3 – Syndication. If your message is good, clear and unique, then others may want to spread your word for you. Simple content platforms such as WordPress offer one button press syndication.

A great benefit for both the original author, who sees his message spread to a wider audience. And the syndicator themselves who benefits “by proxy” by having this much sought after information on their site or domain.

The new features and accessibility offered by WEB 2.0 has massively increased the number of people actively participating on the internet. Finding hotspots where these discussions are taking place between massive numbers of people is now relatively easy.

This leaves you with the task of getting your own message across, and marketing yourself and your goal. Convincing people that your message is one they might want to listen to.

With the huge increase of WEB 2.0 social sites, arises new and exciting ways of driving internet traffic to your own web pages.

Web 2.0 is one of the most loosely defined terms. Coders will tell you it is tied up with the adoption of XHTML over HTML, developers will tell you it is to do with the decline of the traditional provider/consumer relationship and a more ethical web.

The general consensus though is that WEB 2.0 is the increase in social networking that the web now offers. Sites driven primarily by user content such as Myspace, Youtube etc.

In the end, it all amounts to the same thing. A better way of working on the internet that allows people of all technical abilities to interact and communicate. In turn, these social sites have become a traffic source that dwarfs all others.

In 2010 there are, we are told, more people logged into Facebook than are using Google. There are more people watching Youtube than are glued to any TV station you care to name. The next Soccer world cup final, an event that will have over one billion people worldwide watching – will be the only television program this year, anywhere on the planet, that will have more watchers than the average number of people logged into Youtube.

It didn’t take long for many to realise that these places represent a massive and new marketing and information exchange possibility. Getting your message across is potentially simpler than ever.

Selling and marketing information requires an audience as large as possible to be a success. WEB 2.0 offers the largest and most consistently available audience the world has ever known.

That’s all well and good, but how do you go about accessing this wealth of opportunity?

What methods are best to make sure that you are targeting your information to just those who would benefit from it? How can you spread your word to as wide an audience as possible without spamming those who have no interest?

It is more than possible to use WEB 2.0 to leverage your skills and ideas on the web. You may need to change your normal way of thinking and learn some new skills, but the door is open and ready for your message to be heard.

Discussions, comments, forums and blogs represent new ways of being heard. Getting text, photo and video media online has never been easier. Make a plan of action and stick to it. Soon you will be an active user of WEB 2.0. This will benefit you, and those looking for what you have to offer.

With the massive increase of WEB 2.0 social sites, arises new and quick ways of gaining web traffic to your own web holdings.