Archive for the ‘Web 2.0’ category

ABC’s of Web 2.0

April 29th, 2009

Article Written By Sharon Housley

Web 2.0 is a perceived transition of the Web to web-based applications. Web 2.0 is the next generation of technology solutions where interactive content is the norm.

There is no agreement on exactly what Web 2.0 means. Depending on who you are speaking with, you may receive different explanations. At it’s heart, Web 2.0 is about the maturity of the Web. While many refer to Web 2.0 as companies that employ powerful web technologies, the key components of Web 2.0 are said to include: the Web as a platform, collaboration, and syndication.

Here are the “ABC’s” of Web 2.0…

A – Ajax

Ajax is an abbreviation for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, and is a web development technique for creative interactive web applications. Many Web 2.0 websites use Ajax to interact with website visitors.

B – Blog

Blogs are web logs that are updated regularly, usually on a daily basis. They contain information related to a specific topic. In many cases, blogs are used simply as daily diaries about people’s personal lives, political views, or even as social commentaries. The truth of the matter is that blogs can be shaped into whatever you, the author, want them to be.

C – Collaboration

Collaboration is a hallmark of Web 2.0. Building communities and developing content from multiple contributors is part of what is unique about these second-generation websites.

D – Dynamic

Content Dynamic content refers to content which is obtained from another source, and which is automatically updated whenever the source content changes.

E – ECommerce

Ecommerce comes from the phrase “Electronic Commerce”, which basically means selling things over the Internet. Many websites now conduct financial transactions over the Internet. Ecommerce is simply a vehicle for collecting payments online.

F – Folksonomy

Folksonomy is a means of classifying and categorizing data on the web through collaborative efforts from the online community. While not strictly synonymous to the term, this is more commonly known as “tagging”, where keywords are associated with items or links. The keywords are used to classify the items.

G – Global Navigation

Global navigation refers to a somewhat standardized navigational menu structure that encompasses all the main pages on the website. Regardless of the particular web page you are on, you can navigate to any other part of the website using the global navigation system.

H – Hosted Application

Hosted applications are typically interactive programs that reside on the Internet, and are designed to run on the Internet rather than being downloaded and installed on the user’s computer.

I – Information Architecture

Information architecture describes the structure and methodology by which information (such as website content) is organized.

J – JavaScript

JavaScript is a cross-platform, object-based scripting language developed by Netscape for client and server applications. It is commonly used in web pages to add interactivity and to dynamically update content.

K - Knowledgebase

A knowledgebase is a collection of facts, rules, and procedures that are organized into a searchable format. In Web 2.0, website knowledgebases are usually interactive.

L – Long Tail

The phrase “long tail” pertains to search engine results. The “long tail” of search follows the thinking that the combined total results of multiple less-popular terms will exceed the results of a single more-popular term. Many webmasters have given up their hope of ranking well for the extremely popular terms, and instead are focused on ranking well for the less-popular but more abundant terms or phrases.

M – Mashups

Mashups are the result of merging content from a variety of different sources, and thus creating new content based on the merging and filtering of the resulting content.

N – Newsreader

A newsreader is a software tool or web application that is used to read and manage RSS feeds.

O – OPML

OPML stands for Outline Processor Markup Language, and is a standard for people wishing to import or export their RSS feed subscriptions.

P – Podcasting

Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed. Many people equate podcasting to “radio on demand”. However, in reality, podcasting offers far more options in terms of content and programming than radio does. In addition, podcast listeners can determine the time and the place of their listening, meaning that they decide what programming they want to receive and when they want to listen to it. Listeners can retain audio archives to listen to at their leisure. While blogs have turned many bloggers into journalists, podcasting has the potential to turn podcasters into radio personalities.

Q – Query

A query is a phrase or a group of words, possibly combined with other syntax, used to pass instructions to a search engine or a directory in order to locate web pages.

R – RSS

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and is a standard for syndicating content online. RSS feeds are used to provide real-time information to interested parties.

S – Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking and social networks are collaborative efforts that use democracy and voting to influence the importance of items that are bookmarked.

T - Tags

Tags are descriptive keywords that are used to classify and categorize items or URLs on social networks.

U – User-Generated

Content User-generated content refers to website content that is created by the users themselves. It can be in the form of message posts on discussion groups, blogs, comments on blog postings, wiki entries, etc.

V – Vlog

Vlog comes from the phrase “video blog”. This is a blog that mainly publishes video content rather than audio content. Video podcasting is sometimes called vodcasting.

W – Wiki

Wikis are a collaborative environment that is built around input from community users.

X – XML

XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language. XML is often used to update dynamic web content.

Y – YouTube

YouTube is a highly popular Web 2.0 video hosting website that allows users to submit, view, and rate videos.

Z – ZeeEnd

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

Popularity: 56% [?]

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Posted in Web 2.0

Twitter Debate

April 7th, 2009

If you have been online for more than a couple of days, you will have heard about Twitter.

Twitter is a simple “micro blogging” system where you can add 140 character snippets of what you are doing online.

You have probably also heard of the Autofollow/Auto DM systems that are around that allow you to automatically follow people who are following you and send them a Direct Message to welcome them.

There has been a debate going about this service.  Some people think that this is a bad idea for various reasons and others like to use it.

Michel Fortin made a post on his Blog Titled  “Twitter Populated By Drones And Fakes?” all about the subject.

Although I am sure there were other people who disagreed with Mr. Fortins opinions, here is a Blog post Titled “I Have to Disagree with Michel Fortin” that puts the other side of the debate.

Recently, Mr Fortin has made another post on the subject here. Following Up On The Auto-Follow Fiasco

I don’t know about you, but I find this all a bit confusing.

Where do you stand on the “Auto-Follow Fiasco”?

Post a comment and let me know. :)

Popularity: 100% [?]

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Posted in Web 2.0

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Sneaky Ways To Use Social Marketing for More Traffic

July 1st, 2008

By Jack Humphrey

When you can’t think of another thing you could do to promote your site just remember this:

There is always something else you can do to promote your site!

I am going to let readers in on a very big secret known only to our insiders before today. It is one of the most powerful, overlooked marketing methods for Web 2.0.

It all started back when Web 2.0 started. I quickly realized how beneficial it would be for my web presence to get on social sites and begin branding myself. While other marketers were glossing over Web 2.0 as a fad or as a useless tool for marketing, I was digging in and checking out what was behind the curtain.

The links I gained were invaluable. The traffic and search engine rankings I enjoy now are a direct result of diligent study and application of techniques I developed for a new marketing method called “social marketing.”

Social marketing was proving to be an extremely important part of my overall marketing and branding for our properties.

Then one day it hit me. Why not use the same techniques on sites that mention one of my products, my blog, or any number of my sites?

I experimented with sending traffic and links to possible joint venture partners. They responded. They really responded!

I figured most professionals were as addicted to checking their stats every day as I was. So I sent key people a powerful message of traffic. When they logged in to see a big burst of traffic had occurred above their normal daily traffic, they back tracked where it came from and found my profiles on all the social sites I sent it from.

I began to get emails thanking me for this traffic and asking how I did it. They saw the sites that I was using to send them traffic, but they thought there was something magical about the way I did it and wanted to know the secret.

All of the sudden people who were paying no attention whatsoever to me were picking up the phone and emailing trying to figure out what I was up to and why I would send them traffic for free.

I wasn’t sending them links and traffic for free exactly. I did it to get their attention. And once I had it and started telling them what I did to get it, they were all ears when it came to my products which teach people how to do the same.

I got every joint venture I wanted because of this tactic. No one ignores my emails anymore and I enjoy being able to get joint ventures or even totally free mails from some of the biggest names in the business. (Some of them even mailed about my products without affiliate links!)

So I went on to develop around this idea and came up with, in hindsight, was a monstrously brilliant idea: Why not “buzz” everyone who ever links to or mentions one of my sites or products?

Not to get their attention necessarily. But simply to improve their rankings and link popularity so that their links to me would increase in value!

To say that this has worked wonders for our companies is a gross understatement. Since you cannot trust that people who talk about you on their blogs or in social sites are any good at promoting themselves, I simply started buzzing every single page on the web that linked to one of my sites.

I know about every new mention of my name or my sites because I use Google Alerts. When someone writes a post with my name in it, I get an alert and the direct URL to that page.

With alerts set up for all your keywords (product names, your name, websites you own, or anything related to your business you want to track) you will be the third person on the web to know when something new has been put out there.

The first person is the person who wrote about you. The second is Google. The third is you!

So after I get an alert, I immediately check out the new content, wherever it is, and if it is buzz worthy, I apply social marketing tactics to that URL and get that page some serious attention.

Over time, no matter how bad others are at marketing their own sites, you can have a huge network of popular pages pointing to your domain, sending you traffic and increasing your rankings.

Don’t blow off new content or blog posts simply because they have no pagerank because they are brand new. Instead, make absolutely certain the entire niche knows about those pages and increase the value of them yourself far more rapidly than the website owners will themselves.

Side Effects: Everyone you buzz and make popular comes into your circle. You will notice an increase of repeat links and mentions by those people who have benefited from you buzzing them.

Traffic is the #1 way to make friends online. Friends who will send you back exponentially more traffic collectively than you ever sent them.

Your site isn’t the only thing you need to focus on promoting on the web. You should promote every site on the web where your links are found!

Now you will never get stuck wondering what else you can do to promote your business online.

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To find out how to “buzz” your own and other sites and conduct a real social marketing campaign, download Jack’s Authority Black Book at http://www.authorityblackbook.com. It is responsible for millions of links and visitors for the over 45,000 people who have read it!

Popularity: 18% [?]

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Posted in Internet Marketing, Traffic Generation, Web 2.0