Business in North Dakota in the 1890s looked a lot different from today. Everyone might meet down at the general store on Main Street to pick up necessities or luxuries and to share the news of the day.
Some fear that the human contact that used to be an essential part of business will soon be as old-fashioned as those handlebar mustaches. Economist Thomas Friedman describes such contact as "friction," and suggested that the internet would smooth it all away, as we all got more accustomed to browsing through online shops, making online purchases, and paying our bills online.
Technology -- and shopping -- may have changed, but human beings have not. We still crave interaction, and now the internet, far from smoothing out the "friction" of human contact, creates new ways for us to interact. That's the secret of Web 2.0.
Web 2.0, at its basic, is about two-way use of the interent. The internet is now the most basic source of information for most Americans. We got online to get phone numbers, compare price information, and see what a business is like before we drive to it.
But we -- and this incudes your customers -- also go online to share our own ideas and information. We type in a review of a business, comment at a blog, correct a wiki. We add our own images to a description of an item, make a suggestions at a forum, ask and answer questions online. That's Web 2.0.
If it's time for a new website or an update to your current one (and if you're not sure, then check out our 10 Signs that Your Website Needs a Makeover ), then you might want to add some Web 2.0 features.
Onsharp can integrate a blog into your business website, for example. That lets you share new information, useful suggestions, and new product arrivals. Your customers can talk with you and with each other in the comments. You can share more about your staff, your philosophy, and your expertise, while also getting a new opportunity to listen to your customers.
The web doesn't have to be a passive experience. Call us today to discuss how to include Web 2.0 features in your web strategy.