FridayBlowout

Who would have thought that blogging would become such a competitive activity? Today, it’s not just about being able to come up with fresh stuff, it’s all about being different, useful, informative, entertaining, intriguing, even. And as if providing great content was not enough, blogging now requires much more vigilance and creativity to attract more readership, bring in more traffic, even increase sales. So what has Web 2.0 got to do with blogging and should you begin looking at ways you can take advantage of this technology and reap the rewards?

How Web 2.0 works

Web 2.0 refers to a host of technologies and services that enhance the use of websites and the Internet. It is
considered as part of the emerging second generation web technologies that have appeared over the past few years. It consists mainly of hosted services and web-based communities.

Web 2.0, according to some experts, is the result of the migration of many businesses and personal efforts to the internet, using it as a platform for a variety of things. This is how wikis, RSS feeds, podcasts, social networking websites and other similar technologies have emerged. The function of Web 2.0 is to provide users – individuals or companies – a means with which to share, collaborate, participate and just plain become creative.

Although it sounds like a technological innovation involving the internet, it is really just a reference to the changes in the manner with which users, including developers, utilize the internet. Blogging and Web 2.0

So how can Web 2.0 be used with blogging?

Actually, blogging is already in itself a form of Web 2.0 technology. Blogging was an unknown thing some years ago and since its emergence, it has become a very dynamic, highly valuable component of the Web. But as a way to enhance blogging, Web 2.0 is a highly useful technology.

Web 2.0 provides a means with which bloggers and site owners can enhance the experience of their sites for their end-users – their readers, subscribers and customers. Blogging no longer has to be a one-way communication street. With the technologies and services provided by Web 2.0, a blog can be so much more than a person’s expression of his beliefs and opinions.

Enhanced customer service

With a Web 2.0-powered blog, an individual can communicate interactively with readers and subscribers. A blogger can post messages or promotions in order to inform his readers or customers. Already, this is a method being utilized by top management and executives at some of the largest companies in the world, such as General Motors and Sun Microsystems.

Collaboration

A blog can also be used as a platform for a collaborative effort, something that is akin to what Wikipedia does. A blogger can begin a post or thread and then invite his readers to contribute and thus begin a collaboration. This method is very productive in producing cheap yet effective and very useful information. Already, even large corporations are beginning to use this technology to enhance their company services and mass appeal.

Network building

Using Web 2.0, a blog can also be a means for building a network of contacts. Web 2.0 is the technology behind sites such as MySpace and already, it has proven to be hugely successful. It increases the social aspect of the blog while at the same time allowing the blogger to take advantage of the network he has built for a specific purpose, such as to promote a business, recruit members or affiliates or just build more traffic.

Here is where this lesson ends for today. We really hope you enjoyed this lesson too.

You will receive the next lesson in 7 days. Next week’s lesson will have the following title:

“Web 2.0 and WordPress Themes”

Copyright(C) 2008 by John Delavera & Reimund Lube

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