Web 2.0 is here
Web 2.0, is referred to by many as the second generation of the Internet. It is a shift from a tool of reference to one of collaboration. It refers to a set of services and software allowing individuals to publish and share content on the web. Generally speaking Web 2.0 refers to the evolution of the Internet such that:
- There is increased participation by and collaboration between users
- There are more tasks done on the web Anyone can write online websites that can interact with other websites
In this article we will compare Web 2.0 to its predecessors, look at the opportunities it can offer to charities, and take a glance at the next phase to come.
There have so far been three generations of Web technologies:
- Web 1.0 - Websites with mostly static pages of information, resembling printed material. The Web was seen as a source of information but in electronic form.
- Web 1.5 - Websites users could update with little or no knowledge of web design packages and by using a Content Management System (CMS), which are not affordable by smaller charities in the case of proprietary software. There has not been sufficient knowledge and expertise of free open source CMSs for these to be widely used in the not-for-profit sector.
- Web 2.0 - Web applications that look like desktop applications allowing users to store, publish and share information online. Web 2.0 will be a 'participatory Web' where the users generate their own content. Examples of Web 2.0 services some of us are already using include Blogs - which have been around for a couple of years and are basically like an online diary others can contribute to, Wikis such as Wikipedia - the online encyclopaedia, and Google Maps which can now be embedded in websites.
Web 2.0 for charities?
A useful article written by Jeff Naqui for the ICT Hub Knowledge Base outlines the opportunity for charities offered by Web 2.0 technologies ('Web 2.0 - how to make it work for charities'). The article includes a list of ideas organisations could consider:
- Create an online 'community' for your organisation with your website. Make it active and reach out to its users rather than a passive by-product of your other communications channels
- Allow users to contribute comment on your content as well as content of their own. Users need a reason to visit and re-visit your site
- Build web links to other sites - this improves site traffic flow as well as search result visibility in engines such as Google and Yahoo. Find sites which are empathetic to your cause and make contact to see if reciprocal links can be established, as both sides will benefit. There are specialist agencies that can help with third-party link building and several undertake pro bono work.
- Consider international website links if your charity has affiliate or associate status with other charities across the world.
- Members of your community may have their own personal weblogs ('blogs' - like an online journal which allows others to read and contribute to it) and you may wish to ask them to link to your site.
- Create a viral campaign - a downloadable clip from your site, and invite your community members to forward accordingly. Maybe even consider posting it onto 'youtube' yourself?
- Create a secure area of your site where users can log in and become involved more in the work your charity undertakes. So, whether it be advice in planning an event, arranging a mailout or testing a new series of messages before launch, your online community of users are passionate and will help you achieve your goals.
- Tailor your communications to have global reach - or maybe create a menu item for 'Global visitors' to explain their specific call-to-actions - for the web is a global village after all.
- Any community needs to be recognised. Consider rewarding your members every so often. This does not have to be monetary - an e-card of thanks, an invite to a seminar or even a link to the blog of a 'monthly champion' reinforces the fact that you value your community.
The article's author concludes:
"Provide the foundation for a community on your site and allow a few months for it to take hold before making any judgments on its success. One of the oldest forms of marketing - word-of-mouth - is finding a new life online so give it time.
"Allowing site users, who are likely to be passionate advocates in higher proportions than for a non-charity site to interact with you online, can free up organisational resource in areas such as content generation and online marketing. And this is a resource which can be used elsewhere. Web 2.0 is here to stay and charities should get involved and recognise the benefits and opportunities it presents."
Yet to come: Web 3.0
Towards the end of 2006, interested parties started debating issues around Web 3.0, which is another new term coined to describe the next evolutionary phase of the way we will use the Web to interact, and promises, amongst other features, to transform the Web into a database, make content accessible by many non-browser applications, and improve artificial intelligence technologies. Watch this space!!
To find out more about the work of the ICT Hub for the voluntary and community sector, visit www.icthub.org.uk where you can find articles on the subject of internet technologies and a range of other ICT issues besides.
Page last updated: July 1, 2008
