Web 2.0 Rant
This is really off topic from SEO, but I do want to get it off my chest. I hate it when people call for websites to be built with “web 2.0 designs”.
“Web 2.0” is a buzzword often used by executives and managers who haven’t bothered to think through what they really want. Usually what they mean by “Web 2.0” is that they want a site that has more than just the basic text and pictures on it. The website has extras features that they hope will attract and keep customers coming back again and again.
This is good. So why don’t they just say it?
It reminds me of my days at large organizations like the US Air Force, Boeing and Sony. During those times I have saw managers go crazy over the newest management fad or craze every few years. I saw and survived Total Quality Management (TQM), ISO 9000, who moved the cheese, one-minute manager and all the rest.
I have this vision of an executive meeting where the boss is mad because the website is not performing up to promised expectations. Rather than admitting that he or she doesn’t have a clue why the website is underperforming, the manager explains to the boss that they’re going to fix everything by redesigning the site as a “Web 2.0” site. The boss doesn’t understand what that means and he doesn’t want to sound stupid so he agrees that the update is the way to go. After all, a 2.0 is always better than a 1.0.
In reality, Web 2.0 is only a buzzword; and after reading page after page on the topic you will find that its only real meaning is that the website is using the most current technology, software or trends. An example of the current trends and software considered to be Web 2.0 are tagging, RSS, blogs and so on.
If you’re interested, for a really detailed and technical description of web 2.0 do check out the O’Reilly document: what is the web 2.0 at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html.
The term Web 2.0 gets under my skin so badly not only because it’s lazy but also because a company should always be using the most current technology and not just updating the site because of a flashy buzzword. All websites are evolving things and should never be static. Even back in the old days (the1990s) when there wasn’t fancy software, websites needed to be updated all the time.
Website owners should remember that there is no such thing as a finished website. Websites need always to be updated, expanded and changed when appropriate and not just when a buzzword is thrown around.
While web 2.0 is just a buzzword, there is a real update to the hardware backbone of the internet and it does go by the nickname Internet2. This hardware update will increase the IP address range and speed of everything. Because of the cost, it is being slowly rolled out and the general public will not see the results for years down the road. Please do not get terms Internet2 and web 2.0 confused with each other just as you should not get confused between buzzwords and a true revolution.
If you’re serious about your website, you should always be making changes and additions as part of a normal evolution of any business. And that brings us back to SEO. Search engines like to see active sites. Changes, updates and additions will not only keep your site up-to-date and fresh for visitors, it’ll also help your search engine rankings.
Next week: Looking to the New Year.
Technorati Tags: seo, search engine optimization, web 2.0, buzzwords
This article was first published December 11, 2008 on the Tatum Marketing blog
This is really off topic from SEO, but I do want to get it off my chest. I hate it when people call for websites to be built with “web 2.0 designs”.
“Web 2.0” is a buzzword often used by executives and managers who haven’t bothered to think through what they really want. Usually what they mean by “Web 2.0” is that they want a site that has more than just the basic text and pictures on it. The website has extras features that they hope will attract and keep customers coming back again and again.
This is good. So why don’t they just say it?
It reminds me of my days at large organizations like the US Air Force, Boeing and Sony. During those times I have saw managers go crazy over the newest management fad or craze every few years. I saw and survived Total Quality Management (TQM), ISO 9000, who moved the cheese, one-minute manager and all the rest.
I have this vision of an executive meeting where the boss is mad because the website is not performing up to promised expectations. Rather than admitting that he or she doesn’t have a clue why the website is underperforming, the manager explains to the boss that they’re going to fix everything by redesigning the site as a “Web 2.0” site. The boss doesn’t understand what that means and he doesn’t want to sound stupid so he agrees that the update is the way to go. After all, a 2.0 is always better than a 1.0.
In reality, Web 2.0 is only a buzzword; and after reading page after page on the topic you will find that its only real meaning is that the website is using the most current technology, software or trends. An example of the current trends and software considered to be Web 2.0 are tagging, RSS, blogs and so on.
If you’re interested, for a really detailed and technical description of web 2.0 do check out the O’Reilly document: what is the web 2.0 at http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html.
The term Web 2.0 gets under my skin so badly not only because it’s lazy but also because a company should always be using the most current technology and not just updating the site because of a flashy buzzword. All websites are evolving things and should never be static. Even back in the old days (the1990s) when there wasn’t fancy software, websites needed to be updated all the time.
Website owners should remember that there is no such thing as a finished website. Websites need always to be updated, expanded and changed when appropriate and not just when a buzzword is thrown around.
While web 2.0 is just a buzzword, there is a real update to the hardware backbone of the internet and it does go by the nickname Internet2. This hardware update will increase the IP address range and speed of everything. Because of the cost, it is being slowly rolled out and the general public will not see the results for years down the road. Please do not get terms Internet2 and web 2.0 confused with each other just as you should not get confused between buzzwords and a true revolution.
If you’re serious about your website, you should always be making changes and additions as part of a normal evolution of any business. And that brings us back to SEO. Search engines like to see active sites. Changes, updates and additions will not only keep your site up-to-date and fresh for visitors, it’ll also help your search engine rankings.
Next week: Looking to the New Year.
Thu, Nov 5, 2009
Conversion Rates, Strategy, Traffic
Written by: Eric Gerds