Part 12 - Web 2.0 - SOCIAL MEDIA

"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world"

Mohammed

Web2.0 is the latest umbrella label for the way we communicate, and relate to each other through the use of the Internet. How our lives interconnect through technology and the use of social networks.

Things have changed and, as a business, if you don't change and adapt you will probably find yourself being eaten by your competition.

Teenagers are no longer just chatting on the phone. They’re text messaging on their cellular phones, chatting on MSN chat lines, emailing, downloading their music from point-to-point networks, or buying just the individual songs they want from companies like iTunes – instead of having to buy an entire CD.

They’re uploading music and videos from their computers to their iPods, checking out their friend's schedules on FaceBook, and translating their homework into another language by using a free and automated online translation service. They're downloading a book summary from a free book-summary site – because they 'forgot' to read the book for their homework, and they're checking out their friends latest blogs. And, this can all be in the space of one hour!

My teenage son's friends have a garage band. They already have three demo songs recorded onto a computer, and have them on a special music blog site for bands so all their friends and the rest of the world may hear.

When my kid's friends come over (I have 4 kids) they split their sides open watching hilarious videos from YouTube and GoogleVideo.

When they go out to a movie, they’re already texting their friends on their cell phones, telling whether the movie is worth coming to see or not, or if the restaurant they ate at before was good or not.

Youth are connected now in ways that we can’t even imagine.

Life on the Internet has changed from what we used to know. Today, the Internet has been woven into the fabric of our lives. We no longer access the Internet - we wear it.

You can even get your phone service over the Internet, allowing you to "local call" from almost anywhere in the world there is an Internet connection and a place to plug in your USB interface.

"Skype" allows you to connect with other free Skype account holders in voice-to-voice communication, using your computer, an Internet connection, and a combination microphone headset. Unless you call a regular phone, Skype costs you nothing. That's free around-the-world voice communication!

Even in business, busy professionals are connected through the Internet, through conference video online, email, blogging, cell phones, "Blackberries" and other Portable Digital Assistants (PDA handhelds), Bluetooth wireless, laptops and just about anything else you can think of.

Even the major online book retailer, amazon.com, has a daily blog!

With Web2.0, the customer wants to be in control. They want to be part of the product creation - they want to interact.

The days of being told what you're going to watch on T.V. are slowly disappearing. People want to watch what they want when they want. Not when the satellite company tells them it's coming on. Even the days of traditional Pay-Per-View, where you pay to view a movie but have to wait for the next scheduled showing, are numbered.

My phone company now supplies High Definition TV over the phone line - and why not, that's how I get my entire high speed internet. They have a "Movie Central on Demand" channel where you can view most of the movies that are showing that month on the movie channels. The beauty is that you can watch these movies whenever you want. You don't have to wait for the scheduled viewing.

You can also fast-forward, rewind, pause, and do anything you can do with a DVD. It's your movie, your time.

Also, watch what people do when they record a show from TV. They play the content, and fast-forward through the commercials. Commercials are known as "Interruption Marketing". It's not "permission-based" marketing and so it gets dropped whenever possible.

When you consider the "your movie, your time" concept, Amazon.com is taking advantage of that and has developed a section on their sites where your can buy your favorite TV show episodes for $1.99 and view them online.

This has just been a through-the-keyhole glimpse. If you're looking for a super, in-depth book on the subject, I would highly recommend the book - "Secrets of Online Persuasion" - Captivating the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of thousands using blogs, podcasts and other New Media marketing tools, by John-Paul and Deborah Micek. It's published in both hardcover and paperback by Morgan - James Publishing. ISBN 1-60037-029-2. I've included the link to the book at Amazon.com. If you're in Canada, click here. Elsewhere in the world, please check with your local online and offline bookstores.

As John-Paul and Deborah Micek mention in their book, the New Media marketplace is going to be around for many years to come because it connects people and fulfills a basic human need. Its technology is easy to use for both the producer and the consumer.

PREVIOUS  NEXT