Web 2.0 and Beyond: Understanding the New Online Business Models, Trends, and Technologies - Hardcover

Funk, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313351872 ISBN 13: 9780313351877

Publisher: Praeger, 2008

Synopsis

Web 2.0 has taken on buzzword status. It's now shorthand for everything that is new, cutting-edge, and gaining momentum online. Web 2.0 can describe particular Web sites; cultural trends like social networking, blogging, or podcasting; or the underlying technology that makes today's coolest Web applications possible. Many Web 2.0 innovations were pioneered by behemoths like Google, Amazon, Apple, YouTube, and MySpace. But even the smallest, leanest companies can take advantage of the new trends, new and open-source programming tools, and new networks. This book presents a wealth of ideas that will enable any business to quickly and affordably deploy Web 2.0 best practices to gain customers and maximize profits.

Web 2.0 is more a series of trends than a basket of things: ―More and more, power is in the hands of individual users and their networks. ―Web content is distributed, sorted, combined, and displayed across the Web in formats and places not anticipated by the content creators. ―New technology now makes rich online experiences and complex software applications possible, and at a low cost. ―Integration is breaking down walls between PCs and mobile devices. Web 2.0 is a landscape in which users control their online experience and influence the experiences of others. Business success on the Web, therefore, now comes from harnessing the power of social networks, computing networks, media and opinion networks, and advertising networks. Web 2.0 takes advantage of higher bandwidth and lighter-weight programming tools to create rich, engaging online experiences that compete with television and other offline activities. With examples and case studies from real businesses, this book demonstrates what makes a successful Web 2.0 company, regardless of its size or resources. A non-technical guide, it is aimed squarely at the marketer or business manager who wants to understand recent developments in the online world, and to turn them into practical, competitive advantages.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Funk has been involved in ecommerce and Web publishing since 1995. In his six years managing the Web sites of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Funk saw online revenues triple, and the company's sites were named to Internet Retailer's Best of the Web Top 50. Funk is currently VP of Client Services for Timberline Interactive, a Web development and online marketing consultancy.

Reviews

The widespread adoption of broadband has created a Web experience that could only be dreamed of just a few years ago. The term Web 2.0 was coined in reference to the proliferation of highly interactive Web applications, including social networks such as FaceBook and MySpace, streaming video, interactive gaming, wikis, user-submitted reviews, and blogs. Mobile Web, or wireless access to the Internet through a cell phone, PDA, or other portable gadget, allows users to move off the desktop; and with the introduction of the Apple iPhone, users have a new, improved portable Web-browsing experience. Funk outlines the latest emerging technologies on the Web, and offers readers the Ten Things You Should Do to Make Your Business More Web 2.0. This highly accessible guide provides the latest information on the most popular activities on the Web; new ways to market, attract customers, and keep your Web site vibrant; and ways to protect yourself from the growing menace of cybercrime. Funk has been involved with Web publishing since 1995 and is currently vice president of client services for Timberline Interactive, a Web-development consultancy. --David Siegfried

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313351872
• ISBN 13: 9780313351877
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192