The Explosion of Web 2.0
The blog search engine Technorati is currently tracking 120 million blogs world wide
Another 72.2 million in China as tracked by the China Internet Network Information Center
But…
Technorati says over 51% of its tracked blogs have not been updated for over 120 days.
Gartner estimated in 2007 that over 200 million people world wide have started, and then abandoned a blog
The Explosion of Web 2.0
Now online in the EPA Web 2.0 Environment:
- 40+ blogs and wikis in production
- Growing weekly
As Web 2.0 accelerates at EPA its useful to ask:
What makes a successful Web 2.0 application?
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
Before you start consider these five things
1. Have a specific audience and specific purpose in mind.
2. Have a marketing plan
3. Get buy in from your management
4. Be prepared to update often and clean up your content
5. Looks count! Consider the importance of appearance
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
1. Have a specific audience and specific purpose in mind.
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
2. Have a marketing plan
Have a marketing plan in advance
- Offline:
- Email announcements
- Bribes / Blackmail
- Use your content
- Guest bloggers
- Series of posts or wiki articles on hot topics
- Network with other Agency Web 2.0 sites
Marketing never stops: Keep people around by keeping things fresh
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
3. Get buy in from your management
- Your management can be a key piece of marketing
- Important in a work place: lends credibility and draws attention
- There are many ways to get them involved:
- Announcement to the office
- Participate in the planning of topics
- Guest authoring
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
4. Be prepared to update often and clean up your content
New content drives traffic
- Web 2.0 apps are not "museum" style web pages
- Dynamic content gives people a reason to check back often
- “Garden” wikis
Get help if its needed: other staff, contractors
5 Steps to Planning Successful Web 2.0
5. Looks count! Consider the importance of appearance
- Default skins are available in the EPA Shared Components and will be fine for basic applications or no / low budget projects.
- First Impressions matter
- A unique look and feel sets your site apart from the rest
- Professional look and feel generates credibility
- Streamlined UI makes it easier for people to navigate
- Customize to suit your specific purpose
Strategic Web 2.0 Development
- What do successful blogs and wikis look like?
- Five steps to planning successful Web 2.0 development
- What are blogs and wikis not?
- Technical pitfalls to avoid
What are blogs and wikis not?
- Traditional Web Sites
- Discussion Forums
- Silver Bullets
Common tripping point of failed Web 2.0 applications is trying to make them something they aren’t.
Blogs and wikis can be successful while using elements of these, but shouldn’t focus on them.
What are blogs and wikis not?
Traditional Web Sites
Both blogs and wikis can behave like Web 1.0 Sites, its tempting to use them as one.
- Focus on the audience and interaction
- Less vetting and less authoritative
- Other features distract / get in the way
Use your blog or wiki to discuss or describe content that is located on traditional 1.0 servers
What are blogs and wikis not?
Discussion Forums
Great at sparking discussion, but not great at focusing on discussion
Blogs: Feedback rather than discussion
Wikis: Some extensions help enable discussion to improve collaboration, but discussion is not the focus
- Other features of blogs and wikis will get in the way
- Equal weight isn’t given to everyone’s discussion
- Not as well organized as a true discussion forum
What are blogs and wikis not?
Silver Bullets
Success requires investment: Not a “fire and forget” solution
Often a project calls for a piece of Web 2.0 technology
Consider new features of other established EPA technology:
- Future Fusion: Notes 8 enters the 2.0 World, Aleksey Nazarov
- ColdFusion 8: Beyond the Buzz, Nicole Borders
What are blogs and wikis not?
Remember what succssesful Web 2.0 sites do well:
Wikis: Users collaborating in the construction of information
Blogs: Feedback from users to a broadcast of information
Make sure your needs fit in the 5 steps for Web 2.0 successes:
- Have a specific audience and specific purpose in mind.
- Have a marketing plan
- Get buy in from your management
- Be prepared to update often and clean up your content
- Looks count! Consider the importance of appearance
Strategic Web 2.0 Development
- What do successful blogs and wikis look like?
- Five steps to planning successful Web 2.0 development
- What are blogs and wikis not?
- Technical pitfalls to avoid
Technical Pitfalls to Avoid
Not on your own: Many of these concerns will be handled by OIAA and the OTOP / NCC
A Shared Components package is provided
- Applications
- Skins
- Extensions
Customers can request new functionality be added with plug-ins
Should be aware of what they will be looking for when they examine the new plug-in
Technical Pitfalls to Avoid
- Accessibility / Section 508
- Must consider screen readers, keyboard navigation, etc
- Users must have an accessible route to all information that is offered on your site.
- AJAX issues
- Many plug-ins use AJAX to dynamically display content
- There must be a route to that content that is accessible
- Security Issues:
- Safely touching the database / Code Execution
- Personally Identifiable Information
Technical Pitfalls to Avoid
Overloading Your Users
- Its very easy for all of the functionality of Web 2.0 applications to stack up and overwhelm users
- Plug-ins and extensions should be purpose driven rather than simply thrown on the page
- Good Web 2.0 applications pay close attention to the user interface that is presented to the users
Technical Pitfalls to Avoid
Overloading Your Users
- A low “cognitive load” is important for two reasons:
- Good for new and less technical users
- Can learn the basics in order to participate
- Not intimidated by all of the features
- Also good for advanced users
- A simple path to posting a comment or making a wiki entry lets people use your application quickly and efficiently
- Features can become burdens
