Professional Communication Technologies - A thought about website creation

I have found it very interesting considering the differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, in particular the differences that have made Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook and Amazon so popular. Now Facebook and Amazon are both very different in what they deliver, Facebook being a site where as a user you can create a personal profile to reflect your life and Amazon being a site where as a user you can choose to buy many different things. It is what they hold in common that I want to focus on and what has really got me thinking on how I can use Web 2.0 in my own career.

What Facebook and Amazon both have in common is that they rely on user activity to strengthen the sites and as a result gain more users. It was reading about the different ways they do this in the O'Reilly article suggested in Reader 1 that really got me thinking. This week I have had involvement in the creation of a new website for a business I hope to be involved in very soon. I am the first to admit that technology is not my friend and therefore when initially setting up the site the aim was to create something simple that got across the basic information we needed to readers. Without realising we created a site that would fall under the criteria of Web 1.0. We as creators made a site with information  to be consumed by the readers.

By looking at sites that fall under the Web 2.0 category, such as Amazon, I have noted ways in which we can improve our site and put the suggestions to my fellow creator and reasons for my suggestions. It was Amazon that really got my attention as, pointed out in the O'Reilly article, there are many other sites that provide the same services as Amazon but it is user involvement that has made it so successful. Therefore I wish to now incorporate sections to our website where users can leave reviews and suggestions so they can be personally involved in the services we wish to provide. It is my hope that in return they will feel more involved in the business as they see their ideas being taken on board and will be happier with the service they receive and as a result will attract more customers. I also wish to include (providing I learn how to do so!) a user navigation through the site created through the history of previous users. For instance when you click on a page other pages to visit will be suggested based on what other customers have chosen to look at. I think this will make the website easier to use and also make more sense to the people that use it.

I am excited that reading for the course has made a direct impact on decisions I am making on my own web use and look forward to what other new directions it may take me in. 

Article mentioned:

O'Reilly T. (2006) 'What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns And Business Models For The Next Generation Of Software'