With all the hype out there about Web 2.0, it's easy to misunderstand what it is: a concept. Sure, new technologies make implementing the concept easier; however, none of them are required to achieve the essence of Web 2.0. According to Wikipedia, "Web 2.0 is a trend [emphasis added] in World Wide Web technology" and that "although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications."

The following video from TeacherTube does touch briefly on some of the common technologies used to implement Web 2.0; however, it's real strength is in how it articulates it as a concept.

Social networking sites are not only powerful because of the targeted audience they can provide but also because of the low cost per customer that you'll pay: nothing. Websites like LinkedIn and even Facebook provide businesses with an easy way to expand beyond their own borders and to drive potential customers back to their site. Trying this approach out is as simple as signing up for a free account, creating your profile and making it public. Afterall, millions of people search these sites on a daily basis. Reaching them on their territory could be the best way to introduce your company's products and services.

Leigh Buchanan, Max Chafkin, and Ryan McCarthy spell it out in "Social Networks: Ready to Join the Party?" over at Inc.com:

Beyond the simple fact that social networks offer advertisers access to tens of millions of potential customers, they present two clear opportunities for more effective campaigns. First, they promise the ability to target customers with precision. If you want to reach baseball-loving twentysomethings who live in Seattle and have a college education, you can find social network groups that fill the bill. Second, social networks encourage your customers to recommend your company to others. Let's say your company has a Facebook profile, and another user signs on as a "fan" of yours. Facebook will then alert that person's friends, informing them of the connection. Voilà: textbook viral marketing for free.

Read "Social Networks: Ready to Join the Party?" at Inc.com

Who the content on your website speaks to is more important than what it says.

Does your website actually speak to your customers' or members' concerns? For example, if I'm shopping for furniture online, one of my biggest concerns would be "how much does shipping cost?" or "what happens if my new desk is damaged when it arrives?" Many company websites fail to address common customer concerns because they are too focused on creating an inflated image of themself. Internet users not only recognize it when they see it but they also vote with their mouse and move on. Peter DeLegge says it best in Marketing Today:

To heck with product benefits or helping prospects and customers solve their problems – the narcissistic website dwells on the company’s spectacularly engineered offerings, their superior manufacturing techniques, the brilliance of their people, the company’s offices. Is there a place for bragging? Sure, but it’s secondary to the customer’s issues. Too many websites forget this.

When you consider that the average visitor has an attention span measured in seconds, and that he scans the web instead of reading every word, a narcissistic website has the same effect as a narcissistic tablemate: it turns people off.

Take a moment to read your website from a customer standpoint and ask yourself, "who does it speak to?"

Read "How Customer-Focused is Your Website? Stalking the Narcissistic Web" in Marketing Today.

Interaction is what makes the web the most powerful medium of all. Afterall, if you want to know why someone has visited your site all you have to do is ask. As simple as this concept may be, it is one that is often overlooked. Making the effort to understand your site visitors can be as simple as adding a link and can pay off with huge rewards. Customers want to know that they have found the right place.

Jim Sterne provides a good example in "Come In. I've Been Expecting You" at Inc.com:

Visitors consider a Web site "personalized" when they see themselves there. That means you must avoid the broad brush when addressing your audience. Say you're the owner of a dental-supply company and Algernon K. Floom visits your site looking for a drill. You can't afford the software that would request from him the Algernon K. Floom story and henceforth greet him by name ("Hello there, ALGERNON K. FLOOM!") and show him only Algernon K. Floom­tailored offers. But suppose you present him with these options:

If you're in private practice, click here

If you're part of a dental co-op, click here

If you're a hospital purchasing agent, click here

If you're the director of an HMO, click here

This shows Algernon K. Floom that you understand that all drill buyers are not cut from the same cloth. You recognize that he has specific needs, and you've made an effort to address those needs by offering information, pricing, or services tailored to his market segment. You may not be drilling down far, but at least you're drilling.

Sometimes the most powerful changes to a site are also the least expensive.

Read "Come In. I've Been Expecting You" at Inc.com

Internet users in this day and age have access to so many choices that they often eliminate businesses simply because their website is not up to speed. This is good news for those companies that have continually invested in their online infrastructure as they benefit from the strength of their website as an asset. However, it's bad news for businesses that haven't because there is no in-between. If not an asset then a liability... a 24/7/365 liability that is creating a bad impression in the impatient world of online "short listing". The following quote from "10 Great Websites," featured in BtoB magazine, sums it up nicely:

"For a business customer, the Web site is often a starting point to see if they want to include your company on a short list. They don't have patience or time to waste," said Hoa Loranger, a user experience specialist at Web usability company Nielsen Norman Group.

The bottom line is that websites have become the most important avenue for creating positive impressions for potential customers. So much so, that your company will be ruled in or out in a matter of seconds based on one visit to your website. Knowing this, can your company afford the risk?

Read "10 Great Websites" featured in BtoB magazine