Allen Stern gives an amusing look at how he can use Web 2.0 companies to find, court, and marry someone. The article is also a good indication that we may indeed be in a Web 2.0 bubble, with an increasingly large number of companies offering more and more fragmented services.
Author: Dan Blank
The New Hype Machine: Music Discover & Community
The new Hype Machine website just launched. If you want to see the future of how you and your kids will discover and experience new music, check it out. As with so many amazing things online, it is not just about delivering a product or service – it is about connecting a community.
The Real Social Map
Not only does Google Maps allow you to create your own custom maps, that include things like your favorite bike route or local restaurants, but now you can share a bit about who you are. As more people in your community create maps based on their interests, it becomes a real-world virtual-world where you can… Continue reading The Real Social Map
Innovation: Differentiating Your Business & Making Customers Love You
In order to set yourself apart from competitors and prove to your audience that you really are the center of a community, you don’t need the latest technological innovations. You just need to care about your audience. A recent story of how online shoe seller Zappos took an extra step to show a customer they… Continue reading Innovation: Differentiating Your Business & Making Customers Love You
Ugly? Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
John Battelle takes a snarky look at a what-if: What if Google had to design their website to be optimized for search engines. The result is a crowded web page that is suddently much less useful. Many sites look like this, as they try to constantly catch up to catch as many eye-balls as possible,… Continue reading Ugly? Optimizing Your Website for Search Engines
How to Create Community Online
Online Journalism Review shares tips on “How to manage an online community.” Be part of a community before you start one Stay informed about your publishing software You’re running the board to learn, not to show off Set the rules, then explain them up front
Virtual Worlds 101
Mark Glaser gives us a good look at the history and hype of virtual worlds.
Advertisers Wary of “Open” Websites
Scott Karp looks at why more ad dollars haven’t been shifted to social networks and web sites that allow anonymous commenting: “Sites built on open systems, which turn content creation and publishing into a free for all, will find it increasingly difficult to get their share of brand advertising dollars. Sites that that can harness… Continue reading Advertisers Wary of “Open” Websites
Marketers Shifting More Ad Dollars Online
An interesting example of the shift of ad dollars to the web can be found in an upcoming campaign from GM: “GM is spending as much on Internet ads as on the TV portion, underscoring the push among automakers to shift more ad dollars online.” “With the tagline “The Car You Can’t Ignore,” the Malibu… Continue reading Marketers Shifting More Ad Dollars Online
Print Becoming More Like Web
The NY Times and Wall Street Journal take a look at what is behind BusinessWeek’s redesign, and renewed focus on the web: Imitating the Web, for the Busy Reader “The Internet has hurt business magazines in particular, and the new BusinessWeek format — which includes more news summaries and fewer lifestyle articles — is meant… Continue reading Print Becoming More Like Web