State of the Web: Web 2.0 and Online Communities

While the interest in Web 2.0 in the last few years seems to have helped raise awareness of the role that users of a website should play in its success, it does not seem to have led to a better understanding of online communities in general. Virtual (online) communities have been around in various forms for many years, and in recent years they have taken on quite a variety of forms.

An understanding of user-to-user interactions and network effects among other things are important aspects of Web 2.0 movements. However, these do not constitute true online communities in and of itself. Social networkings sites also do not necessarily imply the formation of an online community.

Hand in hand with the benefits and confusion inherent within discussion of Web 2.0 seems to be a growing misunderstanding of a terms like online community, virtual community, and even community itself. Sometimes, or perhaps often, discussion about virtual communities is too imprecise. In such cases, usually technology is set as a high point of discussion and simple user-to-user interaction is treated as community. In reality, strong, vibrant virtual communities generally takes a long time to develop, and the technology involved does not play as significant a role as it sometimes attributed to the development of online communities.

It may be best to try to visualize these concepts. The development of online communities in a Web 2.0 world can be thought of in terms of levels. At the base and lowest level, one finds products and sites geared towards user-geneated content and user participation in a site, something that is a key component of building a Web 2.0 site. At the highest level, one finds fully developed online communities which are separate entities unto themselves. Perhaps the easiest parallel to understanding this would be to think of the way in which corporations are recognized as their own legal entity, fully separate from the individual owners. For a visual representation, see an Illustration of the Levels of Online Communities in a Web 2.0 World.

An illustration of my view of levels of online community. I see relevance to thinking in these terms in a "Web 2.0 World" that doesn't always distinguish between the types of user interaction with sites and with other people.

The Ultimate Truth About the State of the Web Today

The "ultimate truth" about the state of the web today is that there are far more questions than answers, more speculation than insight, and more postering than real understanding. Which isn't to say that no one knows anything. But I am saying that I think those who claim to be "in the know" on almost every aspect of the internet today, tend to know less than they claim.


Why? Because this little thing we call the internet is a living, breathing "organism" on its own. And if history has taught us anything, we should have figured out by now that what the internet looks like tomorrow will be far more than the sum of its designed parts.


Now that I survived the "election time period", I've again immersed myself into trying to continue to understand various aspects of living and conducting business in the internet age. A few of my thoughts are recorded over at netknowledge.blogspot.com. (By the way, I find it to be truly ironic that what I have on Vox is far better indexed by Google than anything I have on the blog I just mentioned. Blogspot is owned by Google, for those who didn't know.) My most recent journey has taken me from search engine optimization and internet marketing, generally, to some more specific topics like cause-marketing via the internet and on Web 2.0. For the time being, I causually slip in Web 2.0 because I'm going to pretend that I am convinved it's a worthy topic on its own. More candidly, I would say "the jury is still out" on that one.


But I get to say what I want and even contradict myself tomorrow. I like to think that it's the beauty of the way I think - an opinion today doesn't matter tomorrow. And the fact that I'm one of the only ones reading my blog on a daily basis at the moment, means that it's not likely anyone is going to call me on any BS that I post. Thought sometimes the conversations I almost seem to have with myself by blogging here can be quite entertaining on a personal level.


Sidetracked. Going back to my original statement, I would say that there are many illustrations. But for those who would like to find an illustration that is easy to follow (due to sheer volume and attention given to the topic), you need not look further than the discussions of Web 2.0. Is it real? Is there substance to it? Do 5 people gathered around a table at a Starbucks even know what the other is talking about when they mention web 2.0? Probably not. It's like saying "God" or "spirituality" and then expecting that everyone is thinking of the same entity or concept.


Is Web 2.0 simply a re-packaged set of marketing terms? (Every once in a while, the soft drink makers will come up with a new design for bottles and cans. Did the formula for the cola change?).


The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. But looking at the most current (and past) discussions of Web 2.0 is a good illustration of what I like to think of as the "ulimate truth of the web today". The fact is, people haven't even agreed on what they are talking about, let alone agree on where technology is headed.


But that's the beauty of it. Once again I hear myself saying, life would be boring if we all agreed with each other. I have my own ideas about the internet, current and future. But the last thing I want is for everyone to agree with me. And I have my own secret little projects that I think will label me an innovator, but who's to say that what I think is right or real?


The ultimate truth about almost anything is that people are different; people have their own ideas; people will sometimes get along and sometimes they won't; some people are right, some people are wrong, and most spend time in each group. In regards to technology and the internet, the truth is that concepts come and go, so do companies, so does technology itself. One startup succeeds and another fails. This has happened many times in the past, it probably happened somewhere today, and the future will be the same.


But we keep striving to discuss, innovate, build, and grow. Passion for life and humanity will fuel even greater things. So whether we're discussing technology, the internet, web 2.0, or anything else, it's the conversation itself that contains the greatest reward. One of the ultimate truths of life is that life is in the journey and the conversation along the way.

Material originally posted on 11/16/2006 at uberveritas.vox.com.

Contemplation about the Direction for this Blog on SEO

I've been thinking a fair amount lately about what part of search engine optimization and internet marketing that I wanted to focus on for this blog. There is far too much to cover, and where other information is solid, I don't feel a need to repeat it.



At the same time, a personal project on mine has been some thoughts on how internet search will continue to change. Yes, I know that some people think that it is what it is, and most of us should just think about how to use what's available. But if you consider how much the internet has changed in the last ten years, one should be able to conclude how much the internet will change by tomorrow and more the day after.

Comments After Reading an Interview with Google's Adam Lasnik

In a recent "Interview With Google's Adam Lasnik" by an author for webpronews.com, some advise was passed along from the Google employee regarding things that webmaters could do when they weren't happy with their ranking in Google. I know I've posted this before (in other blogs if not this one), once again advice has been given to pay attention to what a search engine company has said about ranking in searches on their site.

Adam Lasnik tells Lee Odden that webmasters can use the FAQ that Google has provided on creating Google-friendly sites. But Adam is also not pointing out that beyond the FAQ he mentioned, there is far more that Google provides the serious webmaster. No, I haven't seen Google publish secret formulas or full details on the algorithms they use. But if you're reading this and you don't already know what I'm talking about, considering this your homework assigment. Go to Google.com, click on "Business Solutions" at the bottom of the page, and then start digging around. I won't post specific URLs because you need to poke around yourself. And when you're done there, go to the other major search engines and look for similar information.

It pains me how often I see advertisements and articles for search engine optimization, and I don't even see the inclusion of the things that the search engine companies have already told us. It's is rather ironic that people want to get fancy before mastering the basic. It's actually sad, but ironic seems like a softer way to say it.

There's something else that Adam mentioned in his interview that really struck me. He pointed out that the constant desire by some to get the "inside information" on how Google ranks pages is "self-defeating". I've been thinking this for some time, so it was nice to hear someone from Google say it. And I think it resonates with me because the point is true with some other topics that I have been dealing with lately.

I want to elaborate for a moment on Adam Lasnik's comment about tactics to say that I think search engine optimization is about strategy and tactics. Some of you may want to spend a moment looking up the difference between strategy and tactics because they really are not the same thing.

Effective search engine optimization needs to start with strategy. The strategy should be clear, uncomplicated, and focused on the basics first. The tactics that one develops (the specifics about how certain strategies will be implemented) follows from clearly developed strategies. Optimal strategies for an optimized site will be long-term in focus. After all, a quick ranking today could be no ranking tomorrow. Well-developed, long term strategy will employ search engine optimization tactics that don't need to focus on getting an "inside scoop" because they will be aimed towards working with the system instead of trying to game the system.

Business Owners asks if Longer Keyphrases in internet searches will make for ineffective copy

The owner of a company that specializes in search engine copywriting recently just asked:
Will Longer Keyphrases Hinder the Effectiveness of Your Copy?

It's an interesting article. And the following point that was made is most certainly true already, namely that it is "[becoming] increasingly difficult to find exactly what you're looking for". And if the rest of the web-going population approaches search engines the way I do, we get at least a few keywordds into the search field before we start. There is far too much "out there" to effectively find what we're looking for with one or two words. And as much as many search engines have used sosphisticated schemes and algorthims to make the search results as relevant as possible, there is still a great deal of "gaming" that makes it into these various systems. And even without the efforts to "spam" searches engines, the sheer volume of information available means that many people are going to feel bombarded long before they feel satisfied.

Which is unfortunate, isn't it? Wealth of information can leave us with finding less? In reality, it is the way of things. Most of us can't process more the a fraction of what we're confronted with every day. It's like all the complaints that one hears that the more channels they get on their television set, the less there is to watch.

The point of the particular article that I referenced is that longer search phrases has become the reality that one faces in writing search friendly copy and that one needs to effectively deal with this. But I think the bigger conversation here is the reality of what we're facing today with the sheer volume of information that is available. All contenders in the search arena will necessarily need to continue to find ways of presenting the most relevant results possible.

Observations about SEO

Among other aspects of what constitutes living, marketing, and doing business on the web (the theme of this blog) is search engine optimization. This is something you'll probably see me post quite a bit about.

While I was doing some more research regarding what is being said about search engine optimization, I realized a few days ago that one of the things that I don't see very often is articles suggesting that website designers actually look to the search engine company for insight. For example, I see people constantly talking about what they think will and won't help with Google PageRank.

That's nice.

Or one could also make sure that they've spent some time reading what Google says will and won't help with PageRank. Google provides a lot of information on their site, especially under the Webmaster Tools. There are quite a few dos and dont's that I've seen.

It's just a thought.

New Google Beta Tool - Website Optimizer

Google announced a new tool for Adsense advertisers yesterday during the Emetrics Summit. Called Website Optimizer, the beta tool is only available by sign-up. On their blog (the Google Analytics Blog), Google stated that it is a tool "that helps AdWords advertisers test different landing pages and determine which one drives the most conversions. A true multivariate testing tool, Website Optmizer allows you to test variations of headlines, promotional copy, and images. The tool allows you to update your site with the winning test combination and continue to experiment".

Additional information is available on the Google Adwords Blog. Google Website Optimizer team member Ann-Lee explained that the tool will help advertisers learn which content is converting. They've also stated that only a limited number of advertisers will be selected to participate in the beta. You can read more in the "Beta testers needed for new Website Optimizer" post.

One author called this news "disruptive" in his article 'Google's Website Optimizer". The following link will give you an opportunity to read other reactions:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&q=Google+website+optimizer&btnG=Search+News

Or you could just get your own impression by visiting the Website Optimizer introduction page. The site includes an audio demo, user documentation, checlist, and a sample report.

A Place to Review Internet Based Programs

I found this site that might be worth looking at if you are reviewing an internet-based program:

http://www.programreview.com/

But one thing that I want to point out: The one program that this site does recommend is itself something you may to review further elsewhere. A quick search led me to the following forum where the Double Payment system was being discussed:

http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=3457

This is the system that www.programreview.com recommends. You'll have to decide for yourself how trustwothy the site is. But either way, the site offers tons of information about internet marketers and programs, information that you can lead you to keep reviewing the information further.

Difference Between Internet Marketing Packages and Scams

So what's the difference between internet marketing packages (real) and scams?

Sometimes, not much at all. Many legitimate packages as well as scams will have the same "Do you want to buy a new home, boat, and car" get-rich-today introductions.

Perhaps one of the main differences is in the substance of what is being offered. If you can get real and useful information for a reasonable price, you probably don't have much to lose. If you have to pay a "pretty penny" and get little or nothing in return, well.....I'm sure you're already frustrated.

I've noticed that some packages are very misleading about what is being offered. If you can't find out what the package is about upfront, you should probably be wary. Its a good idea to search for reviews of the particular internal marketing, online business, or wealth building system that you are considering. There are forums and discussion boards all over the internet where you can often find people talking about the product you are looking at. See what they have to say and then make a decision for yourself.

http://iprofit-ebook-package.netinfozoo.com has a package that may or may not be for everyone.

I put some of the information up front, and then I included two links from the page. On one, you get a list of the products included in the package. See, I think this is really important. Another link gives you more information along with the "how you can make money" content that came with the package. I moved it to a separate place because that is not the part that I think its useful. Its the tools and the information in the package that I like, and that is what I am willing to sell to others.