Web 2.0 vs. Web 1.0

Last week I started a series on Web 2.0 & Social Media by defining Web 2.0, today I'll list some characteristics of Web 2.0 and compare them with "Web 1.0" A.K.A "The old way of promoting yourself and interacting with people online".

"Web 1.0"

• Websites are "one way" communication The website owner puts up stuff, site visitors read it.  The end.  No interaction or sharing the info with others. 
• Companies/organizations put up mostly static information about themselves Sites are "I" or "We" focused instead of being focused on providing helpful information to the site visitor and are seldom updated.
• One impersonal site, often written in "corporate speak" Example: Widgettech Industries was founded in 1978 to bring about a paradigm shift in the way consumers...blah...blah...blah.  Now that makes for compelling reading huh!
• Web marketing reflects offline marketing The same print ads and marketing collateral companies use offline, like brochures or magazine ads, are simply copied and pasted to the website.  So even though the Internet is an interactive medium companies failed to take this into account.

"Web 2.0"   

• "Many to many" communication between site owners and visitors  Site owners provide a feedback mechanism and respond to site visitors comments or questions.
• People can easily share site content with others Sites have features such as "Email this to a friend", Digg this or Add this article to your Facebook profile.
• Websites are conversations, often on multiple sites Companies engage people and do so not on just their "corporate" site but also in online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, blogs or virtual environments like Second Life.  Instead of trying to get everyone to come to your boring corporate site, why not be found and engage with people where they already are?
• Understanding the Internet is an interactive medium and that consumers have something to say...and are saying it already Boring, static websites are increasingliy obsolete and companies will find it tougher to get people to come to and respond to those types of websites.  Also, if a company or individual isn't ready to blog or engage in social media, it's time to at least monitor the blogosphere and consumer reviews online so they can be aware of what's being said about their industry, products or services.

This is a quick summary of course and I welcome your comments, questions or examples. 

I highly recommend the book Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs if you'd like to learn more about Web 2.0.  Here's an affiliate link to that book on Amazon.

Comments

[kris]

Hey Rob - I've found Web 2.0 to be more about 'doing' where Web 1.0 is all about 'watching'. Web 2.0 lets groups and communities walk the talk.

There are lots of Web 2.0 tools out there all of which facilitate communication but the most game changing is the wiki. We use it at every client for setting small, dynamic, private sites for each project or deliverable. We take a full immersion approach and end up with a single context for all the documentation, planning, issues, status, and other communications.

Tends to keep team members and clients better engaged and accountable.