- What Is Web 2.0?
- The Limitations of Web 2.0 Thinking
- So Where Are We at from a Digital Marketing Standpoint Today?
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
The Limitations of Web 2.0 Thinking
Many people believe that Web 2.0 is where things stopped and that the Internet has simply evolved a bit more. I’m going to show you why this thinking is massively flawed and how you can capitalize on the newest trends. Remember, the intention is to make sure you are using the various tactics, but also paving the way to grab market share before your competitors do in the more up-to-date techniques.
Here are five factors that limit Web 2.0:
- Oversaturation
- Misconceptions
- Time
- Modes of Interaction
- Openness
Oversaturation
Let’s start with the limiting factor that should command the most attention: oversaturation. The problem is that everyone and their third cousin are on the Web 2.0 bandwagon.
Although they may fully understand their thinking is “Web 2.0” related, their actions prove otherwise.
As a society, we have become so obsessed with Web 2.0 that it has become oversaturated! All of this saturation causes an exorbitant amount of unnecessary noise. As someone who is trying to make sure your message is getting through, noise doesn’t always work in your favor.
The key limitation to Web 2.0 is that it has become oversaturated. Here are some examples:
- Your grandma calls you and says she’s been told she needs a blog so that her friends can stay updated on her travels.
- Eight-year-olds are posting videos on YouTube.
- Photos of your kid’s birthday are shared with the world on Facebook and Instagram in close to real time.
You might argue that, as a result, these sites are receiving a lot of good traffic because everyone is logging on. You are correct. However, how targeted is the traffic going to be? This is a key concept you will hear throughout the book. Targeted traffic, or traffic that is ready, willing, and able to take in your message in the way that they want, is the advantage that strategic marketers seek.
When it comes down to it, the key is drilling down to find the best interaction. Facebook is an excellent place to network, meet new people, and do business. But Facebook is a powerful marketing tool only when you know how to use it to reach out to specific people or groups of people, even more so when you understand how to market to prospects who don’t even realize you are doing so.
Misconceptions
Common misconceptions about Web 2.0 have also caused difficulties. From an overarching standpoint, the area that I have taken issue with is people saying that Web 2.0 has simply evolved to where it is at today. As you will soon learn, we are way past Web 2.0 marketing and into a new realm of marketing.
Time
Time is also a limiting factor. As we become more and more connected, we get more and more distracted by all the noise, such as comments being made on our blogs, questions about our photos on Instagram, or updates on Facebook. One trend that never seems to change is that people continue to get busier and have less time for interaction.
Both consumers and businesses continue to demand more information, and they want it faster, making it challenging to keep up. Once they think they have found their preferred method of communication (email), a better method comes out that is even faster (to be talked about shortly).
Modes of Interaction
I understand that this way of thinking may be contradictory to what you might be thinking: Isn’t the goal of Web 2.0 to create new modes of interaction? I define modes of interaction as the different places and devices that people use to gather, search, network, and exchange information. People are gathering in different places around the Web and interacting in different ways with each other. But these modes of interaction have decreased the human touch. Do you even pick up a phone on a daily basis? If you need something, you pop off an email. If you have a question, you search Google and often land on Wikipedia.
Once you start getting bogged down with emails, Facebook messages, and status updates, you start to look for a solution to simplify things, and a bad taste forms in your mouth. Then you reach the tipping point, making you jump ship and focus on something else. In other words, there is just too much out there, thus causing confusion and a lack of adoption.
Openness
Lastly, the openness of Web 2.0 has become a striking limitation. Most humans are naturally private. When you have a Facebook account, a LinkedIn account, and an Instagram page, your privacy drops quickly. If you are an avid user of Facebook or read the news, you will remember when Facebook changed its policy to state that it owns your content even after you’ve canceled your account. The company did change that policy back, but it’s still quite vague in its favor. We enjoy sharing details about ourselves, but there comes a point where it just gets weird or creepy.