As a continuation of an earlier post, the thought crossed my mind that I’d better keep writing more items for your checklist on buidling a Web 2.0 site.

Privacy Policies

Although privacy concerns are not as important to the younger surfer (according to research and by younger I mean young adults 18-29), you still want to post a privacy policy on your site that is accessible from every page the site generates. This is often included as a link in the footer.

Although young adults are more immune to the worries over what Web 2.0 social networking sites use their personal information for, there is some concern that such sensitive information will be hacked, mined, or result in identity theft. Media is the cause of this anxiety as they continue to focus on the variety of ways web-based data is insecure. In reality, fewer than the media would have us believe, suffer from any of this.

However, as a Web 2.0 site builder or entrepreneur, you will want to address your visitors’ concerns as early as it crosses their minds especially if sensitive information is to be shared on your site. Read the rest of this entry »

Search by: Web 2.0

Ever heard of Wikio?

Google certainly has!

Google has indexed 364,000 references on wikio, whose home page only employs a measly PR6. Now I never was one to get all worked up about Google’s PR system, but I do often use it in my assessment of websites. Another assessment tool, the Alexa ranking, has this site positioned in the top 30,000 most visited sites online today (at the time of writing).

Newly Built Web 2.0 Websites Sell

The reason I’m asking if you’ve heard of Wikio is because most of my friends - even my online geeky friends - have never heard of it. Yet it was important enough to sell for nearly $5.5 million USDs (United States dollars). It actually sold in the UK, for €4 million if you want to get technical about the price.

Wikio is much like Digg.com (a brilliant Web 2.0 site) with a little Technorati and Google News thrown into the pot. The interesting thing to note is that the site in itself is still very young. Actually it was only registered right around the time I put the Stampede Secret up for sale from this (once) one-page website.

Inception: September, 2004.
Birthdate: June, 2005.
Current Worth at less than two years of age: $5.5 million USD (approximately).

While doing research I read that Wikio’s audience reached nearly one million monthly unique visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

People are flocking to Web 2.0 sites where the focus is on socializing.

As a known recluse, I’ll tell you my initial thoughts (last year) on this phenomena were a little sad for the state of our world.

“How terribly lonely and unsatisfied people must be in our heartless world that they have to interact with an unknown via a keyboard just to feed their hearts and souls…”

I realize a year later how skewed that knee-jerk reaction was.

People are not socializing just for the sake of socializing!

They’re flocking to those Web 2.0 sites for a purpose other than to connect. Which explains why the market is both male and female.

Sure, some are looking for love on dating sites, but even more are networking for career goals, interacting over hobbies and interests, connecting for intellectual advancement.

I’ve talked about ‘like minds’ before so I won’t get into it again…

We really should be discussing the build of a Web 2.0 site with a socializing focus. The big question is, “Should social networks be primary in their focus or employ other features where the social networking aspect is just one of many attractants?” Read the rest of this entry »

There are tons of “How To Succeed With MySpace” reports and e-books being sold now (and franky they drive me around the bend because I see no good end for people who invest hours into promoting their urls or products there), but there is only one digital product available right now that actually talks about the pros and cons of making your own Web 2.0 site. You can actually follow along as the writer builds a site from the ground up!

I’d thought of doing this myself but the site I’m launching has been a dream for 2 years and is only just now coming to fruition. I may introduce it here at a later date. In the meantime, see what Rich is up to by clicking on the green book graphic (top left) of all my pages.

The site the author’s creating differs from the Web 2.0 site I want to show you next. However, the core principle is the same - it’s all about people.

The site I’m featuring in this post, and I don’t do this often here as I have a separate area set up for Web 2.0 site examples, is www.WishHood.com.

If you haven’t seen or heard of it yet, prepare yourself. You’ll likely be hearing about it soon. The developers are busy, they’ve even created a widget that bloggers, site owners, myspace users can insert into their own pages. See mine here. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s talk about the main reason social networking and bookmarking Web 2.0 sites have grown in popularity and capitalized on visitor traffic and time. (If you don’t think Web 2.0 sites are capitalizing on the average user’s online time - social networking sites or other Web 2.0 styled sites - you need to see some of the usage reseach reports I’ve been reading! Those stats will blow your mind!)

Why Social Web 2.0 Sites Are So Hot - And Why the Trend Isn’t Going Anywhere, Anytime Soon

You and I are likely very much the same. We look at online time as a time for learning, expanding our marketing reach, and creating new income opportunities. You might, like I, have dismissed the idea of openly sharing contacts, desires, ambitions and favorites online as a passing fad - surely the only thing really worth sharing is research and information!

But you and I are only a small percentage of internet users - a miniscule representation. The rest of the world is finding that creating lists, sharing stories and photos, personal achievements and goals for the future is satisfying their need to connect to the world on a more personal level - and the web is just the place to do so.

I invite you to take a step back from the time you spend online and look to the average internet surfer. Why are they spending more time online now than they are sitting in front of the television? Reading books? Or for that matter frequenting bars, theaters, and the like?

It’s all about the human need to connect, the need to share, and the need for acceptance.

Finding like minds. Read the rest of this entry »