Web 2.0 is heeeeere....

Web 2.0 / Social Media is (Already) Here
September 30, 2008 (Stephen Nold's Event Tech Blog)

An industry magazine recently featured an article focusing on the top twelve technology trends  of which show organizers and meeting planners should be aware. The top technology listed is Web 2.0, a topic about which there seems to be a lot of misconception about.

The term ‘Web 2.0’ was first coined by Tim O’Reilly a few years ago to denote the relatively new state of interconnectivity of the internet then. The term applies to MySpace, Facebook, chat rooms, forums, message boards, dynamic websites, blogs, online retail stores, and any web application that allows a user to interact with the web. Before Web 2.0, the internet was static and largely written in HTML, which is less of a computer language and more of a style guide. With the introduction of languages like PHP, Java, and ASPX, websites are now dynamic and interactive, which is what Web 2.0 refers to.

Although ‘Web 2.0’ is a popular term, it is actually a misnomer – the term denotes that this is just a stage in the ever evolving history of the internet.  It’s not. ‘Web 2.0’ leads people to believe that there will be a ‘Web 3.0’, which is not necessarily true. In reality, ‘Web 2.0’ actually refers to a shift in the way we approach and use the internet and should actually be replaced by the more accurate term ‘social media’.

The article in question describes Web 2.0 by what it will do, but fails to mention what it is doing. The author writes, “Web 2.0 will change the events industry in several seemingly subtle ways,” when he should be writing “Web 2.0 is changing…” The technology is already here and in use in many meetings and tradeshows, so the question should not be “When will show organizers start using Web 2.0?” but rather, “How do organizers better utilize Web 2.0 for their shows?” The technology is already here and in use, organizers just have to make sure they are using it to its fullest extent.
(This article excerpted from Stephen Nold's 'Event Tech Blog' )

Recently I attended the OIA Rendezvous, the industry's leadership conference held this year in Boston.
Always a great affair with inspiring, educational content and though-provoking keynote presentations, this time had a different dynamic.  Twitter.  Going on during presentations, broadcasting notes across the room and across the continent as 'followers' of the twits got glimpses into the content at Rendezvous, through the eyes of the thumb-twitching twitterer.  I checked my facebook account tonite and learned that five minutes earlier, Alpinist magazine had announced it's intention to cease publication.  Sad news, but instantly broadcast across the industry in seconds.  I've been getting regular, daily updates via 'caringbridge' about a wonderful, injured friend of the industry who is recovering from a deadly car wreck in NYC.  I can read them on my phone. 

So what's your feeling on this?  Is it annoying, like kids passing notes in class or people talking to themselves staring into space with a steel antenna in one ear?  Is it helping your business at the show, or in general?  Who has found a unique way to build business using some Web 2.0 tools?

Comments

[David Sweeney]

We're all still trying to figure out how to use this Internet Thing. During the Mass Migration of the Boom we applied old models to the new medium and we ended up with Brochure web sites and online Mail Order. It all ended up turning the Net into one big strip mall.

The Internet's strength has always been linking, a relationship-based asset. The real opportunity with "Web 2.0" is that used mindfully, the tools can add significant efficiency and value to relationship / conversationally based commerce and brand building.

Additionally, the barrier to entry is quite low since most shops already invested in the tech to do all those mail orders. However, professionals that still struggle with their email inbox or don't know what an RSS feed is are going to need some help from some of their younger colleagues.

Either way, if you're a small independent shop, sales rep or mfr it's an excellent opportunity in these times to leverage the tech into building stronger bonds with your customers and get them to come into the store where you can engage them in a more personal, service-oriented way.