What is Web 2.0 and What Do You Need To Know About It

Web 2.0 is a phrase coined by a publishing/media company. It refers to the "socialization" of the Internet. It's real, it's here to stay.

Unless you live in a cave, you've heard about You Tube (http://www.youtube.com) and My Space (http://www.myspace.com) by now.

And who doesn't think Wikipedia isn't cool (http://www.wikipedia.com)?

Have you seen the Wedding Podcast Network (http://www.weddingpodcastnetwork.com)?

Don't leave out web-enabled cell phones and text messaging?

How does your website look when it's brought up on a cell phone?

Blogging, RSS feeds and news readers...

Wow...

I could write a book about it, and some have.

But what is it you need to know, as Wedding Professional, about Web 2.0 today?

1) It's real.

If the Internet was the Information Revolution then Web 2.0 might be described as people sharing information faster and more openly than ever before.

It's not about media companies being in control anymore. The USERS of the Intenet have control. When have you ever seen someone get control of something and then GIVE IT BACK. "Web 2.0" is here to stay.

Brides won't just be looking for you at your website*. They should be able to find you where they go - not where you want them to go.

* Actually, it's going to get harder and harder for brides to find your website. Both competitive issues and the socialization of the Internet will make it more difficult to find quality traffic and reach the local bride you want. You might want to make your way over to http://www.weddingplanninglinks.com.

2) It will impact your business.

If you take advantage of these shifts in technology and how people are using the Internet, especially people 18 to 35, you can acheive more online visibility for your business (search engine optimization value, overall online visibility, reaching your targeted audience).

If you don't take advantage of these things, and your competition does (and they are), you'll see your marketshare eaten away bit by bit. Maybe even chunk by chunk. Yes, it's that serious.

3) If you say "huh" when I'm talking about this you're heading for trouble.

Find someone to help you with these things and get to it fast. You're already behind if you don't have a blog, My Space site, or have videos up at You Tube.

Six to twelve months from now you'll be behind and strategically it will be much harder to catch up, if not impossible. On the Internet, it's always harder to catch up.