By Danny Sullivan
Just as we thought we were starting to get a handle on Web 2.0, the next installment, imaginatively titled “Web 3.0,” is emerging as the next big Internet thing.
I read a couple of articles this week that helped make things a little clearer. First, Yahoo!’s Julien Lecomte wrote Is This the Birth Of Web 3.0? for Jupiter Media, and then I read Ruth Mortimer’s piece on the same topic in Marketing Week. The semantic web, eh? Ooooh, aaaah!
Of course, after realizing that Web 3.0 is clearly well understood and in some ways already here, I just had to take a look around to see what comes next…
Well, you can try your own search for that, but I liked Alain Sherter’s lighthearted observations for The Deal.
eWeek just published an article about companies that are using wikis to share and manage knowledge. According to the article, “Wikis’ flexibility and versatility make the technology a potential solution for an array of business requirements. From bare-bones content collaboration to Web-based project management, wikis can adapt to the team requirements of many organizations.”
The article shares some best practices from companies that have successfully integrated wikis into their organizational culture. For more details, read Wikis While You Work. Also, be sure to check out our tips for using a wiki as an employee manual.
By inmedia
There has been a trend emerging with online content in the past months: sites that had previously allowed only paid subscribers to access full content have opened access to everyone. The latest site to do so is the Wall Street Journal. It’s exciting as technology marketers to see the content that results from our efforts available to the general public, increasing the reach and value of media coverage on these sites. Increasingly users are using search engines to find solution providers and hitting roadblocks when they landed at subscription sites. Now, the promotional value of editorial pieces will bear fruit as more than just the first paragraph is viewable. On the downside, as a consumer, it’s going to mean watching more advertisements as the revenue model changes from subscription-based to advertising-based. Still, the increased visibility for the companies featured in the content is a good thing from this marketer’s perspective.
By Francis Moran
Just a quick note of appreciation to all those who hung around for the very last session of the day at BarCampOttawa4 on Saturday and heard my colleague, Jill Pyle, and me talk about this very blog you’re reading. To get a two-thumbs-up for what we’re doing from inveterate bloggers like Alec Saunders and Joe Thornley was phenomenal validation, as was all the other commentary, feedback, tips and even challenges we received from those in the audience. It was, to my mind, a classic BarCamp session insofar as we shared our ideas about how to do something and you all were generous in your feedback to it. Thank you.
By Jill Pyle
In preparation for the presentation that Francis and I will be giving at BarCamp on Saturday, November 17, I’ve decided to shed some light on what goes on behind the scenes at inmedialog.com. I won’t be getting into too much detail here; we’ll share more about editorial strategy, implementation and early results on Saturday. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peak. All feedback is welcome.
Design
We wanted our blog to have a professional design that stayed true to the inmedia brand and mirrored the look of our web site. To accomplish this, we worked closely with Blogging Squared to develop a custom WordPress template that incorporated our logo and colours. We’ve received nothing but positive comments on our blog’s design and found the WordPress platform very easy to use.
Editorial
Going into this, we knew we need an editorial strategy that would allow us to consistently offer up quality content. As the blog editor, I tortured my colleagues with a few different processes that didn’t quite work before we settled into our current routine. Though we are continuing to make tweaks, our current editorial schedule is quite simple. inmedia’s participating consultants are required to write one unique feature per week, as well as three or more “rewrite department” posts that direct readers to interesting technology stories. The third stream to our editorial content is guest contributions. So far, Linda Moran and Eliot Burdett have been featured as guest bloggers. If you have an idea for a piece, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Publishing
As the blog editor, I’m responsible for preparing blog posts for publishing. My colleagues can send me their content by email or save drafts in WordPress, whatever works best for them. I then proof the content, insert pictures, select appropriate categories, add Technorati tags, take care of any weird formatting issues and link appropriate publications, news items and blog posts. I also adjust headlines from time to time, making sure they include relevant keywords. We’ve found this process allows contributors to focus on developing quality content rather than worrying about technicalities with which they may not be familiar.
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