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| 04 | 2007 |
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| Can Your Business Benefit from Web 2.0 Technologies? |
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Wikis, forums, blogs, podcasting, RSS, and other Web 2.0 technologies have begun to infiltrate the business world as companies begin to realize the benefits to productivity, colleague collaboration, marketing of products and services, and the ever-worrisome bottom line. We provide a description and comparison of each tool with a snapshot of the pros and cons to help you determine if collaborative applications and software can benefit your business.
1. Wikis
What are they?
Wikis offer a tool for the sharing of ideas and knowledge, mass collaboration and content authoring. Any user or visitor can add, edit or delete content from a wiki.
Pros
Wikis are easy to use, simplify the tracking and management of projects, and enable knowledge-sharing between colleagues across the company. Wiki data is easily sorted, filtered, categorized and searched, making it superior to emailing. In addition, the ease of collaboration on wikis reduces the need for other, more costly and time-consuming methods, such as meetings and off-site conferences.
Cons
Users can add, edit and delete information on wikis, making them susceptible to vandals, and opening a wealth of security concerns. Therefore, content needs to be constantly monitored and filtered. In addition, wikis can have quickly growing databases that can slow down searches if scalability is not maintained.
2. Forums
What are they?
Forums are a form of online bulletin board, allowing for the posting of discussions in the form of threads which are categorized by topic. Unlike wikis, forum content is not editable or deletable by anyone except the administrator. And, unlike blogs, which typically only allow responses to previous comments in a discussion, forums allow users to begin new threads.
Pros
Like wikis, forums are easily searchable and provide a venue for open discussion and a place where visitors can get answers to their questions or offer solutions to others. Many forums, like blogs, revolve around consumer-driven content – your customers and prospective customers discussing your product or service. Information Week reported recent findings by JupiterResearch who discovered that “77 percent of online shoppers read consumer product reviews and ratings. Viewers were found to be increasingly loyal to the stores that feature product feedback. Another survey determined that 22 percent of online consumers who posted feedback on forums tend to purchase more online.”
Cons
Like word-of-mouth conversations or other online reviews, getting negative publicity from your customers on forums can create a nightmare for your PR department.
3. Blogs
What are they?
Short for ‘web logs,’ blogs are online journals which enable users to post comments. While a site may have numerous blogging categories, unlike forums, bloggers don’t start their own thread, they simply respond to previous comments which are listed in a journal-like style in reverse-chronological order.
Pros
Like wikis, blogs allow for easy collaboration and communication. They can also be an effective marketing tool if used properly. By using it to communicate with customers or prospective customers, companies can build brand loyalty and use it as a way to effectively answer consumer questions and discuss products and services.
Cons
Like both wikis and forums, blogs can hurt consumer sites if feedback is negative. For public companies blogs can also pose a security risk if nonpublic financial or product information is disclosed. Internal company blogs can also be intimidating for employees who are hesitant to speak openly about a project knowing their postings are permanently captured for company colleagues to see and fearing they will be reprimanded if they have opposing comments or feedback.
4. Podcasts
What are they?
Podcasts come in the form of audio or video content delivered via an RSS feed to a portable media player or computer. Podcasting sites generally require signup or even subscriptions in order to download files. In the beginning audio podcasts were generated by those who wanted to create their own radio show, but the popularity of MP3 players and other portable media devices has opened the doors to podcasting as a training and educational tool as well as an entertainment medium. Creating podcasts can be as simple and inexpensive as plugging in a microphone to your PC, downloading free audio software, recording, editing, and publishing it on a website.
Pros
Podcasting enables companies, schools and other organizations to record training and educational materials for distribution, which can be especially cost effective for national and global businesses. It also provides a venue for companies to speak directly to their customers or perspective customers, and even offer subscription services. Companies may also be able to turn their podcasts into profits by using them as a sales and advertising tool. Business Week reported in February that “research firm eMarketer expects that advertisers will spend more than $400 million on podcasting by 2011, up from $80 million last year.”
Cons
Offering podcasts to your employees, customers or website visitors can create bandwidth issues – streaming media can require a great deal more than wikis, blogs, and forums. Unlike the ease of tracking online advertising, marketing groups are still trying to develop accurate methods of tracking ads and determining exactly who’s listening. And, unlike radio, listeners can easily forward past podcast ads and commercials.
5. RSS Feeds
What are they?
It seems only befitting for the final Web 2.0 item on our Pro/Con list that a contributor to the largest Wiki, Wikipedia.org, should provide the definition for the most popular feed format, RSS: “RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds or podcasts.” Users subscribe to a feed and utilize feed reader software which automatically keeps feeds updated constantly, whether they’re posted on your website or your desktop.
Pros
Companies can utilize feeds to improve communication and reduce emails by using them to post company meetings, news, events, or even project details directly on your desktop, website, or even your BlackBerry. Feeds can also be compiled from multiple sources and organized into one simple package. Their ease of use and implementation and constantly updated content have made them popular for everything from news sites to search engines.
Cons
RSS feeds have become targets for malicious code. RSS from web feed services typically include content compiled from a variety of sources. When the feed aggregators regularly update the content, if the feed service isn’t constantly monitoring it for malicious code, they may be sending it directly to your computer. Blog feeds have become one the biggest targets. According to PC World, “One relatively easy way that hackers can take advantage of a feed is to plant a comment containing malicious JavaScript on a blog site that allows readers to leave comments. If the blog’s RSS feed is set up to deliver comments as part of the feed, the malicious code gets distributed to subscribers.”
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About The Brookfield Group
The Brookfield Group has become a leader in IT, ISP, ASP and web solutions by providing next level technology solutions managed by experts who give you peace of mind without the tech-talk. The company's services are customized to fit any enterprise-size businesses and include: IT project management; hosting solutions and maintenance; systems security and patches; telecommunications services, server and desktop setup, repair and applications; network infrastructure design; audio visual products; surveillance and security solutions; as well as a variety of other software, hardware, services and accessories. Located in Carmel, Indiana, more information about The Brookfield Group products and services is available at www.thebrookfieldgroup.com or by calling 317.524.6000.
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