Web 2.0: Squidoo

As we go into the fourth week of our in-depth look of Web 2.0, it is easy to see how instrumental the new era of the Internet is to individuals and businesses alike. How the Internet is viewed and used is transforming before our very eyes. It is exciting to be part of the transformation and be part of something so revolutionary.

One site that encapsulates all that Web 2.0 is and how it is defined is Squidoo.com. It is the latest site by Internet Marketing guru Seth Godin and it is revolutionizing the way people search or “poke” the net. In today’s newsletter, we’ll explore who Seth Godin is and why you should care, what squidoo is, and how all of this will benefit you individually or as a business.

Who is Seth Godin and Why Should I Care?

If anyone could be referred to as the “Father of Modern Marketing Practices,” it is Seth Godin. He founded one of the first online marketing companies, Yoyodyne, in 1995. By the time he sold the company to Yahoo! in 1998, it had become the #1 creator of direct mail and promotions on the Web. Companies as diverse as AT&T and Skechers Shoes retained Yoyodyne to create campaigns that went far beyond websites. As a part of the sale to Yahoo!, Godin became Vice-President of Permission Marketing. Since resigning from Yahoo! in 2000, Godin has written countless books, blogs, and columns on marketing.

Godin has changed the way marketing is done in this new age. According to Wikipedia, his new theory on marketing centers around three aspects. First, the end of the TV-Industrial complex means that marketers no longer have the power to command the attention of anyone they choose, whenever they choose. Second, in a marketplace in which consumers have more power, marketers must show more respect. Finally, Godin asserts that the only way to spread the word about an idea is for that idea to earn the buzz by being remarkable.

This brings me to his latest venture, and the main reason you should care about who Godin is. Godin is the writer of the free ebook, Everyone’s An Expert (About Something), that launched the site Squidoo.com. Squidoo is a site guaranteed to change how you surf the web, as well as how you do business.

What is Squidoo.com?

Squidoo was founded by Godin on the premise that you don’t go to Google to search or find something, but rather to understand or find meaning. He feels that people do not want a quick right answer, but instead the type of dialog or information you would only find through word-of-mouth conversations. The idea is that a computer generated search isn’t good enough. You want personal experience or an expert in the field. Thus, Squidoo was created.

Why do a search on the process of making crème brulee when you can talk to an actual expert such as a French chef at a local restaurant? Squidoo provides that opportunity. Experts create what Godin refers to as “lenses” of websites. An online lens is a page, a single page, which highlights one person’s view of the Web—not the whole Web, just one tiny part of it.

So How Does Squidoo Benefit Me?

According to Godin, a lens has many benefits:

• Lenses are free to build and maintain.
• Royalties are earned from all the keyword clicks, affiliate income and referral fees the lenses generate.
• More traffic is directed to your blog and your Web sites.
• You can build credibility for yourself and your organization by serving as a trusted guide.
• Increased search engine rank for you and the pages you point to.

Of course, if Godin’s theory is right, you won’t just take my word on this new phenomenon of the Internet. Go check it out for yourself. Download the free ebook. Create your first lens. Revolutionize the future of your business.

Fionn Downhill is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Elixir Systems. She is responsible for corporate direction, corporate branding, and business development.

For more information on search engine optimization contact Elixir Systems at 602.494.6326 or at http://www.elixirsystems.com.One site that encapsulates all that Web 2.0 is and how it is defined is squidoo.com. It is the latest site by Internet Marketing guru Seth Godin and it is revolutionizing the way people search the net. In today’s newsletter, we’ll explore who Seth Godin is and why you should care, what squidoo is, and how all of this will benefit you individually or as a business.

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Web 2.0: Blogs – What are they and how do they work?

This week we will dive in-depth into one of my favorite areas of Web 2.0: Blogs.

Blogs have revolutionized the business world as well as the communications of individual businesses. Blogs are becoming essential on the local and national level. They also benefit the everyday individual looking to further their career, share their personal life, network with others in the same field, or just learn more about the web community.

As the third installment of a five article series, you are well on your way to becoming an expert in Web 2.0. For the purposes of this series, Web 2.0 is defined as websites that build on community or offer a service. Web 2.0 allows for interactive viewing of the net. (Refer to the last two weeks for more information.)

To continue to move you forward as an expert in Web 2.0, we will look at what blogs are, how blogs began, and the advantages of blogs for businesses and individuals.

What Are Blogs?

According to Wikipedia, the term “blog” is a contraction of “Web log.” A blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on photographs (photoblog), videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

How did Blogs begin?

Blogs could be found in their earliest forms when individuals began keeping online personal diaries in the 1990s. Early weblogs were simple, manually updated components of common websites. Corporations and businesses jumped on the bandwagon by creating sections such as “In the News” and “What’s New.” With the creation of software that even the most non-techie individual could understand, blogs became increasingly popular and morphed into what we see today on the web.

What Are The Advantages Of A Blog?

The advantages of blogs are numerous, so I encourage you to do your own research as well. As someone who has a blog and spends 90 percent of online time reading on blogs, I am a big proponent of how essential a blog can be. Here are just five of the advantages of a blog – there simply is not enough space to list them all.

1. Networking: Blogs provide a forum to network with other people in an area of shared interest. Most small business owners rely on blogs to exchange ideas with others in their field. Large businesses use blogs as a way for employees to communicate with one another.
2. Self-Promotion: Blogs are a great way to market yourself as an employer, employee, writer, cartoonist, photographer, etc. They allow people to see your work as well as get to know you on a more personal level.
3. Marketing: Blogs are a fabulous tool to market your business. A blog allows consumers to see the personal side of your company and/or employees. People are more likely to buy a product from someone they know than someone they never met. A blog allows consumers to know that person.
4. Increase Traffic: Blogs can bring in a ton of local Internet traffic for sites. Search Engines love blogs and just incorporating a blog into your website can send you skyrocketing in the rankings, which could turn into many new customers. On a local level, people are beginning to use web searches instead of the yellow pages, so a blog can bring them to your service or product faster.
5. Repeat Visitors: Blogs are updated frequently (most likely the reason search engines are fond of them). People will come back daily to read reviews, see what is new, etc. Reading the latest post becomes an addiction. Add to that the capability to sign up for RSS feeds (which alerts readers of new postings) and repeat traffic climbs in numbers. All this repeat traffic can translate to more sales.

Next week, we will continue with our series with a discussion on Squidoo—what is it and how it can benefit your business.

Fionn Downhill is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Elixir Systems. She is responsible for corporate direction, corporate branding, and business development.

For more information on search engine optimization contact Elixir Systems at 602.494.6326 or at http://www.elixirsystems.com.Blogs have revolutionized the business world as well as the communications of individual businesses. Blogs are becoming essential on the local and national level. They also benefit the everyday individual looking to further their career, share their personal life, network with others in the same field, or just learn more about the web community.

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What is Wiki and how does it work?

Gone are the days of door-to-door Encyclopedia salesmen. Gone are the days where parents have to save and buy individual books of an encyclopedia with the hopes of one day being able to purchase a complete set before the information becomes outdated. Our society has transformed into a place where Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia, has become a household name. How did this happen?

Today, kids and adults alike have a wealth of research and information available at the touch of a button. This evolution is thanks to some new software, a concept known as Wiki, and its role as part of the Web 2.0 culture.

Continuing with the in-depth look of Web 2.0, this week’s focus will be on Wikis: what they are, how they work, and how they can benefit businesses.

Let’s Review: What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is the new conventional wisdom of the Internet. Web 2.0 is defined as websites that build on community or offer a service. Rather than offering simply static information, Web 2.0 allows for interactive viewing of the net. The function of Web 2.0 sites is to use community to maintain content.

What is Wiki and how does it work?

A Wiki is a type of website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove, and otherwise edit and change some available content, sometimes without the need for registration. It can also be referred to as server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. This ease of interaction and operation makes a Wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring. Wikipedia is the most popular example of one such site.

Who invented it and how was it named?

Wikis were invented by Ward Cunningham. He started programming the software WikiWikiWeb in 1994 and installed it on the website of his software consultancy firm. Wiki Wiki is the Hawaiian word for quick or fast. Wiki became the shortened word.

What makes Wikis unique?

Wikis allow everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site. Wikis promote content composition by non-technical users. Wikis do not require users to know html. What makes the wiki technology unique is the ease with which pages can be created and updated. Generally, there is no review before modifications are accepted. Most Wikis are open to the general public without the need to register any user account.

How can Wikis benefit businesses?

By removing barriers, Wikis allow people to work as a group and produce innovative information. Communities on the web are able to come together and collaborate on proposals, projects, tasks, etc. It allows web business owners to have their content contributed by experts in the field and edit content live. It reduces time in research and work by categorizing current information in an easy to find method.

Are there any negative uses with Wikis?

With the ability for any web user to edit or add text, sites need to have some way of approving additions or at least monitoring entries. This can be done by making your Wiki private, just for your business, or by hiring someone to perform this task.

Next week we will continue our in-depth look at Web 2.0, focusing on Blogs: what they are, how they work, and how they can benefit businesses.

Elixir Systems is a full service search engine marketing company specializing in organic search engine optimization services, online public relations management and paid search or PPC management. For more information visit Elixir Systems Gone are the days of door-to-door Encyclopedia salesmen. Gone are the days where parents have to save and buy individual books of an encyclopedia with the hopes of one day being able to purchase a complete set before the information becomes outdated. Our society has transformed into a place where Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia, has become a household name. How did this happen?

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