Marcs.ws

A different kind of blog...

The purpose of this blog is to bring you some interesting, thought provoking information that you may not have known before.

Archive for the ‘Content’ Category

Web 2.0 or Web for Show?

Monday, March 9th, 2009

Over the last few years, trends have imerged in regards to the buzzword Web 2.0. Most people don’t really know what that is, however, when they do  reference it they tend to think of various blogs, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. People think of web sites with gradients, big buttons and/or badges and simplistic interfaces.

But what is Web 2.0 and what does it mean to you? Web 2.0 is truly defined as one and one thing only: Community.

The original concept for the internet was a tool that could be used to review research papers. Somewhere along the way to its current state, a wrong turn was made and it is probably the largest organized (and unorganized) collection of marketing and purchasing in an interconnected net. This net is made up of users. The people that view content (which is and will always be king).

When web 2.0 is referenced it is in regards to these groups of communities with users that unknowingly are being marketed to at all times. The most obvious of these uses are on the various adds these sites use.  The not so obvious marketing of information are in the blogs that people follow and the tweets that they consume (see Twitter). Earlier this year, during the President’s State of the Union address, many members of Congress sent out tweets to market their thoughts and ideas on what was being said to their community members. Yes, this is how it works…

What does community mean to your business? No really, ask yourself…

Is it where you get your clientel from? Your marketing? Do you depend on it for suggestion and direction? HOw often do you want your community to interact with you and learn new information about you and your product?

When you know the answer, contact me and we’ll make it happen. In the mean time, think it out, and see how Web 2.0 might help you.

Why Your Content Sucks…

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

When I was interning for MassMutual, there was a phrase I heard early and often: “Content is king.” Its funny that I find most web projects that I work in, that “Content is a pauper.”

When developing a site, too many people focus on aestetics while thinking “What I want to put on my website is pretty easy.” Shouldn’t it be though? Entities from a business should know their business and know it well. Effective words should flow like ambrosia from Mount Olympus.

This thought process, however, extremely over simplifies the task that content has in a site.  Rememer, that is what people are there for, not to look at the pretty pictures.Lets also remember that your web site aestetics, no matter how developed, will grow tarnished when your average user is checking their finances/stock, flickr account, myspace or facebook pages, or the myriad of other activites on the web. User’s multitask, and you should realize that when creating your page.  This is just one reason why your content should be optimized and developed with them in mind.

Tone, pacing, and style should all be brought into account. Think about it… Dwell on it…

Now that you have, go to your site, read EVERY page and work with your individual content editors to really bang out some good stuff.  Go on…and if you need help, contact me.

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