Web 2.0 Models

Web 2.0 is changing everything about the way we search the Internet. With its integration into our world, we are not passively practicing read-and-click. Instead, we post comments, modify search engines through the use of our own vocabulary, and share photographs, videos, and information with each other. Web 2.0 is very easy for visitors to understand. They can learn the applications easily (and often it’s not even considered “learning”). They readily see what you are looking for, and it requires nothing more than an Internet connection on their end in order to work. Check out some of the best web 2.0 models below that you must consider to utilize it to promote and market your business.

EBay

Started as a sole proprietorship in 1995, EBay has grown into a gigantic online auction house. The company itself doesn’t sell anything; instead, users join (the membership is free) and list items for sale for very small fees. EBay’s money is made from the nickel-and-dime insertion and listing fees; they also charge a commission at the end of the sale. This site would have been useless without people to offer products and other people to bid on them. Instead, it’s one of the biggest sites on the Internet. Users are “rated” by those who do business with them. If a person tends to list items for sale and not deliver, or if he’s slow in shipping, buyers can readily find this out before placing a bid.

Some EBay users write online guides, which you can read in order to perform research on a particular kind of item. For example, let’s say you like buying porcelain dolls. A quick EBay search reveals that there are 81 related “guides” to dolls. You can learn what constitutes a “collectible” doll or an “antique” doll. You can find out how to care for the dolls, and the difference between bisque and porcelain. There are tons of other guides, covering every topic from how to do your taxes to comparisons of plastic andwooden accordions.

EBay also offers user reviews of products like cameras, computer monitors, and video games. The review scores are averaged to give the total rating for the product; the reviews themselves can also be rated as helpful or not helpful. All of these factors serve to help EBay retain its customer base. Users are apt to turn to the guides and user reviews first as their research source, so they’re more likely (since they’re already on the website) to bid on EBay listings than to go to other sources.


Craigslist

It’s an online classified advertising site; membership isn’t even required in order to post an ad, although it’s easier to control your ads or the ones you’re interested in if you do have an account. You can find almost anything there—jobs, services, romance, and goods. Officially, it covers 450 cities; don’t discount it if your city isn’t listed, though. With over 7 billion page views per month, users aren’t necessarily limited to a certain geographical area.

Craigslist was started in 1995 and became incorporated in 1999. It is user-oriented and, rather than being run as a typical corporation, depends on users to find more ways to create income for the site. Craigslist aficionados are a loyal lot, tending the site as if it were their own—which is the whole point of the Web 2.0 concept. They tend to be active on the message boards and are quick to flag postings that are inappropriate.


Del.icio.us

It's a newer member of the Web 2.0 community, is an application that helps bloggers increase traffic. It also has created a new method for the Internet community as a whole to create searches. The users themselves define methods to determine how searches work, which should make searching both more effective and more productive.