How should we collaborate with you?
“Community” and “social networking” are popular buzzwords among Web site owners these days. Everyone’s talking about Web 2.0, which simply means people communicating directly with each other, using the Web as their interface – either through a social networking site, such as Facebook, responding to blogs, or watching and sharing videos online.
Here’s an example of Web 2.0 in action: I read a story the other day about a woman unhappy with drug dealers in the alley behind her apartment. When local police wouldn’t do anything about it, she took video and posted it to YouTube – extending the precedent set with the Rodney King effect to the world-wide web. Imagine the possibilities for social change if everyone starts talking to everyone else through the Web. . .
It’s an empowering feeling – reaching out to the world through the Internet. It can also be intimidating, which is why some people never post feedback on any sites, or others only post anonymously.
I have seen a few suggestions about ways in which you would like to engage with us and with other users on the site and I am curious to learn how you communicate with your favorite sites today. What brings out the “chatty” in you? What compels you to post a comment or forward a page to a friend? How do you like to engage with the site, with other users of the site, with the experts?
For example, do you read reviews by other users before you buy a book on Amazon or book a hotel on Expedia? Do you return to the site and add your own review to help others with their decisions? If not, why not? What would motivate you to do that?
What about sites such as Wikipedia, that allow you to edit the content? If you could edit a Web page or share a how-to video, would you?
Here’s your chance to share with us your favorite ways to engage online with the experts, the general community, and companies. We’re looking forward to reading your comments.
--Nancy
