Web 2 20 Not For Corporates

Not many people are spinning uncontrollable with Blogging platforms 2.0 and the line-up of benefits it deals out. Although Web 2 2.0 might help companies reduce costs some are unwilling to deploy these technologies. Why? Some consider Web 2 2.0 as 'experimental'.

Experimental? Facebook says it has a lot more than 200 million active users. Of these 200 million users a lot more than 100 million log on to Facebook at least once a day. And in case you were thinking these 100 million users are school or college users, a lot more than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college. Not schoolies or tech heads. In fact, Facebook's largest growing demographic is those 35 yrs . old and older. It is a demographic most corporations are continually trying to market to, connect to and have for as long term customers.

What can Blogging platforms 2.0 do?

Co-production: Web 2 2.0 platforms are great for getting customers to build up products using customer-generated content, forums, feedback and discussions. Corporations save on expensive theories and clients get what they want.

Lightweight IT: Using open source software and software-as-a-service for new applications reduces costs.

Mashups: Rather than build customized IT systems with hard-wired integration, Web 2 2.0 can enable mashups of existing Web services and data to operate at lower cost sufficient reason for less people.

Crowd sourcing: Another form of co-production, surveying and collecting information and data through social networking reduces research times and costs and transforms customer relations.

Meetings and collaboration: Social-networking, collaboration and sharing platforms can improve communication, cut travel costs and accelerate the innovation cycle, particularly for companies with international operations.

Cloud computing: Platforms such as for example Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure lower costs of creating and operating new IT systems.

Many companies using Web 2 2.0 realize its potential but there is no rush towards it as a cost-saving strategy. What's held before continues to be true today. Proof. It seems 200million users on Facebook or 108 million on MySpace aren't convincing enough. The lack of successful enterprise deployments has discouraged businesses to look more seriously at Blogging platforms 2.0. Read 'it's too hard'.

Corporates are recognized for moving s-l-o-w-l-y. But what if they're left behind? On one hand they need to spend less and reduce risks and on the other hand they chase productivity and creativity their new unrelenting masters. So is throwing minimal resources on innovative projects like Blogging platforms 2.0 smart? Particularly when Blogging platforms 2.0 can cause sustainable cost reductions.

It is the smaller, inventive and agile companies that are using Blogging platforms 2.0 to grow quickly and increase productivity way beyond levels achievable using older technologies.

Web conferencing alone has helped companies save well on travel hours and costs, improving efficiency, customer communications and relations. So when e-mail and Web chat are more popular for customer interaction, some companies may also be considering Blogging platforms 2.0 video and blogging to generate customer communities. Better for customer relations and cheaper when compared to a contact call center.

The return on investment of using Web 2 2.0 may not be easy to calculate especially if the only measure would be to reduce costs. But think about intangible returns such as customer experience, customer service or product enhancement? Google, Yahoo and MSN have created billion dollar algorithm's to judge and reward those delivering quality customer experiences. Customers listen to their own inbuilt algorithm and running from bad experiences in to the arms of friendly easy ones.

While corporations fuss over how to create a body of Web 2 2.0 best practices other smaller to mid-sized companies already using Web 2 2.0 are flourishing. Ultimately Web 2 2.0 success depends on how employee and customers embrace the technologies and how content sharing is secured, protected and handled.

That's where Web 2 2.0 corporate policy should start.

Security concerns around these applications must be addressed quickly otherwise nobody will want to use them regardless of how user-friendly or accessible they might be. If not, corporate attempts to involve Web 2 2.0 in operations will be another add-on expense; increasing costs rather than reducing them as intended.

Christine McVeigh is writer of 'Web 2.0 Traffic Demolisher - How exactly to Dominate Your Niche Using Blogging platforms 2.0'. Go now to get free usage of an information packed strictly limited 5 part course on how best to get traffic, dominate and make money using Blogging platforms 2.0 along with other free stuff on marketing Web 2 2.0 by going now to [1] See you on the other side!