Web 2.0 means different things to different people, but ultimately when all’s said and done, everyone comes to the same conclusions.
For me as a designer, Web 2.0 means I can create interactive websites, innovative designs and provide mechanisms for users to add and create content.
Interactive Websites
If I can create a website that engages the user and gives the user multiple reasons to visit the site again and again then I have created a successful site. There are a number of ways to create and display engaging content:
Database driven websites
By capturing and storing users data in a database you can provide individualised content to users targeting there specific interests. A good example of this is the Scorptec website, a hardware eCommerce website that enables you to create an account and build and save computer systems.
Video
Embedding video, such as YouTube videos, can create a unique experience for your customers. A great example of this is iiNet’s website, one of Australia’s leading ISP’s.
Feeds
Services like Twitter and RSS enable you to include content to a webpage dynamically, so when you update content external to your website, that content ‘feeds’ into your webpage as displays automatically. An example of this is the Twitter feed on the ANZMAC 2009 homepage.
Innovative Designs
With the dawn of the Web 2.0 ere came an exciting new breed of website design. Designers adopted CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and when used with bright colours, large buttons and bold lines we were not only thinking outside the box, we removed ourselves from the box completely. Some great design examples I’ve found recently are Home Design Find, Sean Johnson and Komodo Media.
User added content
A prime example of user created content are blogs that allow users to comment on posts. More often than not, on popular blogs, comments generate their own comments, and in turn they generate comments, resulting in a plethora of user created content. The ultimate example of this would be online news services such as news.com.au where readers make comments on articles.
My favourite Web 2.0 feature or service at the moment is Google Docs. You can create word files, spreadsheets and slide show presentation and share them all with friends. If you haven’t explored Google Docs yet, get into it!
Great to see you jumping into this program so well, Tapps!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments about Google Docs... the registration form that you completed in "Thing #4" is a simple Google Docs Spreadsheet, with a form attached... the EASIEST and quickest way to set up a form online. It's also great for online surveys. We'll be looking at Google Docs again later in the program.
I didn't know about the Form feature in the Google Spreadsheet, I like it!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to exploring even more features with everyone.