October 21, 2004 - (PromotionWorld) - So says Internet Visionary, Chris Tinney. Tinney says the message to consumers from last weeks conference in San Francisco called "Web 2.0" is that the web is about to get up close and personal. He says the message to online marketers is "Evolve or Die!" Continuing to do things as you always have will soon make your web site appear old, out of touch and stodgy in the new world. Tinney is not alone in his thoughts.
It now seems that the propeller heads aren't happy just letting people Blog, Meet-up, and buy things on Amazon. Web 2.0 is about to change all that and the first effects will be seen in existing communities that are springing up around companies such as Google, Amazon, eBay, Powerful Intentions and others.
At the conference, Jeff Bezos, boss of e-commerce firm Amazon, described Web 2.0 as a way to make the web more useable for computers rather than people. The future is around tools and programs that re-work the information collected by firms like Amazon that will help create new services and businesses.
The web you're using now may seem the same, but what's running under the hood is changing. Take RSS, this one technology is already allowing one web site to "pull" information about you from others. This technology will soon integrate everything you do.
So what does this mean for the average Internet user? Let's say your friend needs to change a lunch date. Instead of trying to reach you, they can simply make the change in any web sites or software program they use. The change can automatically be made to your schedule in outlook, on the web, or even your Palm Pilot instantly.
The next time you log in you'd simply see the change. Or seeing banner ads that are calling out your name and offering products that you're actually interested in while you surf the net.
Tinney gives this example, "Imagine you just purchased Wayne Dyers new book, "Powerful Intentions" at Amazon. Web 2.0 is what will make sure you see ads on other web sites inviting you to come join the online community, Powerful Intentions (http://www.powerfulintentions.com) or invite you to make other related purchases."
"The Web 2.0 conference makes it clear that creating or partnering with content rich online communities will hold the key to success for marketers." Tinney, is the CEO of Business Management Services and publisher of 3 popular online newsletters(http://www.MLMGorilla.com).
He says that companies and individuals need to look at online communities as the future.
When asked why communities like RYZE, Friendster, and popular Blogging sites have yet to come up with a solid revenue model he replied "most don't understand the meaning of the word community. A community has to have either a shared knowledge or set of shared values".
He points out that consumers have piled in sites like Friendster and RYZE but quickly quit using the them as the novelty wears off. He claims they will have to target a particular group within their community and begin servicing their needs specifically- changing dramatically from what they are today.
Another glimpse of how the web is changing took place with the unveiling of the new search engine Snap by net veteran Bill Gross. Snap lets people find a web page related to a keyword query but also produces lots of extra information.
For instance, a search for digital cameras produces a table detailing popular models that others have looked for. Mr Gross said Snap was a precursor of what the net will become as it tries to encourage interaction and builds on the data trails that earlier visitors leave behind.
There was no shortage of big ideas at the conference either. People with big visions told their thoughts on effectively harnessing the power of the net.
Here's one that drew some attention. Brewster Kahle's idea is to scan as many books as possible and put all of them online so everyone has access to all of that knowledge.
In his speech, Mr Kahle pointed out that most books are out of print most of the time and only a tiny proportion of the total amount of books ever published are available on book stores.
Using a robotic scanner, Mr Kahle said the job of scanning the 26 million volumes in the US Library of Congress, the world's biggest library, would cost only $260 million.
He estimated that the scanned images would take up about a terabyte of space and cost about $60,000 to store. Instead of needing a huge building to hold them, the entire library could fit on a single shelf.
The Web 2.0 conference was held in San Francisco from 5-7 October. You can learn more about Web 2.0 visit http://www.webprofitpros.com/web2