A client recently asked me for an overview and recommendations for a Web 2.0 strategy. I thought I would provide an outline of that report for all who might be interested. In short Web 2.0 is what could be referred to as the 5th “P” in marketing (Participation). So any strategy for implementing Web 2.0 could be considered as building a portfolio of “Participation” mediums.

Blog - regular postings on keyword relevant topics creates a scenario where users are invited to comment using topical language. This in turn generates more keyword relevant content which drives SEO. Best usage is to drive conversations with topical questions and opinionated commentary rather than reported sales speak and event wrap ups. etc… With the open dialogue a blog can produce it should be easy to establish a roster of guest contributors to your blog as well.

Forum – This drives community and networked participation generating the most keyword relevant content for driving SEO efforts. Using predefined subject threads can broaden the scope of content generated. The main drawback for most forums is the need for oversight to mitigate spam and abuse of the system. For some topical subjects this is of little concern but most general public gathering forums tend to have more issues with abuse.

Viral Video- This is a less defined medium which requires creative innovation to be successful. The video player must be branded with the company URL and closing screens can also be used to supply contact information though this can turn off the audience as being too salesy.

Setup Considerations:

To be effective as dynamic SEO generating vehicles the Blog and Forum MUST be run locally on the www.yourdomain.com. General public Blog and Forum services do not support the SEO tactics we are hoping to engage.

Software Recommendations:

Blog- WordPress, http://wordpress.org/ No Cost. Open Source. It has built in RSS capability and is easy to use for distributed editor/contributor management.

Forum – PHPBB, http://www.phpbb.com/ No Cost. Open Source. This is the highest rated forum tool available. Supports SEO with the proper setup.

Video- YouTube accepts video files from most digital cameras, camcorders, and cell phones in the .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG file formats.

Most computers come with some sort of video editing application already installed, such as Apple iMovie or Microsoft Movie Maker. Using these programs, you can easily edit your videos, add soundtracks, change the file type, compress the file size, etc.

There are also more advanced editing programs available for purchase or download online. My personal favorite is CyberLink PowerDirector 6

Implementation Considerations:

Blog and Forum software can be easily acquired and set up in a matter of days precluding any missing server requirements which your internet hosting provider would need to supply.

The style and voice of the blog in particular needs to be decided and adhered to. As I said previously we are striving to generate viewer responses to posts. So avoid PR and other uninteresting subject matter i.e. “This product is the greatest…Just released the latest…” Instead focus on being original, generating controversy or opinion i.e. “Is a distributed ODBMS really better? …Who does Oracle think they are?.. Top 10 Tips on Dating an RDBMS Developer…

Both the blog and forum will require some moderator/administrator time to manage rude and spam postings. The tools outlined above have features that prevent most kinds of spam but you still need to watch what is being said on a daily basis.

Video production will require some trial and error up front. You want to strive for a simple repeatable process. Pre-production planning is 90% of this effort. A system for generating ideas, storyboarding the outline, acquiring talent, filming, and editing will be required.

Stylistically I would recommend you develop a highbred home movie newscast where you brand the opening and closing scenes with a standard shell that will encapsulate any content you create.