Introduction: What is Social Networking
In 1398 an enterprising German goldsmith set about to turn the control of information on it's head. Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (Big John to his friends) devised an extraordinary device which took the centralized control of book production away from the Church. Thanks to moveable type, and the printing press, books could suddenly be mass-produced at low cost. Before the invention of moveable type, book production was an excruciating and understandably time-consuming task of professional copyists.
Fast forward to the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web further facilitated the production and dissemination of documents in a way that the printed word never could. However, the Web was still under the control of traditional media outlets, corporations and anyone with the technical skills to contribute and create the content.
In the early days of the Web it was simply providing consumable content with precious little interactivity. In many respects the old web was nothing more than a glorified magazine. The old web, or Web 1.0, if you will, allowed only the most technical users to interact and contribute content. Companies and corporations who wished to participate in the development of content needed to do so with the assistance of gatekeepers such as IT personnel, web designers and programmers.
All that changed with the rise of Web 2.0.
Suddenly a growing list of web sites allowed contribution from a wider segment of the population using a growing list of web-enabled devices. The Web 2.0 revolution was set to completely change the landscape of the World Wide Web and challenged conventional media and marketing in astonishing and unpredictable ways.
The purpose of these articles is to help you to understand what Web 2.0 is in practical terms and show you what you can do to fully exploit its potential as an Internet marketing tool.
