Thaughts about Web2.0 - is it for marketing?

In trying to explain to potential clients what "new" marketing can actually do, I find people asking me about "what is Web 2.0?" For these who feel like they are not successful enough with their web page and maybe their newsletter, what should they want to do with a blog or a more targeted newsletter with splits, or even a wiki? Or what is the content on the web site really for? One thing I wanted to do is discuss and even explain some of the ideas of the O'Reilly Web2.0 posting. It's somewhat of an introduction, maybe even the most talked about "post" you can think about. But unlike the other O'Reilly writing, it seemed to explained in simple terms the "ideas" which have been driving the changes in how information and usage of it affects business. Whie O'Reilly does not talk specifically about business or more appropriately marketing impact, the whole idea and changes O'Reilly observed, are actually a reflection of marketing more than anything else. But the observation here has not taken into account the the more detailed marketing "work" or what I would call "transition to 'new marketing'". Background to this discussion: O'Reilly has observed the rapid change in the "type" of software and applications on the Internet. As a technology observer and publisher of technology books, he is well equipped to notice the changes which we sometime miss. He noticed that the nature of "software" or "application" and their use was changing dramatically. Once he noticed the big change, it was easy to classify and define the change(s). Basically, what the Internet has become, is more of a participatory media to the typical user. The applications on the web has simplified the process of content creation and editing. In more plain terms, it is much easier for most people to "author" a web site. Well, not exactly a complex one, but a blog can actually be a web site if the content is interesting and somewhat decent. The same goes for newsletters, simple pages and u-tube clips. So now, like every media type up to now, let the writing, photographing and video editing begin, and then get posted and passed along until the "buzz" phenomena gets going and becomes a standard practice.

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O'Reilly's Web2.0 post - Trend setter or trend observer? You be the judge.
      This kind of analysis, or actually understanding of trends from people like O'Reilly, is something a marketer needs to do all the time. In the changes of old trends and emergence of new trends lies opportunity and trap. Not just for marketers, but for all the organization. For marketers the idea of opportunity and trap is more real than ever before. On one hand, the trends involve a set of tools which are useful to us, specially if we can use them to help "non-marketers" contribute written and photographic material. Contributory content has not been accepted in the mainstream corporate world but I think this is just a matter of time. A few commercial services has been offered but none has really succeeded. But this could change any day with the introduction of a more useful or a better user interface. Maybe a service with a feature someone needs and we can be faced with the new role of 'content editors'. Well, this is a quick introduction to something to start DOING!, not just thinking and watching. As I said to a recent customer: 'if McDonald's has a blog about healthy eating and how fries are fried, shouldn't a security company have a blog about viruses?' ~ I think so...

Mozilla SeaMonkey, comparing to Nvu and MS Web Authoring

        On the last post I looked at Nvu main product page. The idea was to look at a simple page for a simple product. The exercise was a little disappointing, mostly due to lack of continuity in the product's development. As I mentioned, by hunting a little on the web, it was clear how Nvu essentially was an independent development of Netscape's Composer. As Netscape products ended their high point, mostly due to competition from Microsoft, Macromedia and Adobe, the "code" was placed into an Open Source 'status'. Then, a group of independent developers started to take over and evolved the original product into the 'Mozilla' project you see today*.
        The Mozilla project seem to be turning out nice products. As a matter of fact, these products are useful specially today if you are going to use them for editing simple documents or you have a need for bare-bone application. They are on par with the Sun's Open Office tools, I would call them rev 2.0 equivalent to a product from a commercial software supplier (i.e. Adobe, Intuit, Symantec, etc). Last post I wrote a footnote about why these products are used for research and analysis. I keep on coming to the conclusion, mostly by gut feeling, that many commercial products have holes in their marketing. Not just missing part of the main message, or confusion in the positioning, targeting and audience focus. But, truly missing pieces of a product description which to most users would be considered a basic information. The simple open source applications do an excellent job in describing the basic product. They also simplify the message, mostly assuming that users will not have a problem with the decision leading to try the product. For some commercial products this is a crucial lesson to learn. Simply having the user download, install and take a look at the product would be an excellent start and a useful expanding the user base.

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SeaMonkey project main page, simple and complete for a open source product
        The SeaMonkey project page is simple in design and content. It has only 9 entries on the right hand side menu (News, Downloads, Community, Documentation, etc.) The main section starts out with a download box. This is understandable since SeaMonkey is a very basic suite of Internet tools (Browser, e-Mail, chat and HTML editor). I presume the assumption is of a very familiar users who mostly come for the download function. The box has links for "features" and "release notes". Below the download section are sections for "project news" and "SeaMonkey suite". Unlike the Nvu page there are no specific features on the first page. Essentially the introduction to new users is on a higher level and less specific. This enable the design to be more simple and if a user is interested in more detail, there are links to a more verbose page. I think that in terms of a familiar user and a new user the content is sufficient. It seems to me that commercial applications tent to err on "more is better" and therefore highlight more "salesy" (some would call it "sexy") items as was seen in the Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft products pages. The categories they picked as main sub sections (on the menu) are self explanatory. The sub-sections also cover a broad range of user topics with only one section "Development" not related to end users. This is a good indication to a user that he is in the "right place". Since technology and products on the web cover a very broad range of abilities, some products while covering a broad range of user abilities tent to push for the "high-end" user. This is not a place to look at which user is targeted, but the analysis of what user is targeted and the intended message is a good place for a marketer to use in evaluating similar and competing products.

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* I do not claim to be a 'technology historian' by any means. The descriptions here are strictly a shortcut to explaining how these products evolve and get to a certain point in time. I would appreciate any explanations on some of the events, specially details on the product features and overall operation. Technology issues and organizations (i.e. corporate activities in how the products were run) are less important at this point in time. BUT, more information on a product, better off the marketer's knowledge and faster she/he can take appropriate actions. The study of recent product history and the technology market is sadly neglected in the race to get products out and win market share. This is another topic worth a little research and a few articles on the blog.

Nvu page, very basic marketing content

In my review of the Microsoft FrontPage descendants' packages, I was going to review Nvu and Mozilla Composer (or Netscape equivalent). So finally, it's time to continue on that line of writing*. The Nvu page is quite old, and the program used a version of Mozilla Composer as a base. At the same time, it does show an attempt to market the product by listing "Features" at the center of the page. The first section of the page also gives a description of the Nvu as: "A complete web authoring system for Linux..." and a comparison statement: "... rival programs like FrontPage and Dreamweaver." These two sections constitute the very basic marketing content seen with small or simple programs.

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Nvu main page, introduction, features and other info...

      From the point of view of a developer, description and features seem to be the "starting point" of a marketing effort. Actually, it seems natural to tell a potential user these two basic facts.

    In the case of Nvu, the developer seem to use the earlier Netscape / Mozilla product as a basis of user familiarization. He seem to assume that simple allusion to the other web authoring tools and the operating system is a good introduction. Basically they say: if you know what FrontPage and Dreamweaver is all about, we have it for Linux, Windows and Mac. On first look this seems like a simple way to get someone started. But in reality, this is a missed opportunity to differentiate or describe other features or capabilities. OS support is a very trivial user concern, but features for usage, tips, techniques, tools and final product output are much more productive and forceful. Features are also interesting as an introduction, but benefits and uses of a tool are also more productive. To the credit of the Nvu page, developing a forceful message and capturing the mind of a user quickly is not easy. Also, the formulation of strong benefit and application points takes time and thought. But I believe that specially for small products with little or no marketing resources, making the first impression strong is crucial. A first page of a small products is the one place where potential users can get information and download the program. As an exercise it would be interesting to see how small programs, utilities and programs given as demos describes themselves in a 'first look'. If you are a developer, technologist or a marketer of a small program or a utility, this kind of research and benchmarking is crucial to developing a meaningful message. This is specially true if you want attention and some type of user feedback or support. Open source and freeware / shareware programs have potential to become a useful piece of the ever growing technology puzzle. So take the time to develop an attractive and strong message. next, I will try to do a few more site evaluations and analysis, then go deeper into the content... so stay tuned and come back...

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* Background and explanation on the use of these products as examples for my analysis: Web authoring tools are well understood. There are many ways to get a web page built. Web authoring tools are like text editors and drawing programs which are used to create pages (to be printed). So extending the analysis from a Microsoft Word to Microsoft FrontPage is not a huge jump in thinking. The big difference between a web editor and a text editor is the output. One is designed to create pages for the printer, the other goes t a web 'server'. A web server essentially translate formatting instructions and maybe some embedded programs. Also, there are enough users who understand the web authoring task, even if they don't understand all the details of different technologies and web standards. Finally, these programs have a very small user base, so they don't seem to attract the big marketing effort. BUT, they have enough complexity to illustrate marketing points which could apply to many technology products.

more on Categorizing Marketing Content...

    or is it categorizing any content in "marketing" terms ? whatever the descriptive term, which eventually will make sense to us, there are a more "dimensions" or "properties" that are interesting and important to look at. Product marketing does not happen in a vacuum. A company's image, ability and history are key to a proper understanding of a marketing message and the target audience. The specific market situation at the time is also crucial to understand, if the market situation is changing and competitors or the environment is changing, the message may reflect these changes. Sometimes looking at competitor's message and at specific events in the market it is easier to understand and analyze the message. Another dimension is the "association" of the company or product. Some products are associated with a group or a certain image. These determine the message and if the marketing is done in a specific way. Some companies need to advertise to a broad range of audiences. Therefore, web content is more influenced by what the other media advertisements are like. Some companies can separate the messages and have a different message on the web than in advertisements.

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Intel's end consumer and technical mix marketing message
Let's take for example two large technology companies: Intel and Microsoft. Intel sells for the most part to computer manufacturers. A very technical sell which does not involve a large audience and for the most part does not need to have computer end user information. Microsoft also sells to essentially the same customers, specially operating systems (OSes) and office suites, but in this case the consumer is much more involved. Microsoft's products are what most people use everyday. Their features, packaging and use is something that Microsoft can "sell". With Intel these issues are less important to the user. But with Intel there is still the issue of new capabilities in terms of speed, graphic and network operation and the important message of a continuing improvement.
These two examples are simple, but the simple things are sometimes what makes for a believable and simple message where marketing can affect precept ion. In may cases you will see where this is not necessarily true. The marketing message is too biased toward a specific area and does not match what is expected by a reader or even a customer. Well, I have covered a large amount of area, specially in writing about definitions and "dimensions". So maybe we can get back at looking at different products, the landscape in which they exist and how we can use readily available information to do our own work. As you can see, there is a huge amount of information and we can get lost in looking at too many pages. But, we can also use available information to learn and analyze many aspects of a message and the content which constitute the message.