Open and Closed Media Networking

Understanding and mastering the Web 2.0 phenomena is much more than having a home page on MySpace, or Facebook. The SNS (Social Network Sites are part of Web 2.0, but they only scratch the surface). Along with the personalized profile oriented sites, there are also sites providing functional services. The Social Networking Sites or SNS’s are referred to as ‘closed’, as opposed to blogs where are referred to as open. On SNS’s the user decides who is able to see information on their profile. This ability to control access is what earns the label of ‘closed’ media. In contrast to the closed media, there are sites that focus more on open media that gains greater public exposure. These service oriented sites also provide profile information, although not as extensively as the MySpace type sites. Among these sites are Technotari, StumbleUpon and Digg.

Open media sites provide tags and bookmarks to blog users. These tags and bookmarks are attached as a way to categorize the content of the blog. Experienced Web 2.0 users have learned the value of tags and bookmarks in driving traffic. The tags or bookmarks are picked up by the search engines and alert internet users to the presence of your site and the content it contains. Even here on hub pages, tag clouds are used to visually express what content is contained on hub pages. Tag clouds and listings are a shorthand way of communicating what content a site contains. Learning how to tag and bookmark effectively are essential skills for mastering web 2.0.

Blogs are seen as an ‘open’ medium. Blogs are termed as open, due to the fact that access to the material is available to everyone on the web. Although those posting on Blogs or web logs often express themselves in a personal manner, the contents are available for viewing across the internet. When the content becomes excessively personal or unsubstantiated, it is often referred to as a ‘rant’. Since blogs are open, the opinions expressed are no longer a private matter. Blogs are also searchable, which allows people to see everything the blogger has posted on a particular topic. Instead of people seeing your profile as they do on SNS sites, they read your blog posts without the ability to limit who is able to see them.

“Blog” is a term for web log. The web log is where an individual writes their thoughts, analysis or rants about the topic they choose. These writings are referred to as ‘posts’. The persons writing the posts are referred to as bloggers. The internet of bloggers is referred to as the ‘blogosphere’. Some bloggers have constructed their sites to resemble newspapers. Many of these sites also have ads and google AdSense postings on them. Like popular newspaper columnists, some bloggers have loyal fan followings. When bloggers make newsworthy, entertaining or interesting posts, other bloggers often create links to their site. The links allow someone using the internet to quickly switch over to the other site being referenced. Bloggers also link to stories they are posting a response to. The advent of bloggers and their ability to shape opinions has led some politicians to pass legislation aimed at limiting their influence. This has been discussed on a national level in China, and Italy. In San Francisco, the local County Supervisors attempted regulating bloggers and their involvement in local elections, by having them submit financial reports and adhere to a code of ethics.

Many bloggers use links to connect the content of their post with the source material. The effective use of links adds credibility to the blog, and some search engines provide better rankings to those blogs which have outside links.

With the advent of rss feeds, blogs have the capacity to function like a news service ticker tape. The people who signed up to receive an rss feed receive your latest posts and content across the globe. The rapid spread of information has been seen as useful as in how the media covered the Lebanon violence in the summer of 2006 and the Tsunami. It has also been seen as dangerous in that controversial ideas and pornography now travel quickly across the internet as well. To provide you with an indication of the extent, 12% of all internet sites are pornographic and 25% of all search engine requests are for pornographic materials. Blogs are also a part of this rapid spread of information as well since they provide fast, open medium to spread ideas, whether for commerce, politics personal thoughts or the latest jokes.

Some bloggers have managed to make money from their blogs by selling ads or linking with other sites. When blogs have a large readership advertisers seek them out in an attempt to reach this audience. Some of the large daily newspapers in the United States pay bloggers for their services as well. Blogs are also a way to keep fresh content related to your area of expertise in front of your fans. With increasing frequency, bloggers are integrating podcasts and video casts into their blogs. This new advent is referred to as Vlogs.

Knowing what each of the parts of web 2.0 is and how they function is important for anyone wanting to do business in the 21^st century. Each part of Web 2.0 is a tool that can be used to enhance commerce and build your business and presence on the internet. Send your questions or suggestions to AskWeb20 for more on how to get the most our of the web.