Websites are no longer just about presenting information. They have become an asynchronous two-way interaction point between your brand and your customers, and even between customers themselves. This is what in popular terminology is known as Web 2.0 – a somewhat misleading moniker since it's not about a new technology but a different aim, purpose and way of thinking about your website.
It involves a mental step to start allowing your customers to share their experiences about your brand, products and services.
Although Web 2.0 doesn't in theory involve new technologies, it adds demands on your site in terms of usability, interactivity, flexibility and searchability – and customers expect content to be updated in real time. This means that the majority of Web 2.0 websites have moved away from the traditional "click to load a new URL and web page" concept and instead makes more use of a technology called Ajax. However, it also places different demands on the hosting platform and underlying technology. A Web 2.0 website can no longer only be written in HTML and hosted on an FTP area somewhere. It also requires webserver software and database storage.
At SPIKA we have vast experience in building large-scale Web 2.0 websites that cater for very high levels of traffic, enabling a mixture of editorial (traditional) content and user-generated content (UGC), all in real time.
Whilst we support unlimited types of customer interaction and UGC, we are very concerned about protecting your brand in every situation, and moderation and access management are therefore at the heart of our Web 2.0 UGC platform. This is a very different approach to most freely available software for forums and blogs. Our moderation engine analyses everything entered by your customers and flags up for moderation when there are concerns.
