"Web 2.0" covers a lot of different areas, where site visitors get to contribute and/or interact on the site.
The content on some sites, like Flickr, LinkedIn and YouTube, is pretty much 100% user-generated. The site owners simply have to provide a framework and some instructions.
Family sites like Kinzin use copy to sell and describe their service, but the bulk of the content is user-generated, and it is deliberately private.
And, of course, forums, blogs, lists and the like have always been "Web 2.0."
(When you think about it, Web 2.0 has been with us from the beginning. The only difference now is that more and more companies are waking up to the benefits of interacting with their site visitors. And more and more tools and widgets are being created to facilitate that interaction.)
So what's the big opportunity?
The opportunity is not simply to provide widgets that enable your site visitors to add comments and opinions or upload their own content.
The real opportunity is to engage your site visitors in a way that makes them feel part of your site community, and makes then want to come back time and time again.
When you open the doors and invite your readers to contribute, you're saying. "Hey, this can be your place too. Take part and come back often."
If your users generate content, what's the role of the professional Web writer?
Is an online copywriter or Web writer any longer relevant for a site that generates a lot of its content through user contributions?
I think so. In fact, the job of the Web writer becomes even more challenging.
Look at it this way. It's pretty simple to create a Web 2.0 site. You can get the tools to create all the necessary interactive elements.
But to ask whether you can add interactive elements to your site is asking the wrong question.
A better question is, "Why would people want to contribute to MY site?"
And the answer to that lies in the quality of your site and its content.
People are drawn to authority sites. They want to be in the company of experts. They don't want to be part of a swamp of disconnected, low-quality content.
The quality of the content on your site becomes the rudder and guide for your contributors.
The higher the quality of what you write for your site, the higher the quality of the contributions you will attract.
The greater the clarity of your positioning as the "host" of this interaction, the greater the clarity and focus of the content your readers will provide.
Quality begets quality.
That, I think, is the greatest challenge and opportunity for both ecommerce and publishing sites in the world of Web 2.0.
Concluding thoughts...
When you welcome interaction with your readers, it becomes even more important that the site's professionally written content and copy be of the highest quality.
Every word you write and every opinion you share will be open to public scrutiny.
The same goes for your sales messages. If you enthusiastically promote a low-quality product or service, someone will write in and challenge you.
In this way, Web 2.0 demands more transparency. As a writer, you have to be honest with yourself and your readers. Every reader becomes a potential critic and editor.
And this, in my view, is a good thing.
