Tips for Harnessing Web 2.0 Potential

The webinar began with a brief overview of the Web 2.0 tools that exist — such as blogs, podcasts, Twitter, RSS, wikis, social bookmarking, YouTube and widgets — and their uses.

Some of the differences between mass communications tools and social-media tools are:

• Control. With mass communications, the brand is in control, whereas with social media the audience is in control.
• Message. With mass communications, the conversation is one-way, with organizations delivering messages to their audiences. Social media fosters two-way conversations.
• Focus. With mass communications, the focus is on the brand, whereas with social media the focus is on the audience.
• Purpose. Mass communications are designed to educate, while social media's goal is to influence and involve.
• Content. Organizations create the content for mass communications, while for social-media tools a user creates and co-creates content with the organization.

Social networks and Web 2.0 tools allow organizations to reach out to small affinities, promote reasons to give, learn more and get feedback from supporters, create viral communications, invite supporters to events, use more senses (with audio, video, etc.), and cut costs.