Why Content Management Systems Need to Catch up to Web 2.0 Principles [4/24/2008]

Web 2.0 puts content management in the hands of the people. And this, bluntly speaking, is why content management systems need to catch up to the Web 2.0 principles.

When content is put in the hands of users, it becomes a mercurial thing. Take for example, Amazon and Google. Users can log onto these sites and customize them to their own personal taste and read information left by other users just like them. This is powerful stuff.

Whereas before online marketers and retailers fed information to the end user, now, there’s much more of a feed and be fed synchronicity going on. This not only changes the power structure, but changes how the two forces (supplier and end user) interact. One has only to look at the success of social media sites like MySpace and YouTube to see this.

So, what does all of this mean for Internet marketers? Basically, they must allow users to get personal. In essence, Internet marketers and retailers must give users tools to customize your site to their liking. Again, think Amazon. Sure, the site belongs to Amazon, but when you log in, it’s your (the user) space. Books, CDs and other products are customized for you based on previous buying habits.

Blogs and wikis are more prime examples of this personalization model that have served companies well (think Blogger, WordPress and Wikipedia).

To keep their company image intact and not completely secede to the end user, companies are setting up social networking and interactive spaces separate and apart from their main web presences. Forums and blogs are examples of this.

Encourage customer interactivity serves two purposes for companies: (i) predicts future trends; and (ii) allows customers to analyze customer behavior. Both of these provide a gold mine of research that companies can use to harness future profits in the form of product and service developments, customer service policies, etc.

This is why content managers must ensure that the back-end necessities are in place. To be able to capitalize on this type of information and behavior sharing, the technology must be in place to continue to encourage users to divulge.

Companies that invest in this type of technology – which is widely available – sooner rather than later, will be the ones to leap frog over the competition.

For more insight visit Content Management Systems

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