How the Technological Dimension Has Affected Online Businesses

Entrepreneurs who run online businesses must adapt to new technology trends.

Interested observers can identify how technology has affected online businesses by tracking the Internet's evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 represent the big-picture or large-scale technology viewpoint.

Identification

An online business is one that operates 100 percent online. Running and monetizing a blog is a simple example of an online business in which the product is information and the primary source of income is affiliate sales and Google Adsense.

Web 1.0 Versus Web 2.0

Web 1.0 refers to the original World Wide Web, where online businesses put up static websites and users were limited to reading and reviewing the content, with little interaction between user and business owner or among users. Web 2.0 emphasizes dialogue between user and owners and interactions among users. Common Web 2.0 properties include social networking sites, blogs, social bookmarking sites, video sharing sites and virtual communities.

Significance

Because of Web 2.0, online business owners must completely alter their marketing. This involves deploying a social media marketing and business branding campaign by setting up a blog and establishing a social media presence using tools such as Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

References

• O'Reilly: What Is Web 2.0
• Sizlopedia: Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0, the Difference