What drives Web 2.0?

After an industry event on Web 2.0 held this past February in Detroit, I walked away with the “Five Cs” scratched into my notes. These driving forces behind the social media/Web 2.0 movement came courtesy of special guest speaker Michael Pranikoff, director of emerging media for PRNewswire.

Content, Collaboration, Community, Conversation and Converged Services signify a revolution in the way the Web is being utilized. Internet users are no longer simply retrieving information, they are creating their own. Audiences want to be engaged with a vivid user experience. This has led to dynamic content, a lack of boundaries and user participation becoming essential attributes for Web-based marketing strategies.

Take a look at Youtube, a Website that offers all five Cs in a clear, concise and engaging manner. Users explore and generate their own content, media can be shared outside of the construct of the site, opinions can be heard in real-time, a social aspect is developed via communities containing members with similar interests and additional customization services are available to users such as RSS feeds.

While Web 2.0 continues to provide new mediums for creatively delivering the right message to the right audience, the five Cs provide professionals within the marketing industry powerful ammunition to effectively dive head first into the movement and create successful Internet-based campaigns. Practitioners should hold these principles to heart, as the Web 2.0 movement certainly shows no signs of stopping.