The digital world is constantly changing the face of business. More specifically, personalization is changing how we deliver our business messaging. New developments in the world of media and digital technology are causing companies to take a fresh look at the methods through which they reach and interact with their vendors and customers. The 2.0 world has brought about many forms of promotions and marketing opportunities, such as RSS feeds, podcasting, blogging, talking avatars, and widgets.

Far from the days when the Internet was primarily for large organizations, the latest generation of Web 2.0 innovation features a set of global interactive communities and forums with the voices of millions of individual participants. And, it’s happening today, changing every day, and considered by many both a current and an emerging trend. In fact, in 2007 research and consulting firm Accenture ranked Web 2.0 as one of the top trends shaping a new technology ecosystem and business competition.

In the digital technology landscape, users interact with the content online by creating websites or blogs; posting user-created content such as videos on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and YouTube; interacting with others socially or professionally; and publishing content, i.e. the article you’re reading right now.

User-created content (sometimes called user-generated content), is a kind of "new media" created and cultivated by end-users.

Web 2.0 era and user-created sites - impossible for companies to ignore
User-created content is transforming business in many ways. Witness the popularity of discussion forums, blogs, YouTube, and MySpace, which let users post and share text, photos, and video. The model used by such sites is undermining traditional, top-down media models, in which a variety of information “gatekeepers” (such as journalists, producers, and editors) determine what people should read, hear, and receive.

People, especially younger people, are turning away from traditional media content. It is estimated that MySpace and Facebook, top social networking sites, generate well over 44 million visits combined per day. The younger generations spend more and more time surfing the Internet or playing videogames. Some prefer watching home-made videos and old advertisements on YouTube to "real" television shows. Even when people do watch television shows, devices such as digital video recorders and iPods let them enjoy programming when they want. The audience has also challenged the media establishment by being active creators of content that increasingly competes with traditional mass media products.

A look at widgets
Widgets are everywhere. No, not the imaginary business product used in your Intro to Business or Marketing classes in college. But rather, a widget is a piece of content that can live on a blog, a social networking page, website, or even a USB flash drive. Widgets are useful, because they supply endless information on just about any niche topic you can imagine. They not only contain text news, but video content to keep your eyes glued, as well. Major brand name corporations, such as Reuters, CNN, CBS News, YouTube, and more offer free widgets for people to pace on their social networking profiles, personal websites, and blogs.

Unlike traditional video (i.e. TV), and even YouTube, widgets are dynamic, extremely current, and have linkability to get materials immediately and on-demand. Adding value can mean providing companion files or other downloads that the customer finds of importance and saves them time, such as traffic feeds and weather updates.

Valuable content is king
When trying to reach current or potential customers via social media content, focus on vertical information as opposed to general news – to allow your audience to pick and choose their news and place at the top of their feeds (i.e. RSS) or add widgets to their very personal desktops and portable storage devices. Deliver on the promise of valuable content and you will build a one-to-one bond that simply can’t be purchased.

Bottom line, adding value to the customer or potential customer is what today’s sales and marketing is all about. Giving content of value builds relationships and is an ongoing flow of targeted information your customers can use every day.

To find out more about digital media and the technology industry, access this issue’s useful links and industry events.