Web 2.0 First Steps for Charities

You've heard of web 2.0. But what exactly does it mean? And more importantly, how can it work for charities when it seems to be a costly, highly technical marketing channel? Think again…Jeff Naqvi looks at how web 2.0 can actually work for charities far more successfully than other sectors through its low cost and embracing of passionate advocates - charity web site users themselves.

A lot of words have been written about 'Web 2.0'. Go into any high street bookstore and look at any of the trade magazines focusing on new media. Guaranteed there will be an article, a reference or even an event advertisement inviting you into the world of Web 2.0.

So what is Web 2.0? Come to think of it, what was web 1.0? Many small and medium-sized businesses - including not for profit organisations - have debated the differences. Is it a new software program? Will our current systems become incompatible at a certain cutover point? In short, the primary difference at the core of Web 2.0 is the source of information flow on the web. Web 1.0 was largely an online version of offline materials and content - newspapers would post up printed articles onto the web to give an 'online version' of the day's news, corporations would prepare 'microsites' of content that word-for-word, would reflect what you would find if you requested a service brochure to be sent out to you via post. Web site users were being talked at; Web 2.0 is a world where users generate content themselves.

Do not be fooled though into thinking Web 2.0 is just a fad; true, it has become a term like 'generation X' or 'generation M' that people are just expected to know about. But it has already and will continue to change the way we communicate in the online world. Everyone therefore needs to make an effort to understand what it means and how to make sure their business uses it to its advantage and most importantly, not get left behind.

To see how far removed web 2.0 is from web 1.0, consider one of the world's most visited web sites - wikipedia. 'Wikis' are another 'output' of web 2.0, the amazing thing about them being that the entries here are entirely maintained by the site's users. There is no overarching content owner on the site (there is still a moderator for security purposes). Anyone can login and contribute and also correct content placed on there. There is an 'Edit history' function, allowing wikipedia's community of users to view who has made which updates. So, in just this one site alone, we have full-scale accountability in an environment of full-scale knowledge sharing. And a community of users, ranging from browsers to advocates, numbering in millions.

This presents amazing challenges and opportunities for businesses of all persuasions. For companies who like to keep a tight rein over corporate communications, messages and branding, web 2.0 can create an uncomfortable existence. The Coca-Cola / Mentos story has worked its way into online folklore by now but to recap, videos were posted onto youtube (another user-generated content site, now one of the most popular in the world) of the bizarre combination of Mentos placed into Diet Coke bottles creating geysers. The challenge on youtube quickly became how creative a user could use this effect for video glory. Soon there were geysers set to classical music, multiple geysers erupting one after the other in a row, and all with the blatant use of these two well-known products. So, how did the two companies involved react?

Coca-Cola decided to run its own video competition on their own web site. That is, users could make a video, go to the company's site and upload the video. The makers of Mentos, on the other hand, posted up a piece of code and invited users to make their own videos and place this code somewhere in their file before uploading to youtube. The company would then go to youtube, find all videos with this piece of code attached, and judge a winner accordingly. The result? By far and away, more videos were submitted for the Mentos contest than for Coca-Cola. Why? Reasons may vary from the technical to the emotive but one thing all pundits agree on is that the Mentos response embraced web 2.0 and what it stands for. Coca-Cola was still seeking to retain some form of control over its image and reputation, something much easier done in a Web 1.0 world.

Another commonly acknowledged factor in this scenario was the passion of the users who took the time to make such videos and post them onto the web. And herein lies the key for charities. It is fair to say that people who work with or support charities are passionate about their cause, some are even advocates of a given organisation in other settings. And so where Web 2.0 can be challenging for some organisations, for charities it presents a great opportunity to harness the passion of its followers. From a start-up a few years ago, Innocent now enjoys incredible goodwill, a legion of brand advocates and is one of the most desired companies for marketers to work for. All with a marketing budget spend of miniscule proportions compared to its rivals, and with much of this due to the way they have used 'traditional' web (eg. newsletters) with Web 2.0 elements (online interaction between organisation and site user).

Charities also have the opportunity to do the same. The result can be a form of marketing which promotes the organisation and its objectives around the clock (the web never sleeps) and beyond the limit of any marketing spend. Here are some ideas which your organisation may be able to incorporate:

• create an online 'community' for your organisation with your web site. Make it active and reach out to its users rather than a passive by-product of your other communications channels
• allow users to contribute comment on your content as well as content of their own. Users need a reason to visit and re-visit your site
  build web links to other sites - this improves site traffic flow as well as search result visibility in engines such as Google and Yahoo. Find sites which are empathetic to your cause and make contact to see if reciprocal links can be established, as both sides will benefit. There are specialist agencies who can help with third-party link building and several undertake pro bono work
• consider international web site links if your charity has affiliate or associate status with other charities across the world
  members of your community may have their own personal weblogs ('blogs' - think an online journal which allows others to read and contribute to) and you may wish to ask them to link to your site
• create a viral campaign - a downloadable clip from your site, and invite your community members to forward accordingly. Maybe even consider posting it onto youtube yourself?
• create a secure area of your site where users can log in and become involved more in the work your charity undertakes. So whether it be advice in planning an event, arranging a mailout or testing a new series of messages before launch, your online community of users are passionate and will help you achieve your goals
• tailor your communications to have global reach - or maybe create a menu item for 'Global visitors' to explain their specific call-to-actions - for the web is a global village after all
• any community needs to be recognised. Consider rewarding your members every so often. This does not have to be monetary - an e-card of thanks, an invite to a seminar or even a link to the blog of a 'monthly champion' reinforces the fact that you value your community.

Provide the foundation for a community on your site and allow a few months for it to take hold before making any judgments on its success. One of the oldest forms of marketing - word-of-mouth - is finding a new life online so give it time.

Allowing site users, who are likely to be passionate advocates in higher proportions than for a non-charity site, to interact with you online can free up organisational resource in areas such as content generation and online marketing. And this is resource which can be used elsewhere. Web 2.0 is here to stay and charities should get involved and recognise the benefits and opportunities it presents.

Glossary

wikipedia The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Over 7 million articles in over 200 languages, and still growing
wikis A piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser