PLEASE NOTE: This blogpost is part 5 of 6 the Blogging for Retailers White Paper annotations. Be sure to download “Blogging for Retailers - Why Blogging Matters and How to get Started” (complimentary) to follow along.

[Excerpt] Blogging isn’t just writing. Any rich media is deliverable the same way via Real Simple Syndication (RSS) - the “secret sauce” behind blogs’ subscribe-ability.

[Excerpt] Options abound for blogging platforms ranging from hosted solutions through to feature rich content management systems. Making the right decision is important right off the bat. Not because of software cost but of continuity and stability.

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Getting Started - Blogging for Retailers annotations, part 5 »

RIS News published an article about web 2.0 trends by Dave Kelley discussing how consumers are taking control by using more interactive tools.

He delves into various Web 2.0 memes and trends before detailing a few tools of note - including the one we are particularly interested in, Elastic Path. Starting off with a bit of background on the much maligned buzzword du jour:

Since the phrase was coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004, “Web 2.0” has become a popular buzzword, although, as noted by Wikipedia, the phrase is “ill-defined and often criticized.” In its original context, Web 2.0 referred primarily to collaborative, Net-based services, Wikipedia itself a prime example. But for retailers, Web 2.0 means embracing the Web as a full-partner channel for both sales and supply chain. It means looking at online commerce as more than a necessary evil. And it means aggressively deploying next-generation applications that allow retailers to exploit the collaborative, Net-based services of O’Reilly’s vision.

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RIS News - Consumers take control with more interactive tools »

BToB Online published an article today (Nov. 13, 2006) by Richard Karpinski called, “What exactly is Web 2.0?” The articles’ aim is to educate business on the bevy of “rich” web apps and maturing technology paradigms available to enhance user experience and create efficiencies for business.

Starting with an overview, Karpinski sets the landscape by saying,

For starters, Web 2.0 is clearly about a more interactive Web that looks and feels more like an application than a static Web page or Web site. At the heart of this is the concept of AJAX, or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML-a combination of long-standing Web technologies that, when joined, yields something different than a series of point-and-click Web pages. The classic example is Google Maps, where users can manipulate graphical maps in real time, zooming in and out and pinging the app for landmarks, directions and more.

The article talks to a number industry of sources including Jason Billingsley here at Elastic Path who says:

“The technology is not new, it’s just been recently re-named,” said Jason Billingsley, VP-marketing at e-commerce vendor Elastic Path. “Once people acquire the skills to do it, they can roll out applications that are much richer experiences for users.”

In discussing the Elastic Path One Page checkout tool, Karpinski writes,

In November, Elastic Path introduced a new component of its e-commerce application that uses AJAX to let users go through an entire shopping cart check-out experience on a single interactive screen. The application does real-time ZIP code look-ups, allows users to edit their shopping carts, validates form errors and tallies final prices, shipping costs and taxes-all without a trip back to the server.

To which Jason adds,

“It really eliminates the wait-and-see process at check-out,” Billingsley said. “It has the potential to reduce shopping cart abandonment rather significantly.”

The article continues with discussion about user experience, community building and user involvement, remix culture, vulnerabilities and risks. He wraps up with an example of “web 2.0″ tools in a business to business context citing an example of a major car manufacturer introducing a blog component to interact with dealers.

Vancouver is loaded with new web start-ups and the related innovative thinkers. Among the vast assortment of talented folk is Troy Angrignon who recently released a manifesto entitled, “Web 2.0 - Strategies and Lesson for Business Leaders.”

In the report, Troy, along with some colleagues break down big picture of what is going on with all these exciting developments in collaboration, communication and how businesses can apply “Web 2.0″ goodness to enhance their corporate well-being as well as what might happen if companies don’t acknowledge and embrace this “sea change” (as Bill Gates proclaimed).

Troy describes himself as “an environmentally and socially active entrepreneur who mentors and advises startups.” The report demonstrates that he clearly knows the right questions to ask and listens well to the conversations as evidenced.

Much like ace Strategic Advisor Gord Janzen who I interviewed in a recent podcast, Troy has the unique ability of dexterously translating geek-speak into ceo-speak in an efficient, practical and hype-free manner and offers useful take away bits which most any corporation can utilize immediately.

More on Troy’s Report after the break …

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“Adventure Capitalist” Offers Strategies for Business Executives »

Dave breaks down a simple example of starting a new Wordpress blog including deleting original posts, adding/importing posts, organizing with categories, adding links, and integrating with Feedburner and Flickr.

MP3 File

[Photo of this very Mac by DaveO]

Host DaveO chats with Elastic Path Software Engineer Justin Tilson about innovative and useful web tools to help Justin give away 10,000 adopted western red cedar trees.

Topics include RSS technology in general (your content wants to be found) and myriad free web apps including semantic web publishing (blogging) tool WordPress and WP’s mighty founding developer Matt Mullenweg, Vancouver superstar company Flickr (now Yahoo!), the very useful Feedburner from Chicago, video-sharing site Blip.tv, and a new browser built on Firefox called Flock - along with discussion of Google map mash-ups, the power of community collaboration and new web business models.

A new press release started it’s journey to the furthest corners of the web world today via PRWeb’s outstanding service (note: PRWeb is based in Ferndale Washington, just across the CDN/USA border, so I invited them to visit). I knew they’d be a good fit when I read that they shut down the office for a staff trip to see “Nacho Libre” and then proceeded to write glowing reviews for Jack Black’s contributions to cinema.

As Paolo Mottola, PRWeb Editor/Comedic Ambassador says:

“I think this movie has the perfect formula. Napoleon Dynamite was a stroke of genius, and Jack Black is one of the finest comedic actors of our time. He should have won an Oscar for “Orange County.’”

All of their hi-jinks sound funnier than the movie did to me - but I digress.

More on PR Web after the break …

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Record Quarter and International Customers Release »