Care to Comment on That?

By now, you're sick of the phrase Web 2.0. It's the catch-all phrase for a lot of new stuff (and frankly, old stuff) and it gets tossed around like an old rag in conversations. Maybe it has been rendered meaningless to you by now (is it design? social networking? marketing? Of course, for O'Reilly and gang, Web 2.0 is much more about how data is moved around.

IMHO, Web 2.0 really kicked in with blogs and blog comments. The two-way communication between an organization and site visitors is the key factor in defining what is truly Web 2.0. This swung the door open for everything else. The read/write Web is 2.0. Some terminology critics maintain that these tactics and devices have been around forever (including Tim Berners-Lee), so it's not really a 2.0 version of anything that hasn't been done. But now, it is expected that users not only read your materials, they need to offer their perspective, too. And comment tools should be ubiquitous on your website.

OK, maybe not all over your website, your privacy policy or contact page doesn't need user comments. But, you can offer the the chance for comments on pages you might not be thinking about. Do you have a weekly or monthly newsletter? Have you posted the newsletter HTML on the website for casual visitors or for people who just subscribed? Now, just imagine a handy comment tool after each article. If your organization authors its own content for constituents or members, you can solicit comments there, too. Event wrap-ups and campaign material pages also provide great content for comments.

Now, you may think some pages don't apply. You might want to be the perceived expert or though leader on a topic and feel that comments on library articles or position statements would lessen your authority. That's definitely Web 1.0 thinking. If you've read Wikinomics or Naked Conversations, you know that audience collaboration is a new method for success. You should accept those comments and questions as they will help you redefine and strengthen your position. That transparency will help in the eyes of potential constituents or donors.

A great place to get started is to check if your CMS has a comment feature. If not, scour the Web for free tools, usually only takes a small patch of code at the end of a page to get started. Try JS-Kit or Download.com to find a code for your site. And please comment on our blog. We love 'em.

Comments

[Eric]

Thanks for the mention of JS-Kit! FYI, we've recently upgraded our comments service to enable full pre- and post-moderation, which should give those who are unsure about just how "naked" they want their conversation to be a bit more confidence.

Eric
JS-Kit
eric at js-kit dot com