SocialButterfly

Building a Web Site: Easy as 1, 2 OR 3?

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 | Web Communications | 1 Comment

Today, I heard that fundamentally there are three main purposes of a Web site: 1) informational, 2) transactional and 3) community-based. An Informational Web site is one that is primarily a resource. A transactional Web site has a desired action, which is usually associated with e-commerce. And lastly, a community-based Web site is one that is designed to encourage people to interact, network and share.

I’m not one to put things into boxes and draw hard boundaries, but at first I liked this concept. It’s simple. It’s easy. But, after pondering for a second, I got to thinking: is it relevant? We all know the Web is an evolving beast, which is why I think today’s best Web sites pull the best components from each of these three “types”  to creates a stronger vehicle.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that Web sites don’t need to focus. In the world of the Web, I’m seeing the concept of “focusing” becoming increasingly important. For example, these Web sites have focused:

• Wikipedia–Informational
• Amazon–Transactional
• Facebook–Community

But Wikipedia is also a community of editors working together to create a service. Facebook has its own marketplace where transactions are worked out and don’t forget Facebook advertising or monetary exchange through Facebook applications such as Causes. Amazon–though primarily transactional–encourages us to give reviews, rate its products, create gift lists and in essence, build community around the purchases we make. Marinate on that thought for a second and then take this statement into consideration:

Considering current evolutions of the Web and comments such as Shel’s, I’m thinking the text books may need some updating. Web sites still need to focus, but at the same time, they need to add value to the end-consumer, provide products or services or action steps, while also building community. Just take a look around–the sites that we are all using everyday are Web sites that can serve multiple functions. So, get creative. Just because you have a ton of content you have to share, there are ways to not only “inform” people of the content, but also ways to generate actions, make the content interactive and build community. Thus, I answer “all of the above.”

What do you think? What’s your take? Is building a Web site easy as 1, 2, or 3?

flickr credit: Andreanna

Tags: Amazon, community, Community-Based, content, e-commerce, facebook, focus, informational, interactive, online strategy, transactional, web, Web Communications, Web objective, Web site, Web site building, Web strategy, Wikipedia

How One Non-Profit Re-defines the Art of Story-Telling

Monday, July 7th, 2008 | Case Studies and New Orgs/Campaigns, Social Marketing | 1 Comment

Eglantyne Jebb

Have you ever heard of Eglantyne Jebb?

Yea, me either. Until my friend Marc over at Osocio emailed me about a new stunning campaign: Lessons in Leadership. Made by the non-profit organization Save the Children for our Australian friends, the campaign highlights the story of Eglantyne Jebb, her mission and her legacy citing:

“A women born over a century ago, that you’ve probably never heard of, and whose achievements you will never forget.”

In brief, Eglantyne Jebb wrote the book Cambridge, a Study in Social Questions in 1906 based on her research and experiences. The book was well before its times and reflects many modern social marketing themes. Jebb went on to found the International Save the Children Union in 1919 and became a leading proponent for children’s rights.

A major cornerstone of Jebb’s work was her insistence of a planned, research-based approach to social welfare, war relief efforts and primarily children’s rights. She drafted the main declarations necessary for the international community to put priority on children’s rights. Later, these declarations and the Children’s Charter Jebb drafted became known as the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and was adopted years later by the League of Nations.

This interactive story takes you on a journey through 12 lessons in leadership, while also sharing with you the story of Eglantyne and how one individual can make a difference. I could describe more of the story, but the video does a much better job. Enjoy!

Tags: children right's movement, children's rights, Declaration of the rights of the child, Eglantyne Jebb, female activists, interactive, Lessons in Leadership, message, Osocio, Save the Children, social activism, social good, Social Marketing, social work, story-telling

Web 2.0 Wednesday - Super Tuesday Super Cool: When Google Met Twitter

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Web 2.0 Wednesdays | No Comments

So, I’ll leave the political analysis to those more qualified, but I will point out a super cool social media event that also took place on Super Tuesday: Google Met Twitter.

Google teamed up with Twitter and Twittervision to show on Google maps, people’s comments through Twitter about the elections and Super Tuesday. and, it was live! Every few seconds the map would change and take you halfway across the world to a person’s comment in Malta, then to Australia, then to Southern California. This continued throughout the day. Then, as the night continued, reported live results too.

Talk about relevance!

This is what social media is all about…and can be about when used and optimized to full potential. Many social marketing clients may get nervous when venturing into new territory, and then again, nowadays, anyone can make a MySpace or a Facebook. But, taking the risks, venturing outside the box, adding to the tools in your belt, and you can come up with fun, interactive, attention-getting technology and marketing.

Wanted to share the tidbit.

Click here to check it out. Not sure how long Google and Twitter plan on keeping the application live however.

Tags: google, interactive, interactive marketing, marketing relevance, partnership, relevance, Social Marketing, Social Media, super tuesday, twitter, Web 2.0

Web 2.0 Wednesdays

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 | Web 2.0 Wednesdays | No Comments

With the growth of Web 2.0 (and the up and coming uses of Web 3.0), I plan to showcase an organization/cause that’s using great Web 2.0 strategies to further its mission within its social marketing strategies.

Today’s Web 2.0 Wednesday honors The National MS Society’s site centered around its latest re-branding for raising awareness and support for MS, their micro-site Join The Movement.

On this site, they have ‘The Wall’ and the option to ‘Create Your Mark.’ Here, users of the site can literally draw their own statement against MS, including the cause’s new logo and rebranded mission. Then, it can be submitted to The Wall, with hundred’s of other users’ drawings. This not only reenforces the newly packaged mission, but allows for customization, interaction with the cause and shows how the disease affects others.

Props to the MS Society! ps- They also have another cool micro-site they use to share and submit various personal stories about the effects of Multiple Sclerosis, http://www.faceofms.org/.

Tags: interactive, MS Society, Web 2.0