December 15, 2004 at 8:53 PM
Rather than posting about my web predictions for 2005 or rambling off a list of products or tools you must have, etc. I have decided that this year I will post a list of things you should have or be doing on your web site or Intranet. After all, we are living in a modern world, it’s time your web sites start acting like it.
- Offering regularly updated information (blogs, CMSs, etc.)
- Increased efficiency in news and information distribution (RSS, ATOM, etc.)
- Alternative methods of information distribution (email newsletters, RSS, del.icio.us, etc.)
- Enhanced notification and announcement systems (pings, email alerts, etc.)
- A place for your site’s users to offer feedback and input (blog comments, forums, etc.)
- Improved performance and code optimization (CSS, XHTML, etc.)
- Multiple ways to access information (multi-faceted navigation, folksonomies, etc.)
- Intelligent system to system communication (XML, SOAP, etc.)
- Collaborative communication and documentation (Wikis, blogs, etc.)
- On-demand support feedback (user-driven FAQs, click-to-chat, etc.)
If some of this sounds foreign to you, perhaps it’s time to start re-thinking how your business’s web solutions are being implemented and begin working smarter, not harder. Pick one from the list, start thinking about how it can help your business. Set some goals and a plan for its roll-out. Be reasonable and practical, you don’t need to implement all of these things in all cases, but a few may do your business a lot of good.