Web 2.0 Interfaces – Keeping it clean

With all the buzz about web 2.0 generating new methods of communication. Some web 2.0 websites are doing better than others with communicating with their visitors. Remember there is one golden rule: Keep communication simple and friendly. Visitors should be able to see where to go next in under 2 seconds.

The top 5 sites that keep their user interfaces clean and super friendly:
Twitter - The homepage leads you to do one thing: To join.
This Next – The homepage leads you to discover more about the site.
Quickeo – 3 simple things to do on the homepage all leading you to the same place…to enter the site.
YourMinis- find any widget the fast and easy way
Meebo – Simply sign up to an instant messenger on their homepage.

Widgets Are Gaining Momentum

Widgets the newest craze in the web 2.0 world are gaining stream. Widgets are visually dynamic tools that can either go on a desktop or on a website. They are generally small but create a big bang, due to their customizable and viral nature. Website visitors can download a product from a widget. The downloads can be tracked and measured through the widget - giving you instant data to see how successful the product is.

According to quikonnex.com, In 45 days, one company had 10,000 downloads of their widget and an increase of $7,500 worth of sales DIRECTLY related to the widget.


The 5 newest and coolest widgets to draw inspiration from:

1. Amazon Widgets - Amazon demonstrates again they are the king of e-commerce. Their newest widgets help websites customize slideshows, video previews, quick links, and a display unit for the Amazon store.

2. iAmplify Sports - See how iAmplify merchandises their site and sells premium content with their newest video player.

3. Twitterific - Read and publish posts or "tweets" to the Twitter community website, directly from this tiny application that you download on your desktop.

4. Pregnancy Widget - A widget that help moms-to-be chart their progress on an inspirational calendar.

5. Poll Widget - Publish polls on any topic on your site with this new poll widget.

5 Tips for Marketing Your Event or Company on Facebook

Last week, the Wall Street Journal wrote about Microsoft alleged interest to purchase a 5% stake in Facebook. The valuation of Facebook will be incredibly interesting for online marketers to see. While all the major digital forces, (Yahoo, Google, Microsoft) are clamoring to purchase Facebook, the simplest question is will advertising work on Facebook? Since Facebook users are more interested in communicating with their friends, do they even notice the ads?

In the meantime, while Facebook undertakes the task to find out the answers to those questions, here are some simple tips to market your company on Facebook:

1. Start a Group: Create a group on Facebook, populate the discussion areas and send an invite to everyone you know.

2. Send a drink to all your friends courtesy of your company, using the drinks application.

3. Create a quiz application that incorporates a few questions that promotes your company or your company products.

4. Giveaway a free product and watch it spread virally.

5. Post a couple of funny photos using your company's logo or products in them and watch the photos spread virally.

The Latest Innovate Video Player

iAmplify has released the latest version of their InSite Player.
The InSite Player is a specialized audio/ video player that plays a 2-3 minute sample of an audio or video for website visitors. Websites can place this innovative player on their sites. The best thing about the player is websites can earn commission through the InSite Player. If website visitors are interested in purchasing the audio/video they just click the buy button on the player. Websites can earn a percentage on each sale and voila, there's money in the bank!