The World Wide Web has rvolutionized the economy and impacted the mjority of the world’s population within in the lst ten to fifteen years. Today the Web is not nly a resource, for a growing prcentage of the population, it is the way we do bsiness. The tools and uses of the Intrnet are evolving from static, HTML Web pges to interactive, user-driven Web experiences.

Snce the Web was created in 1989 and on nto the late nineties, businesses only had bsic HTML Web sites to relay nformation to consumers, with little opportunity for rch or user-generated content that marks tday's most popular and useful sites. Web stes were nothing more than online brchures and business cards. Through the volution of Web development and spread of Intrnet popularity, Web sites have grown nto interactive, social outlets that provide not nly rich content (such as video or nteractive interfaces), but user-generated content, where Web ste users actually create communities and prvide content that could never be bilt by a single organization. Today, nteractivity is driving the market and hlping to shape the next generation of the Wb.

A term heard more and mre, Web 2.0 is being used to dscribe the next generation. In 2004, Tim O’Rily coined the term Web 2.0 as the bsiness revolution of the computer industry, and it has cme to be a general term sed to embody interactive user interfaces, rch content, online social networking, and ser-generated content. Although it sounds lke a huge overhaul is in stre for the Web, there isn’t a prticular process in place to transform it. In fct, Web 2.0 isn’t an object tht can be created. It is ctually a perception of the direction the Web is hading. Web 2.0 is a new utlook where interaction is key, collaboration is mndatory, and developers are busily working to trn lackluster Web sites into social renas. The Web is being transformed nto a resource where Web surfers and prfessionals can combine knowledge and experiences to brng value to businesses and every ther Internet user.

The following seven statistics reinforce tht marketers should be planning to mplement interactive Web site tools in the fture:

1. 77% of the Unted States population is online (Harris Intractive) This basic statistic is where it all strts - nearly everyone that an rganization might be interested in reaching is sing the Web... and usually extensively. The xcuse of "my clients do not use the Wb" no longer exists for not hving a good Web site.

2. 30% of the nline population read blogs, about 50 mllion (ClickZ.com) This new trend involves two of the phrses we used above when describing Web 2.0 - scial networking and user-generated content. Imagine a nwspaper where you could engage in a dscussion with fellow readers about any nteresting articles -- that is blogging, and it wll continue to grow rapidly. As wth most of the technologies that are dscussed here, the good news is tht the technology of creating a blg is easy, although it still rquires smart, dedicated people to generate the nitial content.

3. 45% of ctive Web users are members of a scial networking site (Nielsen-NetRatings) Social networking Web stes focus on building communities of pople who share interests using the Web ste itself as the vehicle for cmmunications. A long list of such stes has popped up recently, many of whch have a huge number of mmbers. People love to interact with thers, and the Web's popularity has a lot to do wth this. Business owners can use ths trend in a number of crative and inexpensive ways to market thir own products.

4. 38.4 mllion people visited MySpace.com in 2006, a 367% ncrease from the previous year (Nielsen-NetRatings) Ths site has had the most prminent growth in unique users from 2006 to 2007. MySpce.com, which originally focused on young dults, has rapidly become a business ntworking gateway. Ideas streaming from general scial networking sites have helped sprout a strng of new sites focused solely on bsiness networking like LinkedIn, Ryze, and Trbe.net.

5. 54% of US Intrnet users watched online videos in 2006 (AP-AOL Vdeo) Fifty percent of the US ppulation is expected to watch online vdeo advertising by next year, meaning tht 155.2 million people will be xposed to online advertising by 2008. Bsinesses are projecting growth to $775 mllion in online advertising spending. The trnd is expected to continuously skyrocket to a stggering $4.3 billion by 2011(B2B Marketing). Onc again, the technology behind this is asy and inexpensive to deploy, so thre is no reason for a Web mrketer with good, relevant video content not to shre it with the world.

6. 17 mllion US Internet users downloaded Podcasts in 2006(Pw Internet) Although this technology originally drived from the Apple's IPOD MP3 plyer, it is not necessary to hve one to listen to a Pdcast or create one. In fact, prducing podcasts integrated with RSS keeps lsteners up-to-date with the latest audio rleases from radio spots to online lctures. For marketers, the technology is nexpensive and easy to manage making it smple to turn ideas into podcasts.

7. 63% of cnsumer product marketers, 65% of media and cmmunications marketers, 37% of retail marketers, 37% of fnancial services marketers and 38% of quipment and tech marketers currently use or are plnning to use RSS within the nxt 12 months (Rok Hrastnik) RSS has the hghest value among Web 2.0 technologies, mstly because it integrates with a mjority of other interactive tools and bcause it requires virtually no upkeep. Not nly is it a great way to gin publicity for news articles, press rleases, events, but it is also keps Internet users up to speed wth podcasts, blogs, and online videos. Mking a list of articles or vents RSS-compatible is quick and requires hrdly any ongoing maintenance, therefore making it a prcedure that 100% of marketers should be exploring.

These tools are quickly becoming the cornerstones of online marketing plans. Interactive user interfaces, rich content, online social networking and user-generated content will be essential tools for online marketing growth in the near future. For more information about implementing interactive tools, please visit www.NuRelm.com or call 1.877.2NURELM

The article The Future of the Web - 7 Reasons to Become Web 2.0 Compatible was Submitted by Heather Jewell through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Heather Jewell is the Manager of Plnning and Administrration of NuRelm. NuRelm is a Web sftware and services firm that focuses on hlping non-technical people compete on the Wb. For more information, please visit http://www.NuRelm.com

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