I just finished reading Click by Bill Tancer. I haven't completely thought through what it means but I am starting to get some traction. Im going to break this blog down into a few different segments.WEB 2.0
Im glad I finally understand what the heck web 2.0 means. I have heard it float around for awhile and it seemed like one of those really cool words with no meaning. Web 2.0 if I were to sum it up into one equation it would be.."The internet + user content+ social elements = Web 2.0". Web 2.0 includes sites like facebook, wikipedia, Yelp, and any other site where a community has the ability to control and comment on the content.
The major lesson though comes from the realization that not every site needs to have 2.0 features. It also was interesting to see how much information we offer about ourselves just from a clickstream.
Trends on searches.
One underpinning that I found interesting was how brand focused searches have become. Over and over again searches were often targeting brands not generic topics. We are more likely to search Rolex watches than we are for luxury watches. To me this points the fact that even though we may think we know where to go on the web someone is still helping us which means we are pointed by marketing.
People can smell a fake
This one isn't in the book as a point but I picked up on it. When searching for stuff many users are able to feel deception and shades of the truth. We are a skeptical bunch particularly when it comes to the internet. This is why more and more people are searching with some sense of "navigation". We do want to get to a there but we want to avoid going to the wrong there along the way. As a company advertising on the web it should be noted that a non-click isn't always a passive choice, it might actually be a choice against. My advice be aware of when you market and yield a low click rate. It could signal potential problems with your brand or description.
If you are interested in anything I just mentioned I would suggest the read.
