Web Space - Content Expectations

Planning to Tweet or Blog?
Better Be Prepared to Write More Often Tehn You Do Now.


The different segments of web space (traditional, web 2.0 and social media) each have their own user expectations, particularly regarding content. This seems obvious, but I have not seen any studies or recommendations regarding how often one should tweet, blog, update facebook or web content. Here are my suggestions for how often businesses (I am talking about manufacturing or service businesses not those organizations in the information or news business) should update content on various media. Does anyone have any other thoughts about this?

Some Guidelines - More or Less:
Websites should be updated weekly or monthly. Although if you are in the news / information business your visitors probably expect daily or weekly updates. The same is true for e-newsletters.

Blogs should be updated weekly or at least monthly.

Facebook, Linked in and other social media probably daily or weekly updates is sufficient.

Twitter followers expect daily or more frequent tweets.

Can you generate fresh content more frequently? Of course, the more frequently relevant and useful content is available to your visitors the more frequently they are likely to visit your site. As part of your marketing strategy that should generate more sales leads and improve your bottom line.

Web Space - Three Segments

What is web space?:
It is a concept that encompasses the methods to convey information over the internet. In conversations with clients I find it convenient to break up the internet into three categories:

1. Traditional Internet - This segment is composed of static web sites, e-newsletter, and emails.
2. Web 2.0 - (A phrase coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999) Traditionally is described as containing rich interactive web sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, mashup and the like.
3. Social Media - Contains a segment of web sites such as Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Digg, Delicious, Yelp... Many definitions put Social-networking sites as part of Web 2.0 I break them out into the Social Media segment of web space.

There is overlap between these segments, especially between Web 2.0 and Social Media.

Why make the distinction?:
Content, Content, Content: Web users expectations are changing. They want fresh and relevant content which is easy to find - or sent to them before they know they need/want it.

Web users have different expectations from these segments. I'll discuss these expectations in a future blog.