Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide

by Amy Shuen

Web 2.0 makes headlines, but how does it make money? This concise guide explains what's different about Web 2.0 and how those differences can improve your company's bottom line. Whether you're an executive plotting the next move, a small business owner looking to expand, or an entrepreneur planning a startup, Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide illustrates through real-life examples how businesses, large and small, are creating new opportunities on today's Web.

This book is about strategy. Rather than focus on the technology, the examples concentrate on its effect. You will learn that creating a Web 2.0 business, or integrating Web 2.0 strategies with your existing business, means creating places online where people like to come together to share what they think, see, and do. When people come together over the Web, the result can be much more than the sum of the parts. The customers themselves help build the site, as old-fashioned "word of mouth" becomes hypergrowth.

Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide demonstrates the power of this new paradigm by examining





Written by Amy Shuen, an authority on Silicon Valley business models and innovation economics, Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide explains how to transform your business by looking at specific practices for integrating Web 2.0 with what you do. If you're executing business strategy and want to know how the Web is changing business, this book is for you.

Genres: Business, Technology, Internet, Web, Design, Computers, Reference

243 pages

First published April 17, 2007

Reviews

[Gene Babon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Web 2.0 describes the current movement beyond the creation of static Web pages (brochureware) to developing dynamic Web environments that take advantage of network effects. "When people come together over the Web, their efforts are multiplied rather than simply added together."

Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide pledges that you'll learn how to make money by monetizing the network effects the Web makes possible. While the book falls somewhat short of this pledge, it provides a comprehensive business analysis of many of the organizations that are commonly referred to as Web 2.0 companies. These include Google, Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn and others.

One feature that the author presents at the end of each chapter that I found particularly helpful is a list of Tactical Questions that business managers can offer up for discussion to help facilitate the movement of any business toward implementing Web 2.0 business model features. The author also conveniently concludes the book with a five-step action plan for business managers to use for embedding Web 2.0 strategies into current operations.

This review was written on the day that the Wall Street Journal launched Journal Community, a social networking component to their online business operations. If you are a business manager (entrepreneur, independent contractor), can you afford not to develop a deeper understanding of Web 2.0 and its potential impact on your business operations?

Access Gene Babon's reviews of books on Business Leadership and Business Strategy at Pinterest.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer for Web 2.0 strategy and case studies

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's only 2016, and this book was published in 2008. My how the web has and hasn't changed. The fact remains that Shuen does a great job, though somewhat academically, pulling out the many valuable details that the Web 2.0 presents all of us with. Many of the details are so clearly laid out that it leaves the reader inspired to build a web-related or web-driven business. The book does read like a high-level dissertation piece at times that has some "drill-down" examples mixed into varying sections (with a lot of attention paid to Flickr, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, IBM, and Apple at times). Some of the specific examples are useful and demonstrate the varying principles of Web 2.0 very well. Other times, one can skip or skim without losing too much insight.

The biggest drawback is that, though this book is about the Web 2.0, it reads like it didn't see the mobile web coming at all. Granted this books was written in 2005-2007 most likely, it should have been a point of interest or at least a ventured guess that we'd start accessing the web in a more mobile way, ultimately reinforcing and illuminating many of the points within.

If you only have a day with this book, I suggest reading chapter 1, the summaries and questions at the end of chapters 2-5, and chapter 6.

[raccoon reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two stars do not indicate that this book is a "bad book." Instead it just isn't a book that fits my needs. I've skimmed through alot of it and I'm counting it as "read" although I haven't read every word.

I've learned new words and ideas from the book about web 2.0 however it is distinctively geared more towards the business minded and those who are working in business. I do not want to make a profit off of 2.0 technologies so alot of the book is irrelevant for what I wanted to gain from a web 2.0 book. If you are interested in starting a business using these technologies or want to incorporate these technologies into an already existing business then this would be a good starter book for you.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like everyone competing in business today, I am buried in unhelpful technology trend books. But I had not made it out of Shuen's Preface before realizing this book will become the "bible" for doing business online. Her data, examples and analysis are unparalleled, outside of a classroom. Most books never go beyond discussing trends and services. No trends here. Using hard data, she outlines business models, revenue streams and network effects. It's not just definitions and case studies either. For every Flickr, Facebook and Google example, Shuen takes the space to explain how to leverage these same models, strategies and cash flows for yourself. It's fantastically useful!

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

zoomed through this book a while back. not a easy read, takes a fair amount of concentration for keeping in your head how it all works together, a reason i'm now re-reading. I'm interested in finding better and better ways to help my clients take their basic sites and "push them out" and "connect into" social networks.

I really like the "Lessons Learned" at the end of each chapter. I find myself hitting those up first, and then backing into the chapter for the details.

[Chris Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was delightfully insightful, informative, and useful. The basic layout is: idea, example, application. Not only did I learn a good deal about web 2.0 (and I work in the internet industry), I also learned a good bit about business in general. I definitely recommend this to anyone, and especially to people not yet even thinking about going online- you should know what's going on before you get left in the dust.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got about halfway through the first chapter of this book and realized that as immersed as I am in Internet culture, I really wasn't going to take away much value from this book. The tactical questions at the end of each chapter could certainly be useful, and the endnotes and bibliography were fantastic. But for someone who uses the Web regularly and is heavily involved in social networking, I wasn't taking away a whole lot from it.

[Pedro Plassen Lopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using successful examples - Google, LinkedIn, Flickr - this books provides guidelines on how businesses can benefit from user-generated value, network and community effects. It also explores business models, such as 'fremium' and educates on how business, in a more connected and dynamic world, should look to competition not in a competitive way but as a means to possible collaborations where both sides can win.

[Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It desscribes the business side of the so called Web 2.0 phenomenon, where network effects, social networks and user added value are they key enablers. It has many examples of well known enterprises such as Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. It even interprets the open source trends under the same criteria. Very enlightening.

[Mako78gma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This not a light read, but very informative. Those who wish to be successful, whether as an employee or employer, in the 21st Century economy would do well to read this one. I recommend while reading the book to concurrently read Tim O'Reilly's essays of Web 2.0 (O'Reilly came up with the term and it stuck long ago in 2004).

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this is really interesting it's too much like a textbook; too dry for my self-guided study efforts. I made it almost half-way and despite my hopes and intentions, I know I won't be finishing it.

[Helio Alves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for those who are planing to start a business based on web 2.0. It provide very good information on important matters such as monetization, revenue model, venture and angels capital requirements, and a bunch of other valuable information to start your business.

[Jeff Dyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although a bit dated, this is a fantastic book for even the most web savvy strategist. Provides a framework for understanding where the web has been, where it is today, where it's going tomorrow and most importantly-- why.

[Stacey Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Web 2.0 from a business perspective. Valuable insights.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

True to its name, but not too exciting. It will likely become out of date quickly just due to the nature of the subject and the examples it uses.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for online book marketing class. Dry, dry, dry.

[Stewart Lade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview that has a strategic perspective on the changes underway

[Kurt · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you've been hiding under a rock for the last few years, you'll find this book very insightful.

[Eric Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be 101 for anyone wanting to build their own online company