Web 2.0 can be described lightly as the social web. The original web which is now referred to as web 1.0 was used for developers and business to publish information for the public to view and find. Web 2.0 has opened the web and development to the general public and has greatly helped small businesses.
Web 2.0 has brought businesses and the web to a different level. Applications such as AJAX has “applications that can change individual elements on a page rather than loading a new page to reflect a change in content. These applications (e.g., GMail) are therefore more interactive, more dynamic and act more like desktop software.”(1) For businesses AJAX tools allows viewers to use core services without being bound by the presentation formats of sites. Web applications that use AJAX and common XML formats also focus on the Web values of collaboration and syndication. These include, e-mail and calendaring application Zimbra, online editor Writely and calendar 30boxes.
Zoho has integrated its Zoho CRM with Intuit QuickBooks and with several digital telephony PBX systems. Zoho CRM for QuickBooks helps users synchronize customer data such as contacts, vendors, invoices, sales orders, products, and quotes between Zoho CRM and QuickBooks, either manually or automatically. Other features include resolving conflicts while synchronizing data; setting up field mapping for standard and custom fields; and viewing history of data transfers.(2) “Intuit's QuickBooks accounting software leads the U.S. small-business market with over 3.7 million users of its products: QuickBooks Simple Start for the customer with basic needs, QuickBooks Pro for expanded functionality (also available on the Mac), and QuickBooks Premier for businesses with complex inventory.”(3)
Logmein.com is another web 2.0 based site that allows business people to work from home and connect with other members of their companies. “LogMeIn Central is a web-based management console that provides remote computer access. LogMeIn Rescue provides a similar tool but for professional help desk personnel. The optional LogMeIn Rescue+Mobile is an add-on that provides remote support to mobile devices”(4)
Without web 2.0 small businesses would not be able to stay connected or stay as up to date and interactive as they are able to today.
(1) http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3622356/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Web-20.htm
(2) http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/hardware_software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228702010
(3) http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/gear/article181100.html
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LogMeIn
No comments:
Post a Comment