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Web 2.0 Companies in West Michigan

Yankee Fan

By Yankee Fan
in Grand Rapids

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Yankee Fan Hamlet

Yankee Fan

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There is a lot of hype and conversation in most companies about the benefits of Web 2.0 as they struggle to use the technology to interact with customer communities to enhance communication and increase the collaboration of new ideas.

Web 2.0 is a strategy that even the SAPs of the world are working hard to incorporate in to their products.

This is definitely a growth industry within technology. I am curious how many companies in West Michigan are based on a Web 2.0 model. Also, I am curious how companies are leveraging Web 2.0 sites, like Facebook and MySpace.

The only company that I know of in West Michigan that specifically targets Web 2.0 strategies is Manobyte (www.manobyte.com).

What else is going on in West Michigan in regards to Web 2.0?

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jbr12 Hamlet

jbr12

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I am in the process of redefining our website. Our website will be a combination of blogs, Ascribe (Portfolio Management - Ascribehq.com), Twitter and thats about it. All tied together with a fancy looking page/background. Basically, once the website is live, it will be completely managed and updated by adding content via those avenues. We're not looking to tie into any other Social Networking websites as of right now (Maybe LinkedIn & YouTube) ...

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Sorry, but I have to agree with AlexPKeaton on this.

Web 2.0 is a meaningless buzzword.

To developers it often means "Javascript" or "Ajax"

To end users it means "interactive"

To marketing types if occasionally means "social networks"

To others it means "programmable web-based APIs" (e.g. Google Maps, mashups-galore, etc)

To those of us in the business of providing services within larger organizations, "Cloud Computing" is pretty exciting and often web-based. Is that web2.0?

Frankly, trying to label those disparate technologies with a single moniker never sat well with me.

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joeDowntown Metropolis

joeDowntown

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At my work (GFTforex.com) we use Facebook to communicate with our potential customers as well as twitter, delicious, digg, ning and other "web 2.0" technologies. I always think of web 2.0 (and I agree, it is over used) as technology that can be integrated in some way with other sites. Like putting twitter on your blog and facebook, and facebook reading rss from your blog so people who may not read your blog can read it. And then throwing Redd-it, Digg or Delicious on top to socially bookmark it and get other people interested in your views. Add some flickr feeds and Wuala! 2.0. ;)

We heavily use Google Adwords, but I wouldn't really consider that much more than advertising. Google Analytics though falls very much into my idea of web 2.0.

I don't know of many companies around here doing anything "as a business" (as opposed to making gizmos for someone else) but I'd love to hear about it. I think Spout is probably as Silicon Valley Startup as we've got, but the business model seems really poor to me (like most dotcoms) and it'll be interesting to see how they'll survive (I can do just as much with a facebook app as I can do on Spout. Then again, maybe they'll be a wild success (I hope so).

Totally off the topic of GR, but it you want to check out what I would consider to be an incredible "web 2.0" app, check out www.mint.com. It's a pretty incredible financial site that ties in with all of your other online payment systems.

Joe

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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Basically it boils down to this:

Web 1.0 is where one (or a few) webmaster(s) publishes information

Web 2.0 happens when the community or site users contribute and interact and supply the information (hypothetically an endless number of users)

Web 3.0 is when an algorithm or AI takes all the above information and gives specific, tailored answers and recommendations to questions people ask.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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There is a lot of hype and conversation in most companies about the benefits of Web 2.0 as they struggle to use the technology to interact with customer communities to enhance communication and increase the collaboration of new ideas.

Web 2.0 is a strategy that even the SAPs of the world are working hard to incorporate in to their products.

This is definitely a growth industry within technology. I am curious how many companies in West Michigan are based on a Web 2.0 model. Also, I am curious how companies are leveraging Web 2.0 sites, like Facebook and MySpace.

The only company that I know of in West Michigan that specifically targets Web 2.0 strategies is Manobyte (www.manobyte.com).

What else is going on in West Michigan in regards to Web 2.0?

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AlexPKeaton Burg

AlexPKeaton

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Sorry, but I have to agree with AlexPKeaton on this.

Web 2.0 is a meaningless buzzword.

To developers it often means "Javascript" or "Ajax"

To end users it means "interactive"

To marketing types if occasionally means "social networks"

To others it means "programmable web-based APIs" (e.g. Google Maps, mashups-galore, etc)

To those of us in the business of providing services within larger organizations, "Cloud Computing" is pretty exciting and often web-based. Is that web2.0?

Frankly, trying to label those disparate technologies with a single moniker never sat well with me.

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Basically it boils down to this:

Web 1.0 is where one (or a few) webmaster(s) publishes information

Web 2.0 happens when the community or site users contribute and interact and supply the information (hypothetically an endless number of users)

Web 3.0 is when an algorithm or AI takes all the above information and gives specific, tailored answers and recommendations to questions people ask.

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joeDowntown Metropolis

joeDowntown

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Techcrunch/Crunchbase is located in California (in a house I believe). I think you just linked to a map that showed companies in their database within a 60 mile radius of GR. ;)

I think one thing most people can agree on: Web 2.0 is a lot like Web 1.0. Lots of hype, but the companies still go out of business after VC survive.

What's left though are some great new ways for using the web.

Joe

I don't think Crunchbase is HQ'ed in GR.

Their listings aren't web2.0 specific either.

What was your point with that link posting?

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Yankee Fan Hamlet

Yankee Fan

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Wow! As a tech guy, I have to admit that I never saw these types of responses coming! I really have never encountered so many people not liking a particular business term or use of a term. Just never saw that coming. To me, it is like debating the color of a wall: my wife says it is orange and I see it as red. But, in the end, it is still a wall.

The term Web 2.0 may not be a term that some like. The very idea is "cerebral" in approach ( now there's another one: is "cerebral" actually a word?).

But GrDad is correct: I hear it in meetings at most of my clients every week.

Anyhow, thanks to those of you who provided a few examples of local companies/websites. I really appreciate it. As I try to understand this whole subject, it is always helpful to see it in action.

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