We received a bunch of questions very similar to the one above, so I'm sure many of you are in the same boat. You are excited about this technology, but where to start? The key is to really take a look at your organization and see what you could benefit from. Though everyone has different needs, I will describe a common problem with websites today, and demonstrate a few ways to use social media to combat it.

Problem: Stale Content
Let's look at your homepage. Do you have a news or events box that reflects something recent? Has anything on your homepage been updated since the site was built? If not, then keep reading. If your site is to provide value to the user, it should be the definitive source for any news or events related to your organization. Without this type of frequently updated information, your website becomes an expensive brochure.

Solution: Content Management
In the last few years, one of the biggest buzzwords has been CMS (or Content Management System). These are essentially web-based applications that allow a non-technical users to make updates to site content. Simple versions are open-source and focus only on site content. More complex system can manage product lines, send email, search a customer database, etc... Regardless of what system you choose, you will have an easy way to update your content without having to shell out cash for a web developer.

Solution: Content Syndication
One of the biggest advances in Web 2.0 is the ability to push content quickly and easily to multiple locations. Using Web Feeds (either RSS or Atom), we can take existing content, and put it into a format that many different applications already understand. Let's say you have a blog where you publish all recent news. Once you publish your blog, your blog's Feed is automatically updated with that new article. Once your Feed is updated, any applications that are "subscribing" to that feed will automatically download the article as well. By creating a widget for your homepage and connecting it to your feed, updates to your blog will be automatically pushed to your homepage. Also, since many user are already familiar with Feeds, they may choose to subscribe to your news as a Feed instead of more traditional medium such as an e-newsletter.

By embracing this technology, you are showing an entire generation of users that you are up on the latest technology, and that your website is a valuable resource.

Several people in the webinar asked about good starting places for some of these new technologies. For you beginners, a good first step would be to educate yourself about the overall concepts. Wikipedia has some good articles on Blogs, RSS Feeds, Wikis, and Social Networking. If you want to dive in headfirst, for each topic I have included a quick definition and a list of sites that use the technology.

Blogs

A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.

Blogger - Create a blog for free
WordPress - Create a blog for free
Technorati - Blog search engine tracking over 112 million blogs

RSS Feeds

A web feed (or news feed) is a data format used for providing users with frequently updated content. Content distributors syndicate a web feed, thereby allowing users to subscribe to it.

Google Reader - Browse RSS based news feeds
iGoogle - Customizable Feed-based homepage, similar to Pageflakes, NetVibes, and MyYahoo.
Technorati - Search for articles, subscribe to search results as RSS Feed

Wikis

A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites.

Wikipedia - Free, open content encyclopedia
PBWiki - Create your own free, hosted, password-protected wiki

Social Networking

A social network service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

LinkedIn - Professional social networking
Facebook - Social networking
MySpace - Social networking
Twitter - Microblogging service allows users to communicate via short messages

Comments are a way for the readers of your blog to communicate with the authors, thereby forming of a micro-community. Without this interctive aspect, some readers may look for greener pastures, if it makes them feel like part of a community. With that said, we need to figure out a comment management strategy that allows users to comment, but protects the blog from  inappropriate comments, spam, etc.. There are essentially two schools of thought when it comes to managing blog comments:

Damage Control
This method allows instant posting of all comments. The blog administrator waits until someone posts something vulgar or obscene to take action.

Pros:
- No resources spent on moderation
- Comments are immediately viewable
- Establishes trust with readership

Cons:
- Inappropriate comments may appear on the blog
- If spammers find your blog, they may attack it frequently

Comment Screening
This type of comment moderation allows comments to be submitted, but they are not posted until approved by an administrator.

Pros:
- All posts screened before posted to the site
- Ensures blog is free of spam and inappropriate comments 
- Reading each comment may further conversation between author/reader

Cons:
- Comments are not instantaneous
- Requires additional resources to approve all comments
- Negative (but valid) comments may not be approved

Remember, your readers have the right to disagree, provided they do so in professional manner. Try to entertain even the most negative comments, as an intelligent response to a negative comment can help to make your point even stronger.

Though comment moderation may be somewhat of a hassle from the adminsitration side, your readers will appreciate the sense of community they feel when allowed to voice their opinions, and keep coming back for more.