What web 2.0 tools should you be using now and in the future? The answer is simple: Many.

Why?

Your site needs to be diversified in order to appeal to a variety of people. The readers that may not read your blog may be interested in taking an on site quiz or adding their own volunteer experiences to your site in your testimonials or on your forums.

A website that effects people’s emotions will be effective at drawing your readers in and it will have them coming back for more information and stories. The example used by John Kenyon at the 2008 NTEN conference, stated that the website that has a short one minute video describing how of a former homeless person that your organization helped to get a job, and he expresses what your organization did for him, is a lot more effective then you writing his story and posting it on your site. Video touches people and puts faces with the story.

Use flickr to pull in photos for your site, or have a youtube channel for your nonprofit. There are even online games that teach people about social issues like Darfur at darfurisdying.com The future for new online social media tools will continue to grow. If you start now to build your online networks, known as “friends”, it will be easier for you to jump into the new Web 2.0 tools that will be here before we know it.

Start small and keep building. You don’t have to add six different features to your site at once. I’m just seeing the value of Twitter, but it took me almost six months to see it’s capabilities. (But I’m old school and I still text or even call my friends.) I truly understood the value of twitter at the NTEN conference as it was being used in full force, and it was both valuable and fun. For instance, during the second day plenary talk, a lot of us couldn’t hear the speaker, and several people posted their concern on Twitter and it was taken care of within a few minutes. Also, when the speakers were talking about how we could all help with the issues involved in rebuilding New Orleans several people sent “tweets”, a.k.a. messages, with links to our government officials so that the audience could take action.

How do you judge the effectiveness of your Web 2.0 endeavors?

Frogloop.com has an extensive ROI calculator has you put in your variable to determine the effectiveness of you Web2.0 endeavors.

There’s no doubt about it, partaking in the various Web 2.0 techniques takes time. When you put time and effort into anything you want to have a positive return. Beth Kantar spoke about building your online presence through “Network Weaving.” You must follow the 3 R’s listed below to have a positive ROI on your Web 2.0 efforts.

Network weaving:

• R = Relationship Building – you don’t get immediate results from the time you spend on Facebook and posting comments on colleague’s blogs, but you have to have faith, and trust that it works.
  
• R = Rewards – write post about others on your “friends list” and people will give back to you. Ask people to spread the word about your cause, and give them ideas and talking points to help get them started.
  
• R = Reciprocity - give to others who give to you, you can’t ask everyone you know to donate money to your cause, if you don’t donate to their cause.

Being a friend online is really not any different than being a friend in person. It’s still networking, but the tools are just different. I think we all know that they will be changing and growing each year.

Speaking of networking, Beth pointed out that it’s still important to keep in touch and use the older forms of networking used by our parents. She calls it the “Little Ladies with Tennis Shoes.” These ladies have a lot of networks established through the church and civic groups. When you’re looking for donations or volunteers you have to tap into those circles as well. Just because many of us are networking online you there it still doesn’t’ take the place of the traditional networking done at lunches, PTA meetings and on the golf course. It’s necessary to tap into all resources available to us when we have an important message or cause.

List of Current Web 2.0 options:

This site, judybrown.com, provides a list and brief description of the latest Web 2.0 possibilities, and they even break them down into areas of interest.

Bottom Line

The game is the same, but there are new and exciting tools that you should take the time to learn and to explore while not forgetting about the old school techniques.

Carve a little time every few days to build and grow your online networks. Although we don’t know what the future holds in web 2.0, we can be sure that it will change and grow.