Thursday, April 09, 2009

Many Miss the Genius of the Web

Even during the downturn, with resources at a premium, it is interesting to witness how many organizations fail to leverage the genius of the World Wide Web.

On the web, you get further, faster and more efficiently, by linking to the official source for information rather than trying to duplicate or replicate content…or if not a link, then arrange for a bot or RSS. This is far less time consuming and it means your website users always have up to date information.

But many organizations in Durham, for instance, appear to be trying instead to “reinvent the wheel.” You can tell because even though it isn’t their mission, they try to maintain their own list of museums, theaters, restaurants, hotels etc.

Or maybe they don’t know how the community is organized and who does what, and that it is available for the asking…or maybe the people working on the site are left in the dark and work in a vacuum.

Doesn’t seem like anyone would waste this much time, effort and money on purpose…unless they just don’t see strategically how to make the Internet work for them.

The genius of the web is that when you want content, you find the official source for that content and link to it. That way you’re always up to date.

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