With ‘Web 2.0’ being a big buzz word these days, there are number of common website features found on large consumer websites that many businesses are asking, ‘should I have one of these?’ At HD Expertise we can help you decide which of these are relevant to your business and implement it.

Forums

Forums are an interesting discussion medium. With a forum you could use it to allow your customers to post messages such as help requests, queries or general feedback about your services. These messages can then be responded to by either other customers or your own people.

With a good search facility this creates an invaluable knowledge base. Keep in mind, as a live discussion on your website, a forum can require heavy mediation and may be resource heavy. These last two points mean for most companies a forum is much more valuable as an internal tool.

Blogs

Blogs are a great way for a company to have a voice in their industry. Similar to a column or opinion piece, what you say in your blog can help branding and provoke interest in your services. With the option to have or not have customer feedback, blogs give you more control than a forum.

Wikis

With a contributory nature similar to forums, wikis are a perfect model for any knowledge base and can also be used as an internal tool or for consumer sites with a community looking to share information.

RSS Feeds

An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is a stream of data, usually live, that anyone with a RSS reader can subscribe to. Send live information to your members/regulars using an RSS feed, or place an RSS reader on your site to receive live news stories from chosen sources to keep your website fresh 24/7.

Client Lounge (Login Secured Area)

Client Lounges are a great way to provide valuable information to particular customers that you do not want open to the general public. This can be in the form of straight text on the page or documents for easy download. These areas are normally accessed by a username and password login.

Photo Gallery

There are a multitude of options when it comes to photo galleries. Talk to us about what and how you want the information displayed.

Polls/Surveys

Polls are a great way to make customer feedback relevant and interactive. Create a competition or place it in a log in secured area for member feedback.