Web 2.0 is a term coined to encapsulate the maturation and shift in the Web technologies towards increased community orientation and interaction, products such as Google AdSense that deliver targeted, relevant advertising, about giving users more control of their experience through mashups, increased relevance of text messaging and other instant messaging methodologies, writing blogs to share your thoughts, and slowly moving towards entire virtual worlds. How should you, as a small business owner, ride this new wave of web technologies and new ways in which your customers are using the Internet?

One simple way of enhancing your customers' experience on your website is to make your website ready for access through mobile devices such as a cell phone. An increasing number of your future customers would be simply accessing information through a very small, compact screen. Adding video and podcasts are a must for providing information quickly and in ways that allows them to access information whenever and wherever they want.

Community building must be taken seriously, or not done at all. IKEA for example, has built a terrific community of interested individuals where customers and IKEA's furniture experts meet and discuss the future of furniture and design ideas that interest both sides. In select technology companies, idea jams happen with customers over enhanced message boards - thus inviting customers, employees, management, even their families, into the discussion! This notion of participative, interactive way of generating new ideas is the essence of the new Web 2.0 communities, where individuals feel free to express themselves and share only what they wish to. This goes well beyond the traditional message boards - as Facebook and MySpace has demonstrated.

3-D virtual worlds like SecondLife have captured the imagination of the corporate world even as they follow their customers to where the customers are. Meetings are held in this virtual world, and entire lives are being led in this world.

As a small business, it is worth your time to develop a more interactive collaborative experience for your customers on your site. Podcasts, participative communities, instant messaging capabilities and more would be respected and expected. By being amongst the first ones to offer these, you would develop a devoted and loyal following - which translates into repeat customers and more revenue for your business. You can use iGoogle to provide mashup capabilities to your paying customers so that they can personalize their experience on your site. If you take orders on the phone, add text messaging capabilities to be in tune with your customers's needs.

Choose a subset of the possibilities for Web 2.0 and get onto the bandwagon and develop a deeper, richer relationship with your customers!