2012: Breaking Web Conventions 01/04/12

Nothing is so permanent that it can never change.

The gospel of web usability is being rewritten. As the digital realm evolves to include a plethora of new media touchpoints, so too does the way we interact evolve. I’ve run marketing campaigns that break every so-called convention that was designed to convey trust, authority and relevance and build brand advocacy. Gone are the days of Web 1.0 and 2.0. The web is no longer in beta. The promise we imagined at it’s birth has come to fruition. Those of us that succeed, share one or both of these traits:

1. Ability to innovate – creativity and decisiveness
2. Ignorance - naiveté that enables child-like enthusiasm and tenacity towards anything new. There is no right or wrong.

So let’s play:

If your Facebook Page is an extension of your website, then it’s ok to push people to a custom confirmation page there.

Even if people don’t have a Facebook account, pages are public, so anything you put up will be visible to anyone. I’ve used this neat little trick to push people from competition entry forms on a website, to an ‘entry confirmed’ page on Facebook. I wouldn’t try this for an order confirmation, but in the playful context of an ‘Enter to Win’ competition, it works nicely as a cross-promotional tactic. Facebook is so mainstream, that even if people don’t want to use it, they recognize it. If they happen to not be an email subscriber, they might choose to connect with you on Facebook instead.

The digital playground continues to evolve at a remarkable rate. What is new today may be gone tomorrow, or it may be worth a billion in 12 months time. Here are some digital trends for 2012 to ponder.

How are you breaking web conventions?