Today when a client asks me to build a web site containing:

• Blogs, members need to be able to blog
• Marketplace, like eBay
• Photo gallery
• Forum
• Calender
• Editorial space (for articles and fluffies)

my advice to them is always the same.

“You don’t need to. Let’s use what’s already out there”

Our roles as web developers/ web strategists is shifting within this new era when most of the base functionality such as blogs, social networks, calenders, project collaboration and even video editors are actually available for free already! In this vast space of terabytes there is more then enough apps to meet the customers need. Why reinvent the wheel?

Most of the traffic/market/people/users are already on Facebook for example. How do we reach them through that specific channel? Within Facebook there are room for groups, events, messages and even community based games. It’s perfect!

So, insted of forcing the users to join yet another social network / sign up for a campaign, let’s make it easy for them. That should be our main goal, I think. To make it easy for the user.

ps. If any customer feels targeted by this, don’t. I get requests like these all the time, and there is nothing wrong with it. It’s just up to us web // whatever  (we’ve got LOTS of different titles, but mostly we are the same) to get you on the right track. It’s our responsibility as experts to lead the field and to make the best out of your initial idea.