A Pal for Web 2.0

I blogged about SitePal a long time ago. I am blogging about it again, since I now have a demo account. This post is more of a strategy guide than a technology roadmap. If you have a Flash player installed (or you are reading this post while the demo account is still valid and active), you will be able to see (and hear) it on the right sidebar of my blog.

The technology news coming out of the World Economic Forum that concluded in Davos, Switzerland not very long ago, was abuzz with talk of Web 2.0. The essence of Web 2.0 are Rich Internet Applications that give users not only a rich user experience, but which may in fact comprise of data and services from many other 3rd party websites and online resouces.

In the Web 2.0 world, businesses increasingly have to rely on setting themselves apart through a mixture of content and design to ensure a continued audience and user-base. While the SitePal you see on the right is just a small demonstration of what websites can achieve using this technology, a SitePal can achieve a lot more for your online service than just playing a welcome message. Apart from its obvious usage on Social Networking sites, a SitePal can be leveraged in teaching students online, and for assisting users on insurance, healthcare, or recruitment wesbites. Imagine a website where students learn chemistry from Harry Potter, physics from Dexter, and computer programming from Jimmy Neutron; OR in a completely different scenario, allowing senior citizens to hear about diabetes, cancer, and health insurance benefits from a doctor SitePal, without having to read long text from a website or printed brochure.

The process of creating a SitePal character is pretty straight forward too. The tutorial movie on the SitePal website provides an easy-to-follow walk-thru of setting up and hosting a SitePal character. An existing SitePal character can be modified literally within seconds. I modified the current SitePal character on this blog within minutes, and amazingly, she looked completely different (see picture below). [Since I am very fond of blondes with glasses, I ended up using the previous version].



SitePal is not just limited to webpages. You can also embed a SitePal character into your PowerPoint presentation, taking interactivity to a whole new level.

Try it out for yourself. Certainly reminds one of S1m0ne (Simone), doesn't it?