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Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required)

Categories: Technology, User Experience, Web Marketing, Web Strategy, Web Theory, Web ToolsPosted on August 26th, 2007

Web Strategy Spheres

A Web Strategy must balance all three spheres
What’s a Web Strategy? It’s the balance between the three spheres for effective long-term planning of a website. This person is a hybrid of a few roles, and may have emerged from any of the following spheres. A Web Strategist is responsible for the long-term planning and decision making of a website, but must balance ALL of the following three spheres:

1) Community (formerly Users)
The Web Strategist must understand (by using a variety of techniques and tactics) what users want. This is commonly known as User Experience Research which will create and craft a ‘mental model’. In addition, the strategist will need to be in tune with the community in which their website is part of, this is greater than just users, as it will include competitors, partners, and prospects.

Skills: User experience (UX), usability, information architecture, social media skills, customer support, community marketing, marketing, product marketing, ability to listen and be empathetic.


2) Business
The business sphere requires a strategist to understand the long term objective of a website and it’s goals. This sphere also requires ability to internally maneuver within an organization and maximize the persistent limitation in resources. A website that is not aligned to business or market objectives is ultimately doomed to fail. The User and Business requirements will often match, but will rarely ever be a perfect fit. The Web Strategist) will need to obtain business requirements from stakeholders, whether that be execs, sponsors, sales, or even shareholders. Understanding the market, competitors (and key milestones) and other external forces are also required –a business requirements model will be formed, these are your objectives.

Skills: Marketing, advertising, media, management, measurement, ability to evangelize internally, process management, resource management, obtain objectives, product development, product management, savvy in political maneuvering


3) Technology
Lastly, a Web Strategist needs to know how each and every tool and technology work, they’ll need to know the strengths, benefits, limitations and costs. This also applies to human capital, and timelines. Often technical limitations will reduce the scope of User and Business needs, so you’ll need to incorporate this going forward.

Skills: Software Development, Web Development, Web Architecture, Industry Trends, experiments with web technology, but understands how to extrapolate and harness a tool.

Can’t master them all? Be able to Learn or Delegate
It’s unlikely he or she is a master at all, but most importantly, has the ability to learn and delegate. In my career, I’ve tried to have a balance in all these spheres (former UI Designer, Marketing Degree, and worked in software engineering group) keeping up with all spheres is nearly impossible. Therefore two skills become very important: 1) The ability to quickly learn, and extract value, 2) Ability to find talent and delegate, no really, I mean really delegate, which requires trust.

If you have other skills to suggest, please leave a comment, and I’ll add.

Notes:
I originally introduced this concept August 25th 2006, just about one year earlier, and am now making these amendments. This was primarily spurred by Johnathan’s suggestion of looking at the user sphere as greater than just a customer base, thanks Jonathan, you’re an excellent strategist. Also, Robert suggested I try to incorporate more of a visual representation in my concepts, which I think is a great idea.

Additional Resources
Did this post interest you? See all posts tagged Web Strategy, or watch the supplemental Web Strategy Video Show.

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73 Responses to “Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required)”

  1. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Elements of Web Strategy August 25th, 2006 | Category: Web Theory, Web Strategy Update: August 26th, 2007 (one year later) I’ve evolved this concept, please see Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) [...]


  2. Thanks for shifting ‘Users’ to ‘Community’ & making it more human. I hope this trend continues! I recently had a discussion about verbiage on our corporate website & heard the phrase ‘those words are industry standards’. Well, customers don’t know them. An analogy from the library world is that I took down the sign saying ‘periodicals’. It now reads magazines. (a shift towards making things customer friendly)

    In terms of skills I consider communication of ultimate importance. As you pointed out it’s not a one person show. Teamwork is essential because delegation is important, but the dept’s need to work together & support each other (marketing, product dev’t, QA, customer & tech support, etc) without any one insisting they’re in charge. Patience is also helpful as internal staff adopt new technology. (You posted a video on digital emigrants recently)


  3. Connie

    I’ve also Josh Bernoff to thank, see this post:

    http://blogs.forrester.com/charleneli/2007/07/users-fight-bac.html


  4. I agree that it’s unlikely people can become an expert at them all

    Nice write-up Jeremiah


  5. I would suggest a modification to the community view, and to Jonathans 4th element. More and more its becoming evident to me that the old term customer centric might hold clues to how to think about people beyond the UI aspects of your site.

    People interact with their own sites through their own unique ways; call it the peoples general web lifestyle (GWL). What becomes vital is to understand how your site will fit into their GWL. A traditional UI view is the opposite of that, and trying to slot the person into your firms web lifestyle.

    The GWL includes web, social networks, portals, RSS, email, mobile etc. Understanding how that works and how people want it to work, facilitates a more people process oriented view that can be engineered, and included in the UI design of your site.

    Just some thoughts.


  6. Very meaningful layout.
    How about creative work : is it connected to all of those spheres?
    Creative work is a necessary step to make technology usable through interfaces for example.
    Creative work is the one of the important aspects of the social interactions within the community.
    Creative work is also an expression of the business objectives.

    I would be glad to have your opinion here.

    And congratulations for the excellent insightful work on this blog.


  7. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) The Web Strategist must understand (by using a variety of techniques and tactics) what users want. This is commonly known as User Experience Research which will create and craft a ‘mental model’. In addition, the strategist will need to be in tune with the community in which their website is part of, this is greater than just users, as it will include competitors, partners, and prospects. [...]


  8. Colin

    Good points, that’s certainly an amendment that belongs in the Community/User scope. Some of the GWL mediums you listed out (such as rss or mobile) actually fall in the “technology sphere”

    Branislav
    Creative Work? Oh yeah, it matters to all, in fact the scope and requirements of any creative work come after the strategy of the site has been determined. So yes, it hits them all, with a focus on Community and Technology.


  9. After reading Josh Bernoff’s post & a couple of his links… it’s great to see others agree. In the library world we’ve made a conscious shift from ‘patron’ to ‘customer’. Except our circulation software still states ‘patron’, so it doesn’t reinforce the usage by staff.


  10. Jeremiah … re: “(such as rss or mobile) actually fall in the “technology sphere”

    Is true as it relates to implementation, but my thought would be that in terms of UX it needs to be considered alongside.


  11. I admire anyone who can think about a universe clearly enough to analyze components into a diagram of three overlapping circles.


  12. Jeremiah

    Thanks much for the compliment! Hopefully it will help me in my job search>

    I was reading an survey from McKinsey that stated “Executives tend to invest in new technologies and processes because they hold out the promise of either increasing competitive advantage (for example, by enabling new services or improvements to existing ones) or reducing costs.” To me, the mentality there, while appropriate for business textbooks, will end up landing a lot of companies in that technology/business section with ‘frustrated users, no one comes” because it ends up being to inner focused. Customers and potential customers now have greater control (although not as much as it may seem) and if an organization is more interested in ‘competeting’ with their competition and saving $$$, they’ve inadvertantly devalue their customers.

    I’d bet a lot of web strategist have a tough time getting their organizations to move out of that area.

    The survey can be found here:

    http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1913&pagenum=1


  13. Wonderful!! Visuals help and so does sound. I’m hearing a shift in the way people inside Intel are talking these days. Sure we still hear dreaded terms like The End User, but lame and fading away (I hope). By building for and sharing things with clients, communities and people (individuals) we’re encouraged to behave better and value understanding for one another. This eventually leading to deeper lasting trust. Thanks again, Jeremiah!


  14. Jonathan, your insight is always valued. What exactly are you looking for in your dream job?

    Ken, glad to help. Scoble kicked me to add visuals, I’ll be doing that when I can.


  15. Dream job. Working in a strategic marketing communicatins capacity…either with an agency of some sort or in house. Probably something similar to what you do. Probably more in an agency so I’d have a more diverse client base. Background in marketing, PR, and big interest in new media.


  16. Great job putting this together. I would probably not move User Experience to Community since I don’t think the terms are synonymous and the term ‘Community’ hasn’t been defined as a superset that includes User Experience. While UX increasingly has a social component to it, I don’t think it is a primary driver yet.

    I would also add product management and business analysis to the mix under business skills. While many folks engage on the marketing side, more traditional integrators and software shops have BA’s and software product managers filling the role.

    Thanks for putting this together and keep up the great work!


  17. Rob thanks!

    I added product management to the business sphere.

    I left Marketing on Business and added it to Community, and also added product marketing (which is different than product management)

    I’m leaving UX with community. Community is a superset for users.


  18. To me, there is no real appropriate word…community, users, customers, etc. Each comes close. So someone will have to come up with a buzzword. Then they’ll get attacked for coming up with a buzzword.

    What Jeremiah needs is a platform that allows for 3D digarams. Or, after all this, a stiff drink. ; )


  19. I think Jonathan is absolutely correct, we need some new buzz mumble. Jeremiah, congrats on the new gig and I look forward to you moving the ball forward with the web strategy definition.


  20. [...] want you to miss out on this gem. I’ll try to reply soon with some thoughts on it. Courtesy of Jeremiah Owyang, the Three Spheres of Web Strategy: A Web Strategy must balance all three spheres What’s a Web Strategy? It’s the balance between [...]


  21. [...] proposition. Finally, from Jeremiah Owyang, the web strategist, he presents an interesting article The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) that offers a perspective on how one should balance between technology, business and in our current [...]


  22. [...] Jeremiah Owyang har satt ihop tre punkter som en webbstrateg måste ha koll på. [...]


  23. [...] Google Reader είναι το “Web Strategy by Jeremiah“. Σε ένα πρόσφατο post ο Jeremiah εξηγεί ότι οι 3 άξονες πάνω στους οποίους [...]


  24. I would have stuck to ‘Users’.

    I see Community as a dynamic rather than a label for stakeholders.

    I was going to point out that ‘Product’ is missing, but I guess that’s the sum of all parts.


  25. Lawrence

    Good point, it was hard to try to simplify, with great thought, community was the ending point.

    Users is limited to only those who use the site. In the era of “social media” there are those who are not users but influence what others think or the end result like prospects, competitors, and even employees, all who may not be ‘users’.

    Yup, you’re right, the overall output is product!


  26. [...] Jeremiah Owyang posted an interesting thought-model of three essential elements of web strategy. [...]


  27. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) (tags: socialmedia community strategy) [...]


  28. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) : un excellent article de Jeremiah Owyang, l’auteur nous présente le croisement des notions de Community / Technology / Business. La force de la stratégie web serait de doser les 3 aspects. -> extrait : ” What’s a Web Strategy? It’s the balance between the three spheres for effective long-term planning of a website. “ [...]


  29. [...] a consultancy or at an analyst firm. Anyone who makes long term decisions for a website, and meets these three spheres of community, business, and technology is in that role. The title may also differ, depending on the organization, so don’t worry [...]


  30. For most of my young career I’ve shared a very similar venn diagram with befuddled supervisors and “so what is it that you do again?” relatives and friends with the exception of “community” being called “marketing.” I’d argue that the two are inextricably linked as I define marketing loosely as ‘listening and responding to people’s needs [for a profit].’ :) Perhaps generational gaps have made it difficult to understand how one would not want or choose to excel in any of the three spheres individually. “Do one thing really well and you’ll be set,” they always say. But I find that contributing value concurrently to the blend of all three is how I seem to excel.

    Web strategy takes versatile communication skills and knowledge (geek, creative, and management-ese) but perhaps more importantly an environment in which multidisciplinary strengths and cross-functional contributions can maximize value. Thankfully I find myself today in an organization and culture that thrives on this sort of “greater than the sum of its parts” idea.

    In sum, your hypothesis is one I have tested successfully to varying degrees for the last decade. Bravo!



  31. Posted by nick huhn on October 1st, 2007 at 5:29 am
  32. I agree that this is a wonderfully efficient view into the skills, experience, and interests one must possess to be effective. I do agree with branislav peric about design, which I believe is inseparable from each of the three areas. when I was in art school we used to insist that type is design, and that copy is design, and that negative space is design. i still believe that. so it’s like content is design is technology is UI.

    i bet we’ve all seen horrible implementations of social media/community applications, and really, really smooth good ones.

    thanks.

    thomas falconer



  33. Posted by thomas falconer on October 15th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
  34. Hi. Have you ever thought of publishing a book? I can help :)



  35. Posted by Moses Liao on October 17th, 2007 at 8:26 am
  36. Thanks Moses

    It’s crossed my mind, but not at the top of the list right now.

    I’ve got to ask, why a book? A blog can get a lot of traction too.


  37. [...] What you should know: The Three spheres of a Web Strategy. [...]


  38. A good web strategist will bring all these three spheres to market at the right time.Depnding on what type of business it is there is no point bringing advanced technolgy to market until it starts to reach some kind of critical mass so timing in any webstrategy is absolutely crucial.Just look at the number of Dot.coms that went bust with great ideas that were simply just ahead of thier time.would love to see more discussion on this topic


  39. great analysis and being an enterprise user I can see analogy with out process. people and technology approach.


  40. [...] looking at the theory of Web Strategy, does it mean small businesses will have no part in it? Community builder, software engineers, [...]


  41. [...] and marketing have changed, I too have maintained interests and skills in those spheres.  Like Jeremiah’s Venn diagram of effective web strategy, I try to explain my “job” in terms of having knowledge and [...]


  42. [...] you’re new to my blog, or need a quick review, please read these 10 posts: 1) The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) It’s a role at many large corporations, a program and defines a scope. Find out what it means [...]


  43. Hi Jeremiah,

    Great analysis and although I’m new to leaving a comment, I’ve been a fan of your blog.

    Just a question on the analysis - for the overlaps between Community and Business and Community and Technology, should those be switched? My thought was that for the overlap between Community and Business, Monetization Issues would be relevant whereas for the overlap between Community and Technology, Inefficient without Tools would be appropriate.

    Also, you might be interested in checking out some work done by IDEO. They have a similar framework around People, Technology and Business they use to analyze product innovations.

    Warm regards,
    Nick



  44. Posted by Nicholas Kim on November 27th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
  45. Makes sense, solid post. Goes beyond the web too…


  46. [...] tres esferas de la estrategia web: Se resumen en Comunidad, Negocio y Tecnología. En principio la tecnología y el negocio son [...]


  47. [...] to outsource the entire activity, as control and management will be needed. Learn more, see the three spheres of web strategy, or my employer’s Forrester POST methodology for social computing [...]


  48. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy by Jeremiah | 8/26/07 [...]


  49. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy by Jeremiah | 8/26/07 [...]


  50. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy by Jeremiah | 8/26/07 [...]


  51. How to get the center of the graphic is the most important thing to your website/business.


  52. Jeremiah, this is a great post. Having ran multiple websites in my time online I can say without a doubt that all of these strategies in your venn diagram spheres are very important. Incorporating a perfect balance of everything above is probably the most difficult task for many webmasters, but you have done a wonderful job at making all of this make sense. Thank you.


  53. [...] Web Strategist (corporate web decision makers) has internal customers For many web strategists’ much of your effort won’t be dealing with users or your web team of developers and designers [...]


  54. [...] I’m really excited that I not only found that type of opportunity, but we are also heading to Austin, Texas!! I’ll be taking on the role of Director of Marketing at BreakingPoint Systems, working with Pam O’Neal (Twitter/Blog). This encompasses all of the opportunities I listed above; particularly the last two. Almost immediately we will be diving into a new web site, engaging with their community and much more…my hope is a role similar to Jeremiah Owyang’s definition of a “web strategist”. [...]


  55. [...] Scope: A web strategist (this isn’t just a term I made up for my blog) is a REAL job title typically found in large corporations where the web is a necessary communication channel, or a title used by internet consultants who provide high level advice. Most often the web strategist is in marketing, but this role can appeal to the intranet or extranet. They are responsible for balancing the three spheres of web strategy (See graphic). [...]


  56. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) Jeremiah Owyang, Web Strategy by Jeremiah | 8/26/07 [...]


  57. [...] An interesting blog post from one of the Facebook best practices panelists at Web 2.0, Jeremiah Owyang. Read it here. [...]


  58. can add big companies as well - as lot depend on big 3 (Yahoo, google and Yahoo) how would the marke react?


  59. [...] for marketers? Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester has a great deal of good information. His primer on three web spheres is a great overview for all. Capstrat expands on many of the details with focus paid to Social [...]


  60. [...] The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) “Can’t master them all? Be able to Learn or Delegate” (tags: jeremiahowyang webstrategy strategy digitalmedia socialmedia) [...]


  61. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) - A great graphic model from Jeremiah Owyang about the balance of community, business, and tech needed for successful websites. Like most three-legged stool models, it can be extrapolated to other things such as biz in general. [...]


  62. [...] The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (Jeremiah Owyang) [...]


  63. [...] Jeremiah Owyang updated his model of what web strategy is. It’s a cool model and worth a look. One of the things he has done is changed the word “users” to “community”. [...]


  64. [...] you cannot perform yourself - you need to learn to delegate. Obvious point, but a good reminder. The Three Shperes Of Web Strategy Tags: business, community, delegate, technology, web You can follow any responses to this entry [...]


  65. While I only recently discovered this post via your recent Twitter mention, I found it valuable and viable. Ironic considering the “speed of change” that many marketers and strategists reference that a commentary can hold water 2 years later. Maybe some things–core principles–don’t actually change, but rather evolve. Something to consider, much like the classic dress can be resurfaced with a change in accessories and footwear. But alas, I digress and show my girl-ness.

    I’d like to suggest under the Community sphere that consideration be given to (or perhaps if you feel its there, maybe distinguish it more)the roles consumers as a market, as well as users/community as a target, play into the equation you suggest.

    I’m a firm believer that the stressors pressuring consumers, influencing their views, perspectives, actions, and decisions, create a lens through which they evaluate every person/role/entity/choice in their lives. If you’re interested, I could share with you a few rudimentary graphics to help illustrate this concept. Also, if you’re familiar with Porter’s “5 forces” and the PEST analysis then it’s easy to affirm that all things Political, Environmental (and Economic), Societal, and Technological come to bear on the choices we make and the way we evaluate stimuli, messages, and essentially who warrants a slice of our time.

    I believe “consumer insights” factor into this equation of yours because when consideration is given to the landscape on which consumers make alliances, reject offers, and choose brands, then you can begin to strategize messaging to resonate with them most strongly. You know their “ouch” points. Um, and of course, your product/service has to offer intrinsic value to begin with, or that messaging would naturally ring tinny and shallow.

    Thanks for this opportunity to comment, I appreciate it.


  66. [...] ran across this article written by Jeremiah describing the necessary skills of a Web Strategist and found it to be a great [...]


  67. [...] His tasks are to plan and oversee user experience, marketing, analysis, and development. For more information, visit Jeremiah Owyang’s article about the Three Spheres of Web Strategy. [...]


  68. [...] inspirerad av Jeremiah Owyangs “Three spheres of web strategy” och utifrån min egen erfarenhet handlar ofta framgångsrika webbprojekt av en en balans [...]


  69. Jeremiah,

    I totally agree with this analysis of web strategy. I’ve often back and fourth between business and technology but the community is the balance that I’m now getting involved with to balance my skill set. The community is like the glue that binds technology and business.

    Thanks.


  70. I like visuals as they improve understanding and increase retention. In my opinion the web strategist is a modern Renaissance man or woman.

    I am looking forward to perusing the rest of your blog. Please do check out my website http://www.jivesystems.com


  71. [...] comes into play, who balances this with technology to deliver the right experience. This diagram of the three spheres of web strategy should come in handy, a great diagram to print out and put on the desk. Share This [...]


  72. I would love to see trouble sites played out in the Spheres of Web Strategy. I manage a corporate site which has strong support from all business, little to no community and would be considered lacking in technology. I would love to see the visual representation and explanation of outcomes.



  73. Posted by Beth Lambert on June 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 am
  74. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills … (tags: socialmedia webdesign marketing web2.0 community strategy webstrategy business corporate technology bestpractices management crowdsourcing internet managing) [...]


  75. Brilliant Jeremiah, absolutely brilliant!
    I stumbled on your blog via smart brief and this is my first time here. Reading your web strategy has reassured me that I am on the right track, because recently I designed a formlua that works in a similar way.
    The key word is cognitive technology that brings into cognizance all the chefs in the kitchen: The consumer, the business and their individual/group territories, thus the GWL suggestion of Colin is also crucial.
    I strongly believe that this is the future of the web.


  76. ffffffffffffff


  77. [...] Web Strategy: The Three Spheres of Web Strategy (and the skills required) « Web Strategy by Jeremia… [...]


  78. Hey man. Web Strategies are what mostly people used to get popular and you have mention brilliant strategies points. Keep it up. It really useful indeed. Thanks


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