If engagement is the key to the Web 2.0 (and Media 2.0) world - and that's what we believe - then what are the implications ? What are the rules of this new world ?

Reviewing our own experience (over twenty years and hundreds of projects) and what we know of the industry at large, we have developed a proposal: four rules for success in the world of Web 2.0 and Media 2.0.

Our four proposed rules are as follows :-

1. Be engaging - reach out, garner attention, give the network reasons to engage with you
2. Be engaged - join in, be part of the larger process, grow your network and help to grow the network as a whole
3. Be authentic - remember who you are and take the process to heart
4. Be agile - things are happening quickly, respond quickly and economically

The first rule addresses the economy of attention - interactive media are engaging media and people now expect you to compete for their attention and reward it when you get it.

The second rule addresses the network economy - as the network created by online media grows it brings bigger and bigger rewards for those who can work with it effectively.

The third rule is a rider to the first two and likely applies to any organisation working in a time of accelerated change - but it is particularly important in a media-saturated world where organisations and people have enormous freedom over where they go and how they present themselves (and will therefore encounter many challenges to their sense of identity).

Lastly, the fourth rule speaks to the unprecedented speed with which the Web 2.0 world is developing and the opportunities it provides for rapid, collaborative, development.

As we said above, we arrived at this set of rules by reviewing the past, out of that review came a dozen or so principles which seemed to apply pretty universally. The process of condensing that larger set down to these four keys was then surprisingly quick and the result feels right and has been pleasingly robust - i.e. working with the four rules has confirmed for us their importance and primacy. Time will show how well they stand up when more widely publicised and applied.

The four rules will each be the subject of forthcoming articles.