Web 2.0 at TD Ameritrade

Anyone who even remotely follows technology and the Internet has no doubt heard of Web 2.0. While there does not seem to be one accepted, all-encompassing definition, there are a number of features associated with it: AJAX enabled web pages, reviews, blogs, etc. Although it may be hard to define, as Potter Stewart might have said, "I know it when I see it."One area in which we at Corporate Insight have not seen much of it is within financial services. Perhaps that's starting to change. As we announced in our e-Monitor Update this week, TD Ameritrade added a new PredictWallStreet page to the private site Ideas section (Research & Ideas). The page features a new tool to research, track and share opinions about the market. The tool allows clients to buy, sell and view quotes while predicting the movement of a stock or index. Clients enter a stock symbol and are asked whether it will close up or down. After their selection clients can view how others have rated that specific stock. The Hot Stocks section lists symbols by most accurate, most predicted and most up/down. A promotion for the tool was added to the private site Markets page (Research & Ideas).

Retail financial services firms need to figure out how to use Web 2.0 features to their - and their customers - advantage. TD Ameritrade's approach, softly-softly as it may be, is a good first step.Anyone who even remotely follows technology and the Internet has no doubt heard of Web 2.0. While there does not seem to be one accepted, all-encompassing definition, there are a number of features associated with it: AJAX enabled web pages, reviews, blogs, etc. Although it may be hard to define, as Potter Stewart might have said, "I know it when I see it."