Web 2.0 is a term coined in recent years that describes the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users utilize the Web.
The concept of “Web 2.0″ began with a conference brainstorming session between O’Reilly and MediaLive International. Dale Dougherty, web pioneer and O’Reilly VP, noted that far from having “crashed”, the web was more important than ever, with exciting new applications and sites popping up with surprising regularity. Paul Graham, programmer and essayist known for his work on Lisp, states:
”It began as the name of a conference, but the people organizing the conference didn’t really know what they meant by it. Mostly they thought it sounded catchy. However, “Web 2.0″ has since taken on a meaning. There are some interesting new trends on the Web, and it’s the nature of a phrase like that to adhere to them. (…) A lot is different now from 1998. Web sites look different. Startups operate differently. People use the Web in different ways. The changes were gradual, but if you have a gradual change of sufficient magnitude, it starts to become a different world.”
Examples of new applications alongside the ones they have substituted, as quoted from Tim O’Reilly’s article:
Web 1.0 |
|
Web 2.0 |
DoubleClick |
–> |
Google AdSense |
Ofoto |
–> |
Flickr |
Akamai |
–> |
BitTorrent |
mp3.com |
–> |
Napster |
Britannica Online |
–> |
Wikipedia |
personal websites |
–> |
blogging |
evite |
–> |
upcoming.org and EVDB |
domain name speculation |
–> |
search engine optimization |
page views |
–> |
cost per click |
screen scraping |
–> |
web services |
publishing |
–> |
participation |
content management systems |
–> |
wikis |
directories (taxonomy) |
–> |
tagging (”folksonomy”) |
stickiness |
–> |
syndication |
Web 2.0 websites are typically known for the use of CSS, Folksonomies (social tagging, classification, and indexing), Microformats, REST/XML/JSON-based APIs, rich internet applications such as Ajax, Flex, or Flash, semantically valid XHTML and HTML, RSS/Atom syndication and aggregation, weblog-publishing tools, wiki or forum software, and the extended use of internet privacy and content management.
Some of the most popular 2.0 websites include: Technorati, Digg, del.icio.us, Flickr, Youtube, reddit, Gmail and Google maps, among others.
References
- Web 2.0. (2008, October 25). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
- What Is Web 2.0. (2005, September 30). In O’ Reilly Media. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- The Top 15 Most Influential Web 2.0 Sites. (2008, September 23). In Design Vitality. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
- Web 2.0. (2005, November). In Paul Graham. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- Interview About Web 2.0. (2006, July). In Paul Graham. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
