Web 2.0 Defined
Web 2.0 is a knowledge-oriented environment where human interactions generates contents that are published, managed and used through network applications in a service oriented architecture.
The term 'Web 2.0' describes online activities, destination sites, and web applications that allow individuals to interact with peers in online communities, directly exchange information with one another, and create their own content online. It involves technologies such as blogging, Wikis (i.e., websites such as Wikipedia that allow visitors to add, remove, edit, and change content), social networking sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, and Classmates.com, virtual meeting places such as Second Life, media sharing sites such as YouTube and Flickr, podcasting and videocasting.
Web 2.0 also describes the new ways in which people use the Web, such as writing a blog rather than creating a static personal site; participating in social networking sites rather than sending emails to isolated colleagues; or accessing voice-over-Internet protocol rather than using landline phone services. In general, Web 2.0 sites are distinguished by the wide scale harnessing of collective intelligence - such as that which goes into creating Wikipedia, the ubiquitous online encyclopedia - and the enlisting of virtual users as content co-developers.
Here is an interesting comparison:
| 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 |
| domain name speculation |
SEO |
| page views |
cost per click |
| screen scraping |
web services |
| publishing |
participation |
| content management systems |
wikis |
| ship software |
download |
| walkman |
ipod |
| directories (taxonomy) |
tagging ("folksonomy") |
| stickiness |
syndication |
| in house content |
user generated content |
| testimonials |
referrals |
| portals |
vortals |
| community |
online community |
| Yahoo |
Google |
| Netscape |
IE |
| Intel inside |
Intelligence Inside |
| Web stats |
web experience |
| Past |
Present/Future
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Web 2.0 is growing by leaps and bounds. MySpace boasts 150 million users and a half-million new users added per week. YouTube has 100 million video clips downloaded per day and 75,000 video clips uploaded. Flickr has upwards of 7.5 million page views per day. Lulu.com is growing faster than Amazon. Worldwide, 50 percent of individuals who use the Internet report that they use social media sites such as MySpace, Friendster, and Hi5-resulting in more than 450 million Web 2.0 users globally.
Web 2.0 is here to stay. My advice: Embrace or get left behind.
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