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What does WEB 2.0 mean to you?

olegoleg subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
So what is this Web 2.0 dealie I keep hearing about? 
Here is the "official" definition:
what-is-web-20.html
Only it`s not a definition at all, but a 5-pages long article that is mainly illustrating examples and case studies of sites that are (or are not, in author`s opinion) Web 2.0. 
Does it actually mean something?  Or is it just a catchy marketing term?  Personally I am leaning towards the latter.  It`s very vague, almost impossible to define, and most of the concepts it encompases are not new at all - they`ve been a part of the internet since very beginning. 
Even the term itself is counterintuitive to the concepts it is trying to describe.  You can`t put a version on something that is constantly evolving!  Version numbers are so 1.0, anyway.  Many software vendors today are doing away with the version numbers alltogether, choosing instead to give a catchy name to each major version.  (Note the Windows progression: 3.0 --> 95 --> 98 --> 2000 --> XP --> Vista...)
So is it possible to define Web 2.0, in a single paragraph?  Anyone?  And will there ever be a Web 3.0???
 
 oleg2007-4-17 13:2:27

Comments

  • RichRich administrator Posts: 582 Site Admin
    oleg,i`m in san francisco today and there`s a huge conference going on here for Web 2.0-ers.last night i had dinner with james lim, winner of last fall`s elevator pitch contest at startupnation, and i would imagine he`ll have a great idea of how people are defining web 2.0. i will send him an email to get his thoughts from the heart of it all at the conference.but as you say, i think it`s a catch phrase, and also a way for webophiles to separate what they`re doing today from the disaster that struck this valley in 2001 with the dot.bomb. rich
  • vwebworldvwebworld subscriber Posts: 40
    Putting a "label" or naming something, a concept, an event, a change, etc. is a common practice especially used by "the media"... who try condense news into sound bites.
    In general web 2.0 is a short term to describe the web today... social media, personally interactive, keyword driven, applications and environment.
    A web 3.0 - absolutely. When the next jump or evolution in internet use is recognized.
    ~Roland
  • markloseymarklosey subscriber Posts: 0
    Well, I think that there is a more defined idea than just `what we are doing today`, although I agree that this is definitely a media term. In my reading, my understanding is that web 2.0 refers to a lot of the technical changes and advancement of services on the web that are not simply websites or email. "Web Services" have exploded and can be used by 3rd parties to create and extend web based applications. Most of what people are calling `mashups` are definitely a well defined example of web 2.0.  Mashups are functionaly from disparate sources merged into a app that allows for greater functionality.  One of my co-workers has created a google maps mashup that allows him to track every where he has had a beer.  There are much more interesting mashups but that is simple example.
  • markloseymarklosey subscriber Posts: 0
    I should have read the article first. I get what the article is trying to convey and I agree. While it is definitely marketing to create a simple name for such a complex evolution. It does define the paradigm shift that has occurred. With that evolution being a shift toward service based application development and finally an understanding by commercial ventures that the community is the true driving force behind successful web properties. I stress that `commercial` part because the users always knew that the community was the web.
  • ToddFToddF subscriber Posts: 3
    Dean you beat me to it! I was going to post that video its a perfect example of what web 2.0 is.
    So will web 4.0 happen when the internet has self-awarness! Kinda like Terminator.
  • olegoleg subscriber Posts: 13 Bronze Level Member
    Great contributions everyone,
    Here is what I infer about Web 2.0 from reading all this:

    It has very little to do with technology or implementation;
    There are some design patterns involved - the applications are more interactive and allow users to create their own content;
    Most of all, it is the way most people use the internet today - as opposed to the way most people used it 10 years ago.
    And a final question: was Usenet Web 2.0 in concept, more than a decade before the concept even existed?
  • AstarothSolutionsAstarothSolutions subscriber Posts: 1
    I wouldnt necessarily say it is how most people use the internet today. I have seen a fair amount of user testing and research on a whole variety of different under different website propositions and in many occasions actually the most straight forward sites are rated the highest.There is a growing movement of web 2.0 sites but I think it is questionable if this is really consumer or company/ marketing driven (though if that matters is another question) but where they are more successful is in new areas/ uses of the net.     
  • leadstudiosleadstudios subscriber Posts: 1
    I think web2.0 is more or less a marketing term now but there have been significant enough changes to the web to warrant the term. My feel is that web2.0 = user driven content where the user has the power to drive the success of the website. Throw in some AJAX to enhance the user experience, the web is no longer 1 dimensional and static (aka web1.0). The problem is that now it`s taken a life of it`s own where it seems web 2.0 is video, blogging, rounded corners, "beta", etc. Should make web 3.0 even more exciting!
  • Josh244Josh244 subscriber Posts: 2
    I think Web 2.0 is all about community and interactivity.  I love the fact that I can contribute to the Internet without having a technical background.  MySpace lets me represent myself and MyLocalSpot lets me do the same, except for my business.  YouTube provides me with hours of entertainment.  I love seeing what other people can create, and I think the possibilities are endless.
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