What is Web 2.0?

My Thoughts on Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is difficult to define.  It is interactive, it can be used anywhere, and it allows for two-way communication in ways like never before.  While websites were once flat and one-sided, people can now provide feedback to companies, organizations and even to each other through messages in the form of text or video.

Web 2.0 is already becoming the center of everything. It can be a place to store files, engage in conversation, encourage creative thinking, and circulate new ideas.  It is used in schools, at work and in social relationships.  

Does Web 2.0 live up to the hype? Well, yes and no. There is no longer a limit on how far discussion can travel.  With Web 2.0, people from all over the world are able to be in contact and the potential for ideas to circulate has increased exponentially, not to mention the entertainment value it provides. And all of this is right at our fingertips.

However, sometimes this instantaneous realm of possibility can have negative side effects in the real world. People now tend to have less patience and fewer people skills. Feedback online can sometimes get carried away as well. Due to the sense of anonymity afforded by Web 2.0, people are not usually afraid to say whatever they feel and do not typically have to face reactions to their comments in person.

Regardless of some of the more negative sides to this new interactive web, we are likely headed toward the next step in internet.



The Features of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 tends to be defined by its features and technologies more than anything else. Some of those technologies include interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and crowdsourcing.

Interactive information sharing is done through things like social media websites, where people are able to share digital information with each other, such as photos or videos. Web 2.0 also allows people to choose who is able to see the information they share and there are four design patterns that those selections typically fall into; one-to-one sharing, one-to-many sharing, many-to-many sharing, and many-to-one sharing.

Interoperability is the use of different platforms to access the same content.  With the use of XML, RSS or a similar format, websites can be accessed from a PC, a Mac and even a phone, instead of a single device.

User-centered designs are a main feature of Web 2.0 because they are based on how users actually use websites and change based on testing of the site. Google is a great example of this because it changes with users. Google is often thought of in association with Web 2.0 because unlike programs like Microsoft, it is packaged as a service and not a product.  It works without installations and software, and does not attempt to control of a user’s operations like Microsoft.
 
Crowdsourcing is another key feature of Web 2.0. Crowdsourcing was not created with the web and follows a structure similar to a company contest for people to come up with new ideas for a product. Instead of allowing a task to be completed by one person, it is opened to a group. The idea behind this tactic is that the data will improve as more people use it and add to it.  Wikipedia is a fantastic example of how this works.  

Technologies such as these make Web 2.0 what we know today. It is molded by its users and can change just as quickly as they do.