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What is Web
2.0?
While the exact definition of Web 2.0
is still under dispute it is largely being used to refer to the ways
in which a clutch of Internet technologies and the behaviors of its
users are increasingly more mature, complex and
interrelated.
The concept of Web 2.0 began with a
pre-conference brainstorming session in 2004 between a number of
technology publishing and conference producers.
Aside from requiring a topic for a
forthcoming conference they were also seeking to explain why the
companies that had survived the 2001 dot-com bubble seemed to have
some things in common.
To an extent Web 2.0 is a classic tech
buzzword. Yet like many seemingly superficial terms it represents an
attempt to quantify or describe some very complex concepts, observed
behaviors and hybrid technologies.
The interesting thing is that much of
what now constitutes Web 2.0 is based on technology that has
existed since the early days of the Internet. However it is the
mixing of old and new technology, the growing complexity of new
service offerings and increasing consumer and business
sophistication that is driving the new Internet.
A number of real world examples of these
new technology and service offerings include:
- Weblogs
- Social bookmarking
- Wikis
- Podcasts
- RSS feeds (and other forms of
many-to-many publishing)
- Social software
- Web APIs
- Web standards
- Online Web services
However it is in the realm of increasing
consumer and business sophistication that Web 2.0 is really making
its mark. Examples of this include:
- The transition of Web sites from
isolated information silos to sources of content and
functionality, thus becoming computing platforms serving web
applications to end-users
- A social phenomenon embracing an
approach to generating and distributing Web content itself,
characterized by open communication, decentralization of
authority, freedom to share and re-use, and "the market as a
conversation"
- Enhanced organization and
categorization of content, emphasizing deep linking
- A rise in the economic value of the
Web, possibly surpassing the impact of the dot-com boom of the
late 1990s
In the opening talk of the first Web 2.0 conference, Tim O'Reilly
and John Battelle summarized key principles of Web 2.0
applications:
- The web as a platform delivering (and
allowing users to use) applications entirely through a
browser
- Data as the driving force where users
own the data on the site and exercising control over that
data.
- Network effects created by an
architecture of participation that encourages users to add value
to the application as they use it. This stands in sharp contrast
to hierarchical access control in applications (or old fashioned
publishing), in which systems categorize users into roles with
varying levels of functionality.
- Innovation in assembly of systems and
sites composed by pulling together features from distributed,
independent developers (a kind of "open source" development)
- Lightweight business models enabled by
content and service syndication
- The end of the traditional software
adoption cycle ("the perpetual beta")
- Software above the level of a single
device, leveraging the power of easily accessible digital assets
or information i.e "The Long Tail" where products that are in low
demand or have low sales volume can collectively make up a market
share that rivals or exceeds the relatively few current
bestsellers and blockbusters,
- Easy to pick up by early
adopters
Some examples of the transition from Web
1.0 to Web 2.0
|
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 |
Despite the lack of set standards as to
what Web 2.0 actually means, and its common use as a marketing
buzzword it does go a way in representing a maturing of the way in
which the internet is being used by consumers.
For more information or
to contact Matthew King directly please email matthew@king.com.au.
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjohnking
Matthew is based in
Sydney, Australia.
| Bondi Beach | 3G Australia | Social Geotagging | Australian Space
Information |
© Matthew King
2008 | 