I think of Web 2.0 the way I think about phones. Landline phones is something everybody knows about and something that the vast majority of people around the world have access to. The next step up from landline phones is cell phones. Many people have cell phones and even those who don't have cell phones know how to use them. Cell phones are the second generation of telephone communication. We have all heard of 3G and now 4G. What is that? Well, it is simply the third and then fourth generation of telephone communication and it is built off of the second generation's platform. That is, better cell phones with more functions.
So, what is Web 2.0 with this analogy? It is the second generation of Internet applications. We are familiar with the Internet. Web 2.0 takes the user to the next generation of Internet exploration. Users are able to do more with online tools than they previously were able to do with the first generation of the Internet. Web 2.0 realizes some of the potential of where the Internet can take us with innovative applications. Here's the difference between cell phone generational advances and Internet generational advances: unlike cell phones that have gotten snazzier, have more applications (apps), have more functions (camera, video camera, mp3, Internet access, etc.) AND have gotten more expensive, Web 2.0 tools are usually free and come with all sorts of advancements. Yes, you have to put up with advertisements, but cell phone apps come with them too! Web 2.0 strives to change the way we use the Internet, the way we collaborate and the way we share information. In order for that to happen on a mass scale, the applications need to be free and easily accessible to the entire Internet world. For Web 2.0 tools to be truly meaningful, they also need to be interactive!
Agenda
Web 2.0 : What is it?
Wikipedia.org defines web 2.0 as the following:
"The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate interactive systemic biases, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and developing the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as consumers of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (prosumers) are limited to the active viewing of content that they created and controlled. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies."
I think of Web 2.0 the way I think about phones. Landline phones is something everybody knows about and something that the vast majority of people around the world have access to. The next step up from landline phones is cell phones. Many people have cell phones and even those who don't have cell phones know how to use them. Cell phones are the second generation of telephone communication. We have all heard of 3G and now 4G. What is that? Well, it is simply the third and then fourth generation of telephone communication and it is built off of the second generation's platform. That is, better cell phones with more functions.
So, what is Web 2.0 with this analogy? It is the second generation of Internet applications. We are familiar with the Internet. Web 2.0 takes the user to the next generation of Internet exploration. Users are able to do more with online tools than they previously were able to do with the first generation of the Internet. Web 2.0 realizes some of the potential of where the Internet can take us with innovative applications. Here's the difference between cell phone generational advances and Internet generational advances: unlike cell phones that have gotten snazzier, have more applications (apps), have more functions (camera, video camera, mp3, Internet access, etc.) AND have gotten more expensive, Web 2.0 tools are usually free and come with all sorts of advancements. Yes, you have to put up with advertisements, but cell phone apps come with them too! Web 2.0 strives to change the way we use the Internet, the way we collaborate and the way we share information. In order for that to happen on a mass scale, the applications need to be free and easily accessible to the entire Internet world. For Web 2.0 tools to be truly meaningful, they also need to be interactive!