tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20873433.post-1164792627502006362006-11-29T09:29:00.000Z2006-11-29T09:30:27.516ZIf you haven’t yet come across the buzz phrase “Web 2.0” you soon will. It’s on the lips of communications types up and down the country. But what on earth is it and why should you be bothered?<br /><br />Web 2.0 sounds a bit like a computer program – the second generation if you like, and more advanced than Web 1.0. In fact, that’s pretty much what it is.<br /> <br />The phrase was first used by O'Reilly Media and MediaLive International for a conference they hosted. Dale Dougherty mentioned it during a brainstorming session, suggesting that the web was in a renaissance, with changing rules and evolving business models.<br /><br />The dot.com crash of 2001 made a lot of people feel that the web was an over-hyped phenomenon that had no real place in our lives. Others looked at which web companies were succeeding and tried to work out why.<br /><br />The term Web 2.0 as we use it now refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online.<br /><br />Another definition of Web 2.0 is that it provides an "architecture of participation" or “social networking”.<br /><br />Also, if Web1.0 was comprised of flat pages that just offered up information, Web 2.0 also gives users an experience closer to desktop applications. They often allow for mass publishing and collaboration and the concept includes blogs, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and wikis.<br /><br />So Web 2.0 really describes the best of the web as we see it now. It isn’t written in stone and isn’t a set of rigid guidelines. Still confused? What we can say is that the following are probably all examples of Web 2.0:<br /><br />· Wikipedia – if you haven’t come across Wikipedia (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/">http://en.wikipedia.org/</a>) yet then you are missing out. It is an online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit. This means that it is far reaching and can be viewed as the collective knowledge of all internet users. Ok, there may be something that is incorrect, but someone else will come along and correct it – at least that’s the theory.<br />· Amazon – not only can you buy goods off Amazon, but you can also rate them too – letting other people know what you think of them. Ebay is similar in that you can leave feedback on the person selling the goods.<br />· Digg.com – Everything on this site is submitted by the digg user community. After you submit content, other digg users read your submission and digg what they like best. If your story rocks and receives enough diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of digg visitors to see.<br />· Google Adsense – this serves up advertisements that are targeted at your interests depending upon what you are searching for. The premise being that the targeted ads are more likely to make you want to click them.<br /><br />The common thread of all the above is user interaction – if you are to bring these concepts to your own intranet or internet then your readers must be able to respond to your news stories as well as read them. Scary stuff for the average corporate communicator.<br /><br />A simple solution is a “Tell us what you think” button at the bottom of every story, although true Web 2.0 would have an automatic response box and publish the comments in real time.<br /><br />Another aspect of Web 2.0 is the use of online applications, such as spreadsheets, word processing, to-do lists, reminder services, and personal start pages.<br /><br />A good example of this is Think Free at <a href="http://www.thinkfree.com/">www.thinkfree.com</a>. Now you can run your own version of MS Office wherever you are in the world and all online. Think Free offers Microsoft Office-compatible word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software that operates online, right in the browser. It also allows you to upload, edit, save, and download documents in their native Office formats.<br /><br />This would have been unheard of in the days before broadband. In fact, the first online version of Think Free was released in 2000, but didn’t catch on due to the slow download times.<br /><br />So if this is Web 2.0, what will Web 3.0 look like? The answer is that it is likely to know who you are, wherever you are, serving up just the content you want and collaborating with other systems at all times. Imagine a web that knows it is time for you to visit the dentist, can check your online calendar and book an appointment without you doing anything. Oh, and you could be served up content on how to look after your teeth better too.<br /><br />Find out more at <a href="http://www.infotechcoms.co.uk">www.infotechcoms.co.uk</a>Steve Nicholshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564402221894277279noreply@blogger.com