Web 2.0…
What is Web 2.0??
Web 2.0 can be referred to as the current
state of online technology as it compares to the early days of the web, with
more user interactivity & collaboration and many more added features.
One of the most significant differences
between Web 2.0 and the traditional World Wide Web AKA WWW is greater
collaboration among internet users, content providers and enterprises. In the
WWW era content was post on web sites and users were able to view or download
these information. In the Web 2.0 era users have more input into the nature and
scope of Web content and in some cases exert real-time control over it.
Web 2.0 presents a different angle to the
social interaction on the web. Originally it was just a static web;
increasingly websites enable community-based input, interaction,
content-sharing and collaboration. Types of social media sites and applications
include forums, microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social
curation, and wikis.
The foundations of this new Web 2.0 are the
advances enabled by Ajax and other applications such as Rich Site Summary (RSS) and Eclipse and the
user empowerment that they support.
When looking at the major components of Web
2.0 the following can be listed.
- Wikis
- Software as a Service (SaaA)
- Mobile Computing
- Mash-ups (Web pages or applications that integrate complementary elements from two or more sources.)
- Social Networking
- Crowdsourcing, crowdfunding & crowd testing
- User generated content – writing, pictures, videos, blogs, etc.
- Voice calls & chats
- Social Curation – Reddit, Pinterest, etc.
Looking at the above features and
functionality offered by web 2.0 it can be seen as an important and
revolutionary component in the web evolution in a good and a bad way. It clearly
brings in a new perspective and new opportunities to different arts and
sciences such as business, education, sociology, psychology, literature, politics
and many others.
But Web 2.0 is not the end. Industry experts are already
claiming that Web 2.0 is just a transitional phase between the early WWW and
the upcoming Semantic Web era also known as Web 3.0.
