Web 2.0 simply defined

Web 2.0 is term that was introduced in 2004 and refers to the second generation of the World Wide Web.   All around the web, I cannot for the life of me understand why most technical writers make it seem more complicated than what it is.  So I am going to try to provide a basic definition for web 2.0.

The term “2.0″ comes from the software industry, where new versions of software programs are labeled with an incremental version number. Like software, the new generation of the Web includes new features and functionality that was not available in the past. However, Web 2.0 does not refer to a specific version of the Web, but rather a series of technological improvements.

Web 2.0 did not start in 2004.  Any website that used a forum or offered “groups” services, like Yahoo Groups, or allowed people the ability to build free webpages as in Geocities launched their business

Some examples of features considered to be part of Web 2.0 are listed below:

• Blogs – also known as Web logs, these allow users to post thoughts and updates about their life on the Web.
• Wikis – sites like Wikipedia and others enable users from around the world to add and update online content.
• Social networking – sites like Facebook and MySpace allow users to build and customize their own profiles and communicate with friends.
• Web applications – a broad range of new applications make it possible for users to run programs directly in a Web browser.

Now here’s an interesting way to really view Web 2.0 vs. Web 1.0

Web 1.0 = me
Web 2.0 = me + you

Web 1.0 = read
Web 2.0 = read + write

Web 1.0 = connecting ideas
Web 2.0 = connecting ideas + connecting people

Web 1.0 = search
Web 2.0 = recommendations of friends/others

Web 1.0 = find
Web 2.0 = share

Web 1.0 = techies rule
Web 2.0 = everybody rules

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