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What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is the representation of the evolution of traditional applications to web applications focused on the end user. Web 2.0 is an attitude and not a technology.
When the web started, we were in a static, HTML pages with a few updates and suffering did not have interaction with the user.
Web 2.0 is the transition that has occurred in traditional applications to applications that work across the web targeted to the end user. This is generating applications and collaboration services to replace desktop applications.
Everything started when Dale Dougherty of O Reilly Media used in a conference that shared brainstorm with Craig Cline of MediaLive in speaking of the revival and evolution of the web. Constantly emerging new applications and sites with amazing features. And they set the tone for the Web 2.0 conference in 2004. This conference was not only successful but that it was followed up in the Web 2.0 Conference held in October 2005.
In the initial Web Conference talk spoke of the principles that have Web 2.0 applications:
The web is the platform
The information processor is
Network effects driven by an architecture of participation.
Innovation stems from characteristics distributed by independent developers.
The purpose of the software adoption cycle ( "Services in perpetual beta")
Web 2.0 examples
The easiest way to understand what Web 2.0 means is through examples. We can compare Web services that make a clear evolution towards Web 2.0:
Web 1.0> Web 2.0
DoubleClick -> Google AdSense (Public Services)
Ofoto -> Flickr (Photo Communities)
Akamai -> BitTorrent (content distribution)
MP3.com -> Napster (music downloads)
Britannica Online -> Wikipedia (Encyclopedia)
Personal websites -> Blogs (Personal Pages)
Speculation Domains -> Search Engine Optimization
Page views -> Cost per click
CMSs -> Wikis (Content Management)
Categories / Directories -> Tagging
What technologies support Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 means precisely that there is not a recipe for all our web applications come into this scheme. However, there are several technologies that are currently used and that we should look more carefully for the web continue to evolve together.
Some technologies that give life to a Web 2.0 project:
Transform software into the desktop platform of the web.
Respect to the standards of XHTML.
Separation of content from design using style sheets.
Content syndication.
Ajax (Asincronical javascript and xml).
Using Flash, Flex and Lazlo.
Using Ruby on Rails programming for dynamic pages.
Using social networks to manage users and communities.
Giving full control to users in managing their information.
Provide APIs or XML so that applications can be manipulated by others.
Provide positioning with simple URL.
What is good is Web 2.0?
The use of the term Web 2.0 is all the rage, giving great weight to a trend that has been present for some time now. Speculation on the Internet have been causing large bubbles and technology have made many projects fail.
In addition, our projects have to be renewed and evolve. The Web 2.0 is not just a technology, but is the attitude with which we should work to develop online.
Perhaps there is the most important reflection of Web 2.0 and how webmasters should prepare. I am already working on some projects to renew and improve, not to seek to label them with new versions, but because I firmly believe that the only constant must be the change, and on the Internet, change must be present more frequently.
Albert Sirvent - Grupo DomainGurus