by Barry Hufstedler

Created on: July 22, 2010

WEB 2.0

What it is, what it does, and where it’s going

The first usage of the term Web 2.0 has seen some controversy but its popularity has been primarily due to Tim O’Reilly and John Battelle when they hosted the first Web 2.0 conference in 2004. In the book Web 2.0 and Beyond author Tom Funk states “The concept of “Web 2.0” began with a conference brainstorming session between O’Reilly Media and MediaLive International” (Funk, 2009). The conference is still held but under the name Web 2.0 Summit and is put together by CMP Media (who also holds the trademark for the term Web 2.0) and MediaLive International. The usage of Web 2.0 can be misleading because it makes it sound like we have a new version of the internet which is not the case technically. Web 2.0 has more to do with how we interact with the Web than brand new technology. So we can see Web 2.0 has been around for some time, but what exactly is it?

Web 2.0 has a very broad scope and definition that encompasses all kinds of services, applications, and user input. I believe the simplest way to define it is this; Web 2.0 is a set of technologies and services that make the Web more interactive, collaborative, and valuable to the user. If you have ever heard or used Blogging, YouTube, Facebook or Wikipedia then you have experienced Web 2.0. The days of static pages filled with information have changed to user controlled, created, and defined content. One of the best ways to illustrate the difference between what has been called Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is to use the encyclopedia as example. The encyclopedia contained a wealth of information but all you could do was read it. It only gets updated when the publisher compiles new articles from scholars and sends out appendices. Compare this to Wikipedia which provides information in a dynamic way and content can be created or updated in seconds instead of years. Websites like Digg.com let the online community determine what news, videos, and images are most important to them. Other media services like YouTube, Flickr, and podcasting sites have enabled anyone to become there own broadcaster. Websites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter make it possible to have your own presence on the Web.  These technologies have made the Web a richer, more connected, and exciting place to be. In 2006 Time Magazine paid tribute to user created media “By 2006, Time magazine pointed to blogging and other user-created web content

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