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Web 2.0

Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups like neighborhoods, schools, or the workplace. The term is now frequently used to describe online communities. One of the first social networking sites on the Internet was Classmates.com, which started in 1995. Web 2.0 is a term first coined by Tim O'Reilly.

Social networking utilizes the idea of collective intelligence. The term Web 2.0 refers to the phenomenon of harnessing collective intelligence. Instead of a strong central core, Web 2.0 favors data that reaches to the edges, not the center. That means spreads through the web via many links, through ordinary people. This type of interaction is also called a "long tail".

Social networking and the long tail
The long tail describes the function of web browsers to favor data that comes from many web pages, and reaches to the edges of the Internet, and not to a few core pages. Web 2.0 favors data that is spread out throughout through the web. This is also called viral marketing, or spidering and this spidering is done via social marketing.

Matchup
When these sites link to each other, it is called a mashup.
Example or sites that link between websites to spread information are: Squidoo, MySpace, Facebook, Helium, LinkedIn, etc. Each of these site help spread information. Each provides numerous ways for its users to interact, through different formats, for instance, email, blogging, chat, messaging, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, and discussion groups.

Interactivity
One of the important considerations of Web 2.0 is that users are encouraged to interact, to leave comments, to rate, judge, or purchase. No longer is the web a passive experience. With Web 2.0, everyone's opinion and interaction is encouraged.

Social networking is mainly conducted in a few genres of websites: chats, blogs, bookmarking sites, or information sites.

Chat
Chat was known as "synchronous conferencing. The web browsers each offer their own version: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live messenger, and Google Talk. Now that instant messaging has become an integral part of many people's lives, numerous online chat sites have sprung up, such as Skype.

Blog
Blog is an abbreviation of the word "web log". A blog is an individual website that operates much like a public diary, in which the blogger comments, posts photos and links to other sites. Blog search engines, such as Bloglines, and Technorati have sprung up, allowing users to search tags for similar blog

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