Web 2.0

The Web 2.0 presentation week has come to an end and there are a lot of important talking points. Firstly, I’d like to define what the Web 2.0 is and its origin.

By definition from http://searchenginewatch.com/define :

“A term that refers to a supposed second generation of Internet-based services. These usually include tools that let people collaborate and share information online, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies.”

One of the presentations a group did in my seminar class:

Rich User Experiences in Web 2.0

View more presentations from lolscott.

Its history starting point isn’t defined as it was a slow transition from old internet traditions that developed into dynamic systems. Web applications and the collaboration of data is thought to of started at around 2001 however it’s taken time for the revolution to happen.













The terms use has been criticized as an unclear buzzword. The World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee described:

"Nobody really knows what it means...If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along."

From a design standpoint, websites have became more aesthetically pleasing for its audience and more user friendly, webbased programming languages becoming standardized such as CSS and XTML have enriched web development which is beneficial to both designer and its audience. In addition to multimedia becoming an integral part of web surfing, user input has changed, blogs, forums; social networking has been allowed through web 2.0. Users can participate through various mediums on a level never seen before; examples of this are Facebook, Youtube, and MySpace, but not forgetting small audience content such as your average personal blog. The Long Tail theory is a key feature of Web 2.0, with large companies such as Amazon adopting this business strategy of selling large numbers of unique items but in very small quantities but maintaining the quantities of the very popular items.

The collaboration of data is perhaps the most definitive factor in the Web 2.0 era. Systematically, consumer data is resources by corporations for marketing strategies. On purchasing websites, it’s often found links and suggestions such as ‘People who bought this item, also bought…” Google is perhaps the most obvious company to point to concerning the masses amounts of data being harvested to further their own ends. Google has capitalized on its position on the internet, expanding its flagship search engine and now owns googlemail, google video, youtube, google maps, blogspot and various other services for the masses. However they’ve understood the power of user created content. Their advertising strategy revolves around users allowing 3rd party marketers to place adverts on their personal websites, acting as a middleman. Googles ability to adapt to the Web 2.0 landscape has reinforced its dominance and grip over the internet.

Some of the debates have risen since the Web 2.0’s arrival. Who owns the content that’s posted on the internet? How are we identified as individuals on the internet? Do those that participate in different mediums have a right to their privacy? Is it fair for social network websites to use our information for marketers? Is it a step towards a Big Brother Society? Eyes are raised around the complex debate of net-neutrality, is it right to have a two-tier system of content and fragmenting digital anarchy?