What is Web 2.0?

It is generally accepted that the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001 marked a turning point for the web. While many companies crashed, taking their ideas with them, many more survived, and these provided valuable clues as to the future of the Internet. In an effort to predict these new trends the term 'web 2.0' was coined, but many of us working in the industry still find it difficult to decide whether the whole issue is simply meaningless marketing hype or, in actual fact, a new conventional wisdom. A typical Google search for 'web 2.0' returns around 775,000,000 listings so, hype or not, the idea has certainly got around!

From our perspective web 2.0 is really about ordinary people using the Web and creating things on it. We're not really convinced by the idea that it heralds some kind of technological revolution. We accept that web 2.0 is powered by technology, but at the heart of the concept are the people that create it - everyday Internet users. The tools of Web 2.0 exist in this interplay between, the information web users organize for themselves, and that which they share with others.

In summary, web 2.0 describes the control of information, processes, and software as originated and organised by users of the Web.  These users now generate the majority of web content and have equal access to its global audience.

These unique 'voices' represent a redistribution of political power on the Internet and anybody with a blog account and a point of view is already participating in the new world of web 2.0.

What does Web 2.0 mean for future development?

Social networking systems, as propounded by web 2.0, rich in content and functionality, as delivered through blogs and wikis, create a naturally semantic environment characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority and freedom to share and re-use. This concept could herald a shift in the economic value of the web and may even determine how businesses evaluate their web strategies in the future. Many recently developed concepts and technologies, including weblogs, linklogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds and other forms of 'many to many' publishing may have great benefits in the commercial sector as companies realign themselves to take advantage of these new trends.

Skeptics argue that the term is little more than a buzzword, or that it means whatever its proponents want it to mean in order to convince their customers that they are creating something fundamentally new, rather than continuing to develop and use well-established technologies. Perhaps the idea of 'versioning' the web, as developers do with software, has itself helped create the undercurrent of suspicion - after all, the web is too vast and too complex to be categorized so succinctly - and added to the conspiracy theory that someone is trying to 'pull the wool over our eyes!'

Here at wight365 we are already having to respond to growing demands from information professionals amongst our clientele for blogging and wiki applications, along with unified content management architectures that will ultimately lead to lower costs, consistency of branding and the management of security over multiple sites.

So, something more than sleight of hand is going on, and it would take a brave developer to ignore the warning signs!

So where does that leave us?

At its core, web 2.0 will take all of this unique information and incorporate it into a universe of connections that reflect the real-life links between people, organisations, services, products, web sites, and other entities.

The ultimate aim is to create:

• Browsers that instantly show you the content you'll find most interesting
• Search engines that return fewer, better results - every time
• A marketplace that always tells you the best products and services, and lets you advertise anything you like
• A world with no more spam, phishing or online scams
• Access to your contacts' current, up-to-date details, all the time
• The ability to find the right contact wherever you are

The new web will be a platform that simply joins up all the functions and data with a new network of connections that will make life easier, more productive, safer.... and more fun. Whether the commercial sector see web 2.0 as the starting point for a re-working of their Internet strategies remains to be seen but if, as a business friend of mine suggested, this is a case of the 'lunatics taking over the asylum', is a commonly held view amongst business professionals, there could be interesting days ahead!

In conclusion, to paraphrase Sir Tim Berners-Lee, in his much bookmarked interview with the BBC:
"I do believe we are living through a momentous change in the history of culture and technology for which, at least in part and currently, 'Web 2.0' serves as a useful, if sometimes over-charged, short-hand...."

micky pixel

Mike has worked in the advertising and design media since leaving art school and has a vast range of experience across a number of key disciplines.

He believes that given the constant shifts in technology it is essential that our advice to clients remains focussed and centred on the best possible solution for their project. "At wight365 we love to be loved! So we always go that extra yard for our clients".