Web 2.0
The phrase Web 2.0 began as a brainstorming session between O’Reilly and MediaLive International. They believed with the dot-com collapse it marked the turning point for the web and this turning point was to be named Web 2.0.
To understand what web 2.0 is you must first understand what web 1.0 is. Web 1.0 tried to give structure to the internet. This did not work, you cannot have absolute structure in a chaotic structure. Instead you have to be able to move and flow with this chaos, harness it if you will. There were many companies who did not understand this and they failed these companies include Netscape, MP3.com, and double click to name a few.
Tim O’Reilly gave this explanation of what web 2.0 is. Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.
I think web 2.0’s benchmark is thriving on chaos. What this means is that it does not try to give structure to the web, but instead adapts to it and thrives on its chaos. Successful websites that have been able to do this include Wikipedia, Google, and EBay. These companies have a different approach to the web than their predecessors and that is why they are still around and thriving today.
These websites allow the user to add value. This is one of the most important points in the web 2.0 platform. No longer do you just read what others are writing but instead you add value and allow others to read what you have to say. This makes the user feel like they are a part of the web. Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have taken advantage of this. These sites are user friendly and allow you to add value. Blog sites such as this one allows you to do the same, add value and make a contribution to the network.
It could be that there really isn’t such a thing as web 2.0 but instead this is just a fancy work for the internet evolution. The internet when it first started out was available to few and was seen as a complete system. Now the internet is seen as a easy way to find information and create value. Either way Web 2.0 or the evolution of the internet has greatly influenced they way we access information and express how we feel.
References:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreily/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html