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© 2006 Cassandra Chambers (100259252)

WEB 2.0 QUICK FACTS

Below is a little information on Web 2.0. 'Web 2.0' is a term that was created in 2004 by O'Reilly Media, and it refers to a next-generation set of services currently offered by the World Wide Web. The emphasis is on communication between users and sharing of information. However, said term has become a word that has been widely ill-defined and criticized heavily.

A little information on Web 2.0

The actual term 'Web 2.0', created by Tim O'Reilly and O'Reilly Media, was created in 2004 when O'Reilly Media, after collaborating with MediaLive, set up a conference to demonstrate a new generation of the World Wide Web and show that it is slowly transitioning into a network that provides emphasis on content sharing. There are a few events that 'Web 2.0' refers to in detail:

- A social phenomenon making an approach to generating actual Web content which focuses on decentralization of authority (getting rid of the middle man, so to speak) and by open communication between users

- A marketing term that puts new Web-based businesses and web-based businesses created during the 'dot com boom' in seperate groups

It's a little easier, according to Tim O'Reilly, to associate the rise of Web 2.0 with products that emphasize its core principles. There are four levels of hierarchy, or 'Web 2.0-ness', as stated by O'Reilly:

- Level-3 Applications. Products at this level could only exist online (i.e. eBay). These types of applications rely on human power to run (users who sign up) and they grow in effectiveness the more people use them.

- Level-2 Applications. These are applications that can function in an offline state, but gain a sizeable advantage if they go online. Photo-sharing sites are but one example.

- Level-1 Applications. These work offline as well, but they gain features by going online (i.e. iTunes, due to its music store area)

- Level-0 applications. These applications primarily work offline. Google Earth, MapQuest, and other such mapping programs, to name a few. However, user contribution can help these sites rank as Level-2 applications.

Basically, many people who promote Web 2.0 believe that the Web is moving towards interaction and social networks (networks that provide content without need of a concrete webpage). Essentitally, access to said content is closer to the original idea of the World Wide Web, as designed by Tim Berners-Lee (the original proponent of the WWW).

Features of Web 2.0

A typical Web 2.0 website might exhibit some of these features:

Network as a platform. In other words, delivering applications exclusively through a Web browser.

Exclusivity. Users who have data to share on a Web 2.0 have exclusive rights over it and can determine how it's distributed.

Participation. As users use the web application they are encouraged to add value to it, thereby making it more user friendly.

User-friendliness. The interface for Web 2.0 sites will be easy to understand and won't be complicated to navigate.

Basically, the entire concept of Web 2.0 is described as "web-as-participation" and these characteristics define that to a tee. The web as we know it currently, or Web 1.0 if you will, can be defined as "web-as-information source".

Technology associated with Web 2.0

Web 2.0 technology is very complex; much of what is needed to run a Web 2.0 site consists of server-software, content syndication, messaging protocols (much like MSN Web Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger), standards-based browsers that support plugins and addons (Firefox is one such browser), and different types of client applications. Some advanced technological features that might be running with a Web 2.0 site would be:

- Ajax-based rich internet application techniques (as well as said applications not based on Ajax)

- syndication of data using RSS (really simple syndication) (see picture at left for a simplified explanation of RSS)

- Clean and meaningful URLs (in other words, there isn't a bunch of text and characters in a weblink that the average person wouldn't understand; therefore, links are easy to understand and are much shorter)

- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

Innovations

Web Based Communities

Some new sites that may later be associated with Web 2.0 have created social networks amid the public. RSS feeds are part of those networks, with information coming to those who subscribe to a feed. Syndication and messaging capabilities of the web have grown substantially, and therefore the face of online communities has changed. But with the meaning of these changes comes division in online communities; Web 2.0, relying heavily on content contribution, can either empower an individual or it can raise a relative amateur to the level of a prefessional, which could be bad news for those who have spent lifetimes acquiring knowledge.


Web Based applications/desktops

Many websites now mimic small computer applications (like word processing; OpenOffice.org is one such site). As well, many browser-based "operating systems" have come in to play; however, they don't necessarily function like a true operating system, like MAC OS 10 or Windows - they just offer applications much like a standard PC would. The Google toolbar enables users with a popup blocker, search engine, and a few other applications embedded in a simple, easy-to-use toolbar located in your internet browser.


Web Protocols

Web Communication protocols are key to Web 2.0's functionality. Protocols include:

- REST. (representational state transfer) This indicates a way to access/manipulate data on a server using HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

- SOAP. This method posts requests and messages to a server that may contain complex instructions for the server to follow.

(both of these web protocols can be fully explained by clicking their respected links.)

Criticism and controversy with Web 2.0

"Web 2.0" doesn't have any real set of standards or a truly clear representation of what it really means. That said, this term can mean something completely different to two people. For example, some people expect a Web 2.0 site to mean concise HTML source code, but not many sites that are/truly will be web 2.0 actually come close to this standard. As well, many ideas that have been termed with being 'web 2.0 friendly' (many of which have been explained in this document) actually surfaced before the term 'web 2.0' was actually coined. Many sites where you're able to order books (Chapters/Indigo for example) enable users who are searching for a book to write reviews for any book they may have read; therefore, this is a form of self-publishing, and it is a perfect example of what Web 2.0 is supposed to be (an online community of users contributing to a site's information database). Blogging is another popular form of publishing. There is also an argument that states that web 2.0 isn't a completely new revolution of Internet altogether, but that it's just something building on top of Web 1.0 (web as we know it now).
There has been a bit of controversy surrounding this term in recent years, according to the following excerpt:

"In November 2003, CMP Media applied to the USPTO for a service mark on the use of the term "WEB 2.0" for live events. On the basis of this application, CMP Media sent a cease-and-desist demand to the Irish non-profit organization IT@Cork on May 24, 2006, but retracted it two days later. The "WEB 2.0" service mark registration passed final PTO Examining Attorney review on May 10, 2006, but as of June 12, 2006 the PTO has not published the mark for opposition. The European Union application (which would confer unambiguous status in Ireland) remains pending (app no 004972212) after its filing on March 23, 2006."

It's still too early to truly tell what Web 2.0 truly is. As time progresses more and more facets of Web 2.0 will emerge, and only then weill we really know what Web 2.0 is capable of. The evolution of Internet has begun; it's difficult to say where it's going to end up in ten years.