What is Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is an oft used, if ill defined, term. The concept behind it is that at some point around the end of the dotcom bubble the web started to change. While once websites were for information and finding files, suddenly the web began to encompass more. Ostensibly, the mantra of Web 2.0 is the adoption of the internet itself as the platform for developing software and providing customers with solutions. But Web 2.0 is a lot more than this, it is also an attitude that the best elements of creation come not from the biggest most successful companies, but from democratic mediums where users can create their own content and the best rises to the top. As well, a basic premise has been to fundamentally redefine how users can access data, specifically the usage of tagging to replace strictly defined categories.

When one thinks of Web 2.0, a few excellent examples come to mind. First is the champion of the new movement, Google, brining web based software and innovative search technology and advertising to consumers worldwide. Blogs, and with them social networking sites like Digg, Stumbleupon and Technorati, are another key part of this new web, representing the ability to create content no matter what your economic limitations. Flikr, an enormously popular photo site, allows users not only to upload their own pictures, but also to tag them with subjects rather than placing them in defined categories. Youtube, and related websites for accessing and viewing videos, uses similar tagging capabilities as Flikr and relies on its users to upload content. P2P, such as bittorrent and other technologies, eliminate the need for dedicated servers for storing content.

Each of these technologies represents different aspects of Web 2.0, but none of them can encompass the entirety of the movement. The popularity of these Web 2.0 sites shows how dramatic the shift has been from the older model to the new one. Suddenly the internet isn’t just a tool, it’s a community, and it’s a source of innovation and ideas. It has also become profitable, as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft all offer advertising solutions that scale to the individual site’s needs. A home blogger might make enough to cover server costs if his blog got popular, while larger sites rely on targeted advertising to provide substantial revenue. What Web 2.0 truly represents is the maturation of the internet to a part of people’s everyday lives, a way to meet and interact, to create and inspire, making it more than just another tool to use on their computer.

It is through sheer popularity that the technology at the heart of Web 2.0 grew. The internet, a stubbornly democratic medium, will continue to grow based on the wants and needs of its more than a billion users. It is likely that the trends toward applications on the web, and indeed the web itself as a platform, will continue, but how this will factor into the future of computers is impossible to predict.

About Omnistar Interactive

Omnistar Interactive, LLC., is a web software solution provider that helps businesses and organizations connect with their customers and automate various business functions. Launched in 1998, Omnistar has helped thousands of customers worldwide to achieve success. To learn more about Omnistar Interactive, visit www.omnistaretools.com.

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Arlen Robinson
Chief Operating Officer
Omnistar Interactive, LLC.
(800) 660-0740