What is Web 2.0 and how is it different from Web 1.0
The browser is no longer a window to the web – it’s a platform. The key attributes associated with Web 2.0 include the growth of social networks, bi–directional communication, various ‘glue’ technologies as well as significant diversity in various available content types. In essence the Web 2.0 platform is a richer method of user interaction, which in turn has been able give users a more interconnected experience.
Web 1.0 was dominated during the early infancy stages of the internet boom, email, FTP, IRC chat, USENET and other simple technologies has helped to establish what we commonly term the World Wide Web. File Servers, Databases and Groupware where key fundamental building blocks of the obsolete Web 1.0 platform.
The migration and sequential upgrade from the primitive Web 1.0 was based on the fundamental rules of a read-only dynamic communication medium. The web 1.0 was based and founded by corporations rather than modern online communities. Personal websites which where the back bone of Web 1.0 at that time have been upgraded into personal blogs in the Web 2.0 platform. Encyclopaedias like Britannica have been modernised using web 2.0 into Wikipedia. This constant interaction has helped to enhance the online user experience.
The move from a read-only web to a wildly used read-write Web has given rise to a dramatic increase in the number of online users. In 1996 there were approximately 45 million global users and a total of 250 000 sites. However, Web 2.0 in 1996 there were approximately 80 000 000 sites and 1 billion + global users.
Publishing which was more prevalent during Web 1.0 has been replaced by anon-going participation with the modern online communities. This has been made possible by the move from html to xml.With Web 2.0, Javascripting, P2P, RSS, Flash, SPARQL, SWRL, AJAX all helped to establish the upgrade from the Web 1.0 platform and help move towards a Semantic Web. Social networking, Wikis, Office 2.0, Mash ups &SaaS are all key contributors towards a richer method for user interaction.
Web 2.0 in: Business
As opposed to its predecessor, web 2.0 comes with much more richness to offer businesses than just a simple catalogue of products or services. This was what web1.0 was good for, since media embedding and collaboration were as scarce as hailstorm in Durban. Here and there, but not so many. However, web2.0 unleashes its strength by providing businesses with a much needed weapon: collaboration and insight. “Progressive companies are using theirs to stimulate discussion and community around their brand, products and services, and are harvesting invaluable customer insight as a result.”[1]
Businesses are able to communicate with their customers, find out what’s in with their target market, and are able to reach their target market much more efficiently than just a brochure (for instance, the use of Facebook advertising). Since it seems the buzzword with web2 is communication, it also follows that the company’s end-to-end support systems can also be helped. The use of email can now be enhanced (for instance, with pop-up’s) so then communication even within companies is more instant. There’s various other uses: Facebook recruiting (Ernst & Young), Web2.0 powered intranet (Wachovia Bank), global jam events with over 300 000 employees worldwide (IBM), etc.
Web2.0 in: Entertainment
This is probably the platform’s strongest strength. Entertainment in web2.0 comes in many shapes and sizes; games, videos, funny blogs, interesting wikis, embedded music, the whole enchilada. Most of the things that people enjoy today on the net are web2 powered, for example YouTube (which in itself provides a variety of entertainment, with things like movie trailers, sports videos and so forth), social networks, news feeds, and streaming live TV.
Gaming has been revolutionised by web2.0, and thus there is a wealth of excitement around gaming. For instance, Facebook and Google Plus have embedded games one can play against millions of people all around the globe, with chat available so one can be thoroughly amused by their victory over their opponent and brag over it. Revolutionised because no longer does one have to play alone or with friends they know against a machine, but real opponents around the globe. This is massive. Entertainment on web2.0 can be summarised as thus: “what are you interested in? There’s an app for it.”
Web 2.0 in: Education
It is also interesting to note that Tim Berners-Lee original work to develop the Web was in the context of creating a collaborative environment for his fellow scientists at CERN. That is, education was at the heart. That vision of his has now become more widespread in its scope in this age, where the world has become so small and web2.0 applications and tools are able to process millions of kilobytes of data in seconds.
Web2.0 has not yet formally had much undertaking in the education sector, however not without debate. Paul Anderson of JISC Technology and Standards Watch writes “There is significant debate over the alleged advantages and disadvantages of incorporating social software into mainstream education. This is compounded by the fact that there is very little reliable, original pedagogic research and evaluation evidence and that to date; much of the actual experimentation using social software within higher education has focused on particular specialist subject areas or research domains (Fountain, 2005)”. So we wait for the research that will give a clear indication of how education can utilize web2.0.
What are future predictions around Web 2.0
As the user’s demand for richer user content increases as well as for a more interactive experience, I for see a dramatic increase in the amount of data the average user will use. Sites such as Youtube are full of rich and dynamic content. Widgets will tend to be used on a larger scale as to assist users with issues such as RSS feeds. Semantic Databases will also tend to be more prevalent as users will be able to access a wider array of information more accurately. The Semantic Web of the Web 2.0 platform will tend towards the WebOS.
Google has already tried to launch a browser based operating system that will handle all daily functions of our current operating systems. In the future I for see more intelligent personal agents like Sirri to assist the users’ dynamic and unique connection to the internet.
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