In this article,
I'll try to „bust the myths" about Web 2.0 and explain what Web 2.0 is from my
perspective.
Most people think
that Web 2.0 is just a simple and clear Web site look. But it is not just a matter of design.
There is much more to it. I searched and searched for an ultimate definition of Web
2.0. So far, there isn't one. There are many!
So what Web 2.0 reffers to - the design or
functionality?
Both, I would
say. Almost all definitions I found describe Web 2.0 in a similar way. Some of
them are more general, some go deep into the technology. From my perspective,
Web 2.0 is the next step in evolutive process of Internet. It is often described as the „next generation of internet". This does not refer only to a specific technology, but also
to a way in which developers, designers and users use Web. Users do not just
read the information, but rather create, own, share information and
participate in new ways of communication.
The main
characteristics of Web 2.0 world are Blogs, Social networking sites (like
Facebook), Wiki services (like Wikipedia), Web Services, RSS feeds and many
more features that you use every day. New technologies are used: Ajax,
Silverlight, JSON and many more. Is has
a recognizable simple and clear design, XHTML and CSS supported.
Can you remember
the Web without all of this? If you are now thinking about it as the medieval
internet, you are right.
Recommended readings
- For more information I recommend you to read an excellent article
in which Tim O'Reilly
describes what Web 2.0 is. You can read
this article here.
- A very concrete description can be found on Wikipedia.
- There is also a very
good article about common design elements that Web 2.0 consists of.
- One more - this guy explains how
to destroy Web 2.0 look. Interesting reading, although I disagree with the author!