Welcome to the World of Web 2.0!

Understanding Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a catch phrase that basically means the ability to interact and participate on various sites. As an internet marketer, you'll want to dig deep and start understanding Web 2.0 and the power behind it to greatly improve your traffic.

To get you started at understanding what the whole web 2.0 thing is all about, we've found a great article that should get you excited and motivate you to dig in and start utilizing web 2.0 for your business.

As we find valuable hints, techniques and strategies that will guide you, we'll post them here.  Everyday, someone is coming up with something new and creative that you can include in your own marketing arsenol.  Be sure to Bookmark this Page and stop by often.

In the meantime, be sure to read this article "Web 2.0, mashups and social networking - what is it all about? "

  3 different terms - Web 2.0, mashup and social networking, but all intertwined in the brave new Internet, the so-called second phase of the evolution of the online world. But what does it all mean? 

Some companies have made the claim of using "Web 2.0" as a marketing strategy, but it seems in many cases it may be unfounded. 

Do you really need to have a "New! Improved by Web 2.0" slogan on your site in order to survive and thrive? Not really, it's somewhat of a buzzword, but it's good to understand what this jargon means and to begin thinking about how your site can evolve to take advantage of the direction the web is heading in. 

Long gone is the the concept of the Internet geek - the loner in a darkened room engaged in uber-technical pursuits. The web is cool with teens, it's a vital tool and recreation area for Generation X, the web is happening with senior citizens and as a result, it's becoming increasingly user driven rather than tech-geek dictated.

What is Web 2.0?

The roots of the term "Web 2.0" were in a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International in 2004. It referred to a change of thinking about how the applications of the future should be developed. Even before the term existed, Web 2.0 type applications were already around; e.g. blogging software. The brainstorming session sought to identify the common elements of these popular applications and services as a model for the future.

Web 2.0 applications and services have at least several of the following elements common:

- fresh, useful data is the core
- the ability for other parties to manipulate that data
- "living" applications that can be easily adapted
- harnessing the collective experience
- the web as a platform, independent of user platform
- primary focus of participation, rather than publishing
- trusting of users to provide reliable content

Other examples of applications and services with strong Web 2.0 influences are bookmark sharing, Google AdSense, RSS web feeds, Wikipedia and the thousands of mashups currently in existence. Personally, I see forums as a Web 2.0 type of application, but I don't see them recognized as such.

The very interesting point I find about the whole Web 2.0 movement is that in one particular aspect, it's really nothing new. In the 70's the technology boffins were desperately trying to get away from the mainframe/dumb terminal infrastructure and in some ways, we're heading back to that - just with hugely increased flexibility.

For a very much more detailed description of Web 2.0 concepts, something not overly technical, I highly recommend this article by Tim O'Reilly of O’Reilly Media, Inc.

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