For those who are familiar with software, you are aware of the serialization of software versions. For example Internet Explore 6 was followed by IE 7, Windows 98 by Windows XP. The idea is that the later is usually an improvement of the former. The internet, being a technical platform too, has been for the last few years experiencing improvements too. The term Web 2.0 has been coined to express this trend.
The term Web 2.0 has often been credited to O'Reilly, a media company that publishes both books and websites on different subjects of computer technology. In the beginning the web was nearly a geek's only environment. If you did not understand what HTML and FTP stood for you were not qualified. The web was characterized by static webpages and content by "expert writers". If you did not like it, you could as well "Hit the road Jack".
Today with Web 2.0, users are driving the direction websites take. No longer is it possible to always shove particular content into users' throats. The term Web 2.0 may sound new to many but there are chances you are already using it. Some of its characteristics include the following;
User Generated Content: This is probably the signature of the next generation of the internet. Websites are now built based on the submissions of the user. The best example of this is the famous video site YuoTube. The site is basically a collection of videos submitted by users.
Voting: Which content is popular and which is not is based on a democratic voting by the users. Unlike Web 1.0 where editors would popularize one submission over the others, in Web 2.0 user is really king. They choose what they like. A good example of this is the news submission site Digg.
Commenting: This is particularly a favorite in blogging. With Web 2.0, you are free to let the world know what you think of a particular content. This is one of the things that make Web 2.0 very sticky. Once you start commenting on different content you never seem to stop.
Blogging: This specific phenomenon sent a chill down the spine of the traditional news media. It has made it possible for anyone to become a news site. Of course some do it better than others. At the very least it lets one share their mind with anyone who cares to listen.
Personalization: The next generation of the internet is allowing one to personalize the kind of content that they get. Unlike Yahoo mail for example where personalization involved selecting between a hand-full of color schemes, Web 2.0 is a complete overhaul. You can determine what you want how you want it when you want it. Even who you get it from and who you can share it with. A good example here is MySpace.
