Week 9 Think Piece

We have entered a new digital age. This is an era where one can access infinite information, videos, games, and socialize with friends. Thanks to Web 2.0, the online realm has truly become limitless. So, what is Web 2.0? That question has been argued for years.
The best way to demonstrate Web 2.0 is by comparing it to its predecessor, Web 1.0. The characteristics that define Web 1.0 include static sites, sites that aren’t interactive, and proprietary applications. Web 2.0 offers much more.
Static sites never change. Web 1.0 was riddled with permanent sites, or sites that required lots of time to update. Web 2.0 allows for sites to evolve. Facebook is a good example. Facebook.com is constantly changing. Users contribute with millions of posts per day, and advertisements are always being updated.
Web 1.0 lacked interactive sites. Today, one can enter almost any site on the web and share its information on the vast amount of social networks. Users can leave comments, “like” stories, and post their own videos. Blogs are accessible for surfers to view or create. The Internet is an interactive realm provided by Web 2.0.
“Under the Web 1.0 philosophy, companies develop software applications that users can download, but they can't see how the application works or change it” (Strickland). Web 2.0 and its browsers, like Firefox, allows users to view and alter applications. This benefits everyone, as some alterations may improve applications.
To conclude, Tim O’Reilly claims Web 2.0 components include:

• Services, not packaged software, with cost-effective scalability
• Control over unique, hard-to-recreate data sources that get richer as more people use them
• Trusting users as co-developers
• Harnessing collective intelligence
• Leveraging the long tail through customer self-service
• Software above the level of a single device
• Lightweight user interfaces, development models, and business models

Web 2.0 is constantly changing, it is interactive, and it is allowing users to be more interactive.

Sources:
O'Reilly, T. (2005, Sept. 30). What is web 2.0. Retrieved from http://oreilly.com/lpt/a/6228

Strickland, J. (n.d.). Is there a web 2.0?. Retrieved from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-101.htm