WEB 2.0 is the new Web a bigger bang?

Have you ever thought about the difference between using the Internet in the late 1990s and in 2007?

The most important and revolutionary change that has come about on the net is the gradual rise of a new collaborative Web.

This new Web environment has so become a part of our daily lives that the Time magazine named its Person of the Year for 2006 as 'You'. The decision was based keeping in mind the role played by this phenomenon in changing the way people use the Internet.

According to the magazine: "The story of 2006 was a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the people's network YouTube and the online metrolpolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes."

A number of definitions are being put forward to explain this growing phenomenon. The most widely used explanation of the concept was given by O'Reilly Media in 2004, who termed it as Web 2.0.

According to it, Web 2.0 refers to second-generation of web-based services - social networking sites, wikis, blogs, User Generated Content (UGC) - that accentuate online collaboration and sharing among users. It is an arena where the web is a dominant platform compared to the desktop.

Collaborative platform
What actually has changed in last few years? In the past, the Internet was primarily a platform for one-way interaction where people used to get information or services by going online.

But now Internet users are engaged in a two-way collaborative platform with an amazing array of web services like tagging, blogging, vodcasting, podcasting, and social networking among others.

In the words of Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0 is based on social software where the users not just consume the content but generate it.

Technically, Web 2.0 has ensured the replacement of the personal computer as a platform by the net.

Now a host of services like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many others are available on the internet and users don't need to install costly softwares on their PCs. They can directly use these tools on the net and save their work there itself.

Growing trend
Now, what exactly is a Web 2.0 website and how does it affect the lives of millions logging onto the net. So, for all those who have little or no clue about this new concept, here's a list of some of the sites and services.

BlogsSocial NetworkingPhoto/Video sharingContent Aggregators/Bookmarking
There are hundreds of Web 2.0 websites that are catering to the increasing appetite of the online community. According to a business report, more than 1000 Web 2.0 companies were started in Silicon Valley last year.

The rise of this new Web can be attributed to the need for a more collaborative platform. The web pages on the original web were too static and there was no way a user could have contributed or customized them the way he wanted.

User primacy
But Web 2.0 is a different ballgame. Now Internet users can contribute and create all types of content - from text to pictures to videos to personal information to open source software.

There are also a variety of innovative and rich Web 2.0 applications that are being used by youngsters, students and almost all who seek knowledge. The most prominent among them being Nuvvo, Schoolr, Learn Without Limits, and Qunu.

Another reason for the immense popularity of the Web 2.0 concept is the continuous rise in the number of Internet users.

On the other hand, doubts have also been raised about the reach and low user involvement of Web 2.0 sites.

According to a study by US Internet firm Hitwise, only 0.16 per cent of visits on YouTube by users are to seek to upload video for others to watch. Also, only two-tenths of one per cent of visits to Flickr are to upload new photos.

But despite low user involvement it can be said that the new collaborative Web has certainly changed the lives of Internet users.

Web 2.0, seen by many as a confluence of technology, people, and their attitudes, has changed the way we think and use the Internet.

CREDIT: NDTV.com