Characteristics of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 isn’t any one set of software programs or popular websites. Web 2.0 is actually a term coined by software experts to describe the next generation of software and web interfaces based online. As more and more users end up online, the web has changed to reflect the needs and wants of more people. The old generation of web applications reflected the types of people that were generally online, generally people who were already good with computers. In Web 2.0, the emphasis is more about being social and more user friendly. There are actually several hallmarks that indicate Web 2.0 applications. Here are a few characteristics that are part of the Web 2.0 movement:

User Control

The old model of the Internet suggested that only those who placed website online controlled the content of those sites. A person could only control a website if they owned and had direct control the content, design, and maintenance of that website. The new, Web 2.0 model of the Internet states that websites will have more accurate and more informative content if the users are able to control the content or at least organization of that website. Several examples of popular sites online show this. Wikipedia, a nonprofit project, allows any user to control the contents of the site. Flickr, a popular photo sharing site, allows users to upload their own photos, tag them, and describe them as they see fit.

By allowing users to control the categories and tags that exist for each piece of content on a website, websites are utilizing something called “folksonomy”. Folksonomy is a term that describes what happens when users categorize their own materials rather than relying on someone else or a computer program to do this for them. Imagine that a user uploads a photo to a photo sharing site and makes the picture public so that anyone can access the photograph. The user also wants to tag the photograph with a descriptive term that lets people know the contents of the photo they are about to see. If the image was a picture of the Alamo, for example, the user might use tags like “Alamo,” “San Antonio,” or “landmark” to describe the photo. This personalization is what’s known as folksonomy. By allowing users to self-categorize content, a website can exist with a smaller budget and provide a greater range of services to users, a win-win for everyone.

Social Interaction

Social interaction is one of the elements that make Web 2.0 applications exciting, fun, and easy for the user. Social interaction means keeping in touch with friends online or meeting new people from around the world. In the old model of the Internet, every user was an island who went about his or her business online without having much interaction with other users. Certainly some tools could be used for communication with others like chatting and message boards, but there weren’t many other options to communicate with other web users. Web 2.0 applications make virtually everything social. The photos users post online; and their favorite links, videos, and books, and movies can be up for discussion with anyone.

Social interaction, along with social control, is part of what makes Web 2.0 applications so exciting. When users can come together and make necessary changes, discuss their favorite topics, and communicate the things they have in common, this creates a Web that is no longer a cold and desolate place devoid of other human life. With social interaction, the Web experience can be truly personal and social. A regular Web surfer can share their favorite videos with the world, and the people that see the video can comment. They can begin a lively dialogue with each other or let the comments go without response. Either way, these web applications are making communicating with other Web users easier than before.