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The Internet is as bad as any profession for using acronyms and buzzwords that are meaningless to the average man in the street. Ajax, Really Simple Syndication, Wikis probably mean nothing to the average client. So what does Web 2.0 mean for business websites? This paper seeks to give a very brief overview of what Web 2.0 means and how it will affect web development.
Web 2.0 was a term coined by O’Reilly Media and MediaLive International. What it really meant was that the web had moved on from its initial birth and had evolved into something new and more sophisticated.
For some venture capitalists this meant it was ok to allocate more funds to Internet businesses some of whom were beginning to show strong growth and profits. Whether justified or not Web 2.0 heralded a new optimism for the web with Google and Yahoo snapping up internet start ups with gusto.
Web 2.0 is a shift in thinking about how the web is used. Historically websites were static information silos. Users visited sites to find out about a business, or service. Web 2.0 builds on this by allowing:
Amid all the hot air Web 2.0 presents new opportunities for businesses to communicate with their employees and customers. Gathering information has never been easier. The challenge is to make sure that the information is relevant. Web 2.0 offers the possibility for users to correct and enhance websites, to syndicate content and to grow market intelligence through usage.
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