Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.
Web 2.0 can be simply defined as "an idea in people's mind","web 2.0 is all about open-ness and collaboration", because the features of web2.0 made the user interface so easy that s/he can utilise it as s/he feels it to be. It’s the ability to more efficiently generate, self-publish, and find information, plus share expertise in a way that’s so much easier and cheaper than earlier knowledge management attempt
Web 2.0 Technologies : weblogs, social bookmarking, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds (and other forms of many-to-many publishing), social software, web application programming interfaces (APIs), and online web services such as eBay and Gmail provide a significant enhancement over read-only websites.
Web 2.0 can be simply defined as "an idea in people's mind","web 2.0 is all about open-ness and collaboration", because the features of web2.0 made the user interface so easy that s/he can utilise it as s/he feels it to be. It’s the ability to more efficiently generate, self-publish, and find information, plus share expertise in a way that’s so much easier and cheaper than earlier knowledge management attempt
Web 2.0 Technologies : weblogs, social bookmarking, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds (and other forms of many-to-many publishing), social software, web application programming interfaces (APIs), and online web services such as eBay and Gmail provide a significant enhancement over read-only websites.
Web2.0 websites / tools and their usage
1. http://web2.0validator.com - Tool to identify whether the website has Web2.0 Features or not.
2. http://www.allthingsweb2.com (Web2.0 Directory)
3. http://www.lightsphere.com/dev/web20.html (Helps to choose name for Web2.0 website)
4. http://www.modernlifeisrubbish.co.uk/article/web-2.0-colour-palette (Website which helps in choosing Color Palette for Web2.0 Website)
5. http://creatr.cc/creatr/ (Tool which helps in creating Web2.0 rich logo)
6. http://www.seopher.com/articles/web20_now_a_skill (website which refers to the features, which makes a website web2.0 rich
7. http://webdesigninfo.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/create-web20-logo-video-tutorial/ (Video Tutorial to create Web2.0 rich logo)
8. http://www.5min.com/Video/Best-Web20-toolbars%20U9ohZwSvSxQ%3D (Best Web 2.0 Tool bars which make website more Web2.0 feasible)
9. http://www.ikiw.org/category/web20/ (Archives for web2.0 Category)
10. http://www.web2logo.com/ (Existing Web2.0 Logos)
You know you’re Web 2.0 when...
-> You can easily comment on, or preferably, actually change the content that you find on a Web site.
-> You can label your information with tags and use them to find that information again.
-> Your Web page doesn't reload even once as you get a whole lotta work done.
-> You are actively aware of other users' recent activity on a site.
-> It's possible for you to easily share with others the information you're contributing on the Web site.
-> You can syndicate your information on a Web site elsewhere on the internet through a feed like RSS or Atom.
-> You can pick and choose the pieces of a Web site that you like and then add that functionality to your own site.
-> There are easy ways to find out what content is the most popular or interesting at the moment.
-> You heard about a new Web site because a friend enthusiastically recommended it to you out of the blue.
-> There happens to be mind boggling amount information and a lot of people on a site, yet it seems easy to find what you want and communicate with others.
-> Everything you ever added to a given Web site can be removed easily at your whim.
-> The Web site actively encourages you to share and reuse its information and its services with others. And it even provides a license to do so.
Web 2.0 and the Five Walls of Confusion
1. The Wall of Buzzwords: AJAX, The Long Tail, Mashups, Memes, SaaS, and many more buzzwords and acronyms put up an impenetrable wall for the uninitiated. Yes, Web 2.0 describes dozens of interlocking design patterns and some good business models for online software. But in our zeal, we forget how far out in the envelope we are. Simple terms like online software, software in the browser, and the two-way Web are so much more approachable. It's not too late, we can explain Web 2.0 in kinder, simpler terms. And we should.
2. The Wall of Hype: This seems to have calmed down a bit but it also might just be moving around. Web 2.0 hype does seem to have diminished in the face of some withering anti-hype and the hype cycle has moved more to Web 2.0-related developments like mashups and the latest round of Web 2.0 startups. Nevertheless, Web 2.0 promotion continues unabated in certain circles along with the anti-hype and if you're not following closely, you don't know what to believe: whether Web 2.0 is the next generation of the Web, or if it's snake oil; if it's the future of software, or just a marketing gimmick. I will give you my point of view one last time: Web 2.0 is real. And for that good reason, and some not-so-good ones, there is a lot of hype surrounding it.
3. The Wall of Complexity: If you look at the Wired post above it has a particularly complex diagram in it. I actually drew that in order to create a pretty comprehensive view of most of the moving parts in Web 2.0. There are a lot and it's hard to figure out where to start as a user, much less a software designer. The good news is that the good exemplars (Flickr and del.icio.us) and some of our approaches (like AJAX), actually make it pretty obvious what you're supposed to do. But it's still very hard and what's still not conveyed very well is the sense of balance and proportion required. In other words, you're not supposed to pile every single one of these Web 2.0 ingredients into the cake, bake it, and sell it to the nearest Web software giant. It doesn't work that way. There is a constant feedback loop with your users on the Web that guide you in a close collaboration to add/remove features and capabilities while dynamically shaping and reshaping the product into what it needs to be at any given time.
4. The Wall of Significance. Is Web 2.0 a major new revolution in the way software is created and used? Probably. But there's a lot of stuff to learn, especially about the softer aspects of online systems like collaboration and social software. A lot of software developers, architects, and designers, more comfortable with the precise, exact parts that comprise software, are often pretty unhappy about this. Unfortunately for them, these aspects are probably here to stay, but they aren't sure. The competition for users, attention, and market share means you have to increasingly dangle the most effective engagement mechanisms or people will go elsewhere. And because we're human, there are few more powerful draws that building a sense of ownership and community. But in these early days, it's hard to tell if there really is a fundamental shift in first-order software design, or just a passing wave of faddish affectation. Those of you who read this blog know where I stand, but it's hard for everyone to appreciate the significance of all this yet.
5. The Wall of Ignorance: I find that most people in the real world (as in not-the-blogosphere) have no real idea what a blog is yet, much less a wiki. If I sample my local IT shop, I'll get better answers but surprisingly not much better. The real danger is in constructing such an advanced world that it alienates those that encounter it. This is almost like the buzzword problem above but it's even more insular. Fortunately, the very best Web 2.0 software blows past such problems and just lets people do their thing and not worry about what it's called. I talked for a bit with Debbie Landa of Under the Radar at the TechCrunch BBQ over the weekend and she summed it up best (and I'm paraphrasing): "If I can't figure it out in a minute or two, I know it doesn't have it." The bottom line is that great software will appeal to everyone and require no special knowledge, but all too many online software apps require all of that knowledge and will forever be relegated to users who are in the very tip of the progress envelope. A pity indeed.
These walls are the biggest barriers to appreciating Web 2.0 and are holding it back from whatever fame and greatness it may be destined for. Not that it won't get there eventually. But it's a giant world out there, even on the Web these days, and any message takes a while to transmit.
2. http://www.allthingsweb2.com (Web2.0 Directory)
3. http://www.lightsphere.com/dev/web20.html (Helps to choose name for Web2.0 website)
4. http://www.modernlifeisrubbish.co.uk/article/web-2.0-colour-palette (Website which helps in choosing Color Palette for Web2.0 Website)
5. http://creatr.cc/creatr/ (Tool which helps in creating Web2.0 rich logo)
6. http://www.seopher.com/articles/web20_now_a_skill (website which refers to the features, which makes a website web2.0 rich
7. http://webdesigninfo.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/create-web20-logo-video-tutorial/ (Video Tutorial to create Web2.0 rich logo)
8. http://www.5min.com/Video/Best-Web20-toolbars%20U9ohZwSvSxQ%3D (Best Web 2.0 Tool bars which make website more Web2.0 feasible)
9. http://www.ikiw.org/category/web20/ (Archives for web2.0 Category)
10. http://www.web2logo.com/ (Existing Web2.0 Logos)
You know you’re Web 2.0 when...
-> You can easily comment on, or preferably, actually change the content that you find on a Web site.
-> You can label your information with tags and use them to find that information again.
-> Your Web page doesn't reload even once as you get a whole lotta work done.
-> You are actively aware of other users' recent activity on a site.
-> It's possible for you to easily share with others the information you're contributing on the Web site.
-> You can syndicate your information on a Web site elsewhere on the internet through a feed like RSS or Atom.
-> You can pick and choose the pieces of a Web site that you like and then add that functionality to your own site.
-> There are easy ways to find out what content is the most popular or interesting at the moment.
-> You heard about a new Web site because a friend enthusiastically recommended it to you out of the blue.
-> There happens to be mind boggling amount information and a lot of people on a site, yet it seems easy to find what you want and communicate with others.
-> Everything you ever added to a given Web site can be removed easily at your whim.
-> The Web site actively encourages you to share and reuse its information and its services with others. And it even provides a license to do so.
Web 2.0 and the Five Walls of Confusion
1. The Wall of Buzzwords: AJAX, The Long Tail, Mashups, Memes, SaaS, and many more buzzwords and acronyms put up an impenetrable wall for the uninitiated. Yes, Web 2.0 describes dozens of interlocking design patterns and some good business models for online software. But in our zeal, we forget how far out in the envelope we are. Simple terms like online software, software in the browser, and the two-way Web are so much more approachable. It's not too late, we can explain Web 2.0 in kinder, simpler terms. And we should.
2. The Wall of Hype: This seems to have calmed down a bit but it also might just be moving around. Web 2.0 hype does seem to have diminished in the face of some withering anti-hype and the hype cycle has moved more to Web 2.0-related developments like mashups and the latest round of Web 2.0 startups. Nevertheless, Web 2.0 promotion continues unabated in certain circles along with the anti-hype and if you're not following closely, you don't know what to believe: whether Web 2.0 is the next generation of the Web, or if it's snake oil; if it's the future of software, or just a marketing gimmick. I will give you my point of view one last time: Web 2.0 is real. And for that good reason, and some not-so-good ones, there is a lot of hype surrounding it.
3. The Wall of Complexity: If you look at the Wired post above it has a particularly complex diagram in it. I actually drew that in order to create a pretty comprehensive view of most of the moving parts in Web 2.0. There are a lot and it's hard to figure out where to start as a user, much less a software designer. The good news is that the good exemplars (Flickr and del.icio.us) and some of our approaches (like AJAX), actually make it pretty obvious what you're supposed to do. But it's still very hard and what's still not conveyed very well is the sense of balance and proportion required. In other words, you're not supposed to pile every single one of these Web 2.0 ingredients into the cake, bake it, and sell it to the nearest Web software giant. It doesn't work that way. There is a constant feedback loop with your users on the Web that guide you in a close collaboration to add/remove features and capabilities while dynamically shaping and reshaping the product into what it needs to be at any given time.
4. The Wall of Significance. Is Web 2.0 a major new revolution in the way software is created and used? Probably. But there's a lot of stuff to learn, especially about the softer aspects of online systems like collaboration and social software. A lot of software developers, architects, and designers, more comfortable with the precise, exact parts that comprise software, are often pretty unhappy about this. Unfortunately for them, these aspects are probably here to stay, but they aren't sure. The competition for users, attention, and market share means you have to increasingly dangle the most effective engagement mechanisms or people will go elsewhere. And because we're human, there are few more powerful draws that building a sense of ownership and community. But in these early days, it's hard to tell if there really is a fundamental shift in first-order software design, or just a passing wave of faddish affectation. Those of you who read this blog know where I stand, but it's hard for everyone to appreciate the significance of all this yet.
5. The Wall of Ignorance: I find that most people in the real world (as in not-the-blogosphere) have no real idea what a blog is yet, much less a wiki. If I sample my local IT shop, I'll get better answers but surprisingly not much better. The real danger is in constructing such an advanced world that it alienates those that encounter it. This is almost like the buzzword problem above but it's even more insular. Fortunately, the very best Web 2.0 software blows past such problems and just lets people do their thing and not worry about what it's called. I talked for a bit with Debbie Landa of Under the Radar at the TechCrunch BBQ over the weekend and she summed it up best (and I'm paraphrasing): "If I can't figure it out in a minute or two, I know it doesn't have it." The bottom line is that great software will appeal to everyone and require no special knowledge, but all too many online software apps require all of that knowledge and will forever be relegated to users who are in the very tip of the progress envelope. A pity indeed.
These walls are the biggest barriers to appreciating Web 2.0 and are holding it back from whatever fame and greatness it may be destined for. Not that it won't get there eventually. But it's a giant world out there, even on the Web these days, and any message takes a while to transmit.
No comments:
Post a Comment