What is Web 2.0?

" I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user." Bill Gates.

This quote by Bill Gates could not be more true as collective changes are taking place in World Wide Web. Some refer to this change as the new web or Web 2.0. My definition of Web 2.0 relates specifically to the new applications that can be "shaped" by me. The applications are more useful, can be adapted to fit my needs, can provide information sharing with others, and can assist in every day tasks. Not to mention, many of them are free.

New applications are almost "made to order". There are different tools that appeal to different audiences. If you need something done, as the Apple commercial states, "there's an app. for that ."

Some new Web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis are helping companies improve collaboration with their consumers. In much the same way, individuals are using social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook for communication purposes. All of these tools are providing a connection and a way to share information. Whether companies are connecting to their customers or individuals are connecting to their friends, the tools themselves may be different, but the purpose is often the same.

An aspect of Web 2.0 that interests me is the ability for one site to accomplish several things at once, almost effortlessly. A site that I recently discovered and use every day is Dropbox. Dropbox can save my information, share it, and store it. Most importantly, it allows me to retrieve information from any computer with internet access. Dropbox can do all of this and the storage of the first 2 gigabytes are free. I am a slave to my computer and I never realized the impact of my dependence on a machine until it malfunctioned. I had not backed up my work and was I trying to meet a deadline when my hard drive went bad. I was in a real bind. In order to avoid this situation again, I installed Dropbox. It is easy to use and now backs up my files automatically. I only use it to back up my text files but you can also backup photos, emails, videos and and more.

One of the best features of Dropbox is that it syncs my files online automatically and across computers (that have an internet connection.) So now I can work from my laptop and my desktop. I can retrieve files from anywhere that has an internet connection, even with a Blackberry or an Apple iphone.

The feature that exemplifies the term Web 2.0 is the collaboration element. All of this information can be shared with others and can offer a collaborative workspace if necessary. Organizations, companies, and students can share material and work together on team projects.


Where will the next changes be for the World Wide Web? What will Web 3.0 look like? Some experts have labeled Web 3.0 as the Semantic Web. This change would improve search engines abilities to search for information based on context and your own interests and preferences. Tagging will also provide new resources to develop data-related based applications. In the future, widgets could possibly be combined to create personalized, functional web pages.

As for the future of computer and technology, Tim O'Reilly (recognized as creating the term Web 2.0) has commented that building systems that combine human and machine intelligence is a huge part of the oncoming future. My biggest question is will they finally be able to do the dishes?