Web 2.0
The Worldwide Web was invented in 1989. In barely a decade, it had reinvented centuries old businesses, inspired the creation of new ones, and penetrated our homes to become an integrated part of our lives. It has revolutionized the way we work, live, learn, and communicate. Yet, the Web is still in its infancy, and is already being transformed by a new generation of entrepreneurs with new technologies and fresh ideas.
This blog contains some of my notes from the 15th International World Wide Web Conference in Scotland (May 22-26, 2006).
In the near future, Web 2.0 will evolve to the following:
- The Web will become a platform.
- The Web will harness collective intelligence—not just the data in a system, but also the input from the users, including demographics, buying habits, etc.
- End of the software release cycle. No need to download software (in releases); it is used from the servers over the Web.
- Richer user experiences.
Sites such as MySpace, Flickr, and Facebook demonstrate a remarkable shift in how people seek entertainment, collaborate, and communicate. One big change from first-generation Web sites is that users contribute content to the sites as they consume content, increasing the value of the site and drawing more participants.
Key differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0:
- The trend toward Widespread broadband connectivity. (Although this is a trend, today half the users of Church Web sites in the USA access by high speed and the other half by dial-up. Outside the USA, high-speed users are more like 1-25%.)
- Open standards will make connectivity between services more reliable and simpler to build.
- Lightweight development environments will make development easier and less expensive. Movement from complex languages like J2EE and .NET to easier environments such as AJAX, HTML, CSS, RSS, and blogs. Businesses and users demand simpler tools and lower costs.
- Lower investment costs. Open standards and lightweight development environments mean lower costs.
- Wider innovation opportunities. The lower-skill requirements and reduced costs open the door to innovation as more people can be involved. This puts development and publishing in the hands of lower-skilled people.
- Change in emphasis. Web 1.0 focused on research and academics. Web 2.0 will continue to focus on business and improving quality of life.
- Better browsers. Support for new formats, such as RSS, and faster graphics processors will enrich the user experience.
- Device proliferation. Convergence of the capabilities of mobile phones and PDAs.
- Greater awareness of challenges. Realization of the need for redundancy and resilience.
- Lessons from history. The maturity of the developing commercial Web has refined content and services.
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