Web 2.0 is a phrase that was first coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004. However the term is difficult to describe and understand as there is no universally accepted definition of it.

Web 2.0 does not mean the creation of a new world wide web but instead refers to the ongoing transition of the current web from being a collection of websites to that of a web of services which promote collaboration and content sharing among its users.

Therefore Web 2.0 is not a specific technology but rather an abstract term which describes this second generation of world wide web which consists of a mix of exciting and emerging technologies.

The two basic ideas behind this concept are:

• a shift towards a web where the users generate the content through the introduction and implementation of wikis, blogs, communication tools and other social networking sites.
• the storing of data and applications on web servers which will allow any user to access them entirely via a web browser.

Consequently it is widely believed that there will be shift away from locally based applications and greater move towards these web based services.

As a result Web 2.0 services have the potential to replace desktop applications for many purposes.

What are the benefits of Web 2.0?

The development of RIA technologies such as Ajax has added to the users’ experience of web based applications.

Other technologies include

• Adobe Flash
• Adobe Flex
• open source OpenLaszlo which can also be used to develop RIA.

Many RIA techniques can be applied when developing Web 2.0 websites.

They can help provide a richer user experience such as

• drag and drop
• and any other functionality that can be implemented on the client side which does not have to be sent back to the server.

Also web 2.0 applications are much more responsive compared to the standard web browser which constantly needs to interact with the server.

Web 2.0 provides the look ad feel of standard desktop applications such as drag and drop.

The Read/Write web, as web 2.0 is also known as, can also benefit education.

It can allow students to gain access to various distributed content and the opinions of others. By adopting a policy of openness and sharing less well off students can have the same access to educational content as their more well off counterparts.

Also the collaborative and interactive nature of web 2.0 means that students can seek the help of others should they encounter problems.

Overall web 2.0 offers many benefits for its users.

Web 2.0 sees a move away from the traditional web which presents information statically and emphasises the dynamic presentation of information.

In future it is predicted that web 2.0 applications will have the ability to replace much of the functionality offered by desktop applications. Already Google docs and spreadsheets offers the same functionality as word and excel.

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Related Posts on Web2Center

• What Are The Underlying Technologies of Web 2.0?
• Think and Be Web 2.0
• What is Web 2.0 Content Management?