Web 2.0 - What Is It?

The term “web 2.0” is not the one, you will commonly meet while browsing the Internet. Being widely known among webmasters and IT experts, it is commonly perceived as the next stage of website design, though the term itself is, actually, more about the strategy of the Internet development and evolution than about some particular technology twists or programming languages.

 

Web 2.0 was introduced to the web design community in 2004. It is said that this term represents a new version of World Wide Web, though it, actually, does not introduce any new technological specifications. In fact, web 2.0 focuses on the concept, showing how the Internet will be used in future. It explains how users will interact with websites, and, consequently, shows directions for website designers, working on modern websites.

 

The key difference of web 2.0 Internet resources from the older static websites, is its dynamic content, which is regularly updated and changed based on user’s preferences or signals. Internet is no longer about viewing static pages, it is about participating in the life of web resources. User-generated content (feedbacks, comments, etc) is one of the most vivid features of web 2.0. Video-sharing websites, wiki, RSS feeds, p2p and social networks are all the examples of web sites, built on the web 2.0 principles.

 

Today we see other examples of web 2.0 integration and evolution: cloud computing and software as services platforms (for example, Google Docs and Applications), provided to users through internet browser, are just few examples to mention.

 

Speaking about the tools and techniques of website design under 2.0 concept, it is necessary to mention that while HTML remains to be the main instrument for pages layout design, a variety of programming languages are utilized to make possible the interaction between a web site and its visitors. Java and XML are widely used now in website design.

 

Though the definition of web 2.0 term remains somewhere blurry and undefined with enough criticism around it, it is necessary to admit that whatever we call it the Internet has already moved to another stage of its development, and it looks like in the nearest future we are going to face even more drastic changes in the way we use Internet.