Web 2.0. You've heard the hype, and you've probably heard the phrase tossed around by professionals in the business. You might even have some idea of how Web 2.0 works. As a marketer, any evolution in the Internet and its workings is something you need to keep up with. In this chapter, I'll try to explain what Web 2.0 is and how it can help you with your business.
In order to consider Web 2.0, we must first revisit the beginnings of the Internet. Web 1.0, the original World Wide Web, was considered a source of information. Web 2.0 by contrast is considered a networking platform. Whereas people used the Internet at first for data storage or data searches, it is now a medium whereby data is the driving force, but it is used to modify, restructure, and share common data.
In other words, Web 2.0 isn't really a kind of site. It's the ability of the users to modify the site they're on.Often readers participate in Web 2.0, contributing their own content or adding to what’s already there. Web 2.0 is often referred to as having an open source development, meaning that the information you see on a site may be compiled from a number of sources and by numerous different developers. As an example, think about YouTube. The site,
www.youtube.com, is nothing more than a video uploading site. Yet less than two years after its creation, YouTube was purchased by Google—for $1.64 billion. This is only one example of how the concept of Web 2.0 is proving to be profitable.
Another good example of Web 2.0 in action is Myspace, located at www.Myspace.com. It's a community, where users create a profile page about themselves and invite friends to join and communicate with them. MySpace registration, like many other Web 2.0 applications, is free. The site offers templates for easier page creation, or you can create your own.
There are plenty of other interactive sites where people post pictures, videos, and more. These are easy to find via an Internet search; you've probably already been on plenty without even realizing it. Any time you see users actively participating in the content of a site, you are looking at a Web 2.0 site. Let's take a look at some examples in the next section.