It's also generating its share of controversy, with many thinking that
the idea is vaporware or not much more than marketing hype. It's a
flawed term, because many of the ideas that it encapsulates don't really
have anything to do with the Web, but instead relate to other ways of
working over the Internet. Also, most of the so-called "2.0" ideas have
been important parts of the Internet since early on.
I'm not convinced yet that Web 2.0 represents much more than a renewed
since of optimism in the potential of the Internet. Nevertheless, it's
worth reviewing as a framework for looking at the future of your website
or ebusiness, and at the future of the Internet itself.
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is an idea, rather than a specification, platform or technology.
The concept of "Web 2.0" is pure marketing. It was created by O'Reilly
Publishing and MediaLive International when they were brainstorming
conference ideas. They wanted to capture the idea that, far from having
"crashed", the web was more important than ever, with exciting new
applications and sites popping up regularly.
O'Reilly founder Tim O'Reilly has outlined their concept for Web 2.0,
including a set of "design patterns". Here's a summary of these patterns
and some examples of sites that are using them.
Web 2.0 Design Patterns
The Long Tail - this often-abused term represents the idea that small
sites and niche content make up the bulk of the Internet. Sites that
exploit people's interest in niches have become some of the successful
sites on the Web. Google and eBay, for example, aren't successful
because they make it easy to find mainstream content or purchases, but
because they make it easy to find things that were previously hidden or
unavailable.
Data is the Next Intel Inside - on the Web, it's easy to
recreate a user interface, but it's hard to recreate large data stores.
Companies that can create large, hard-to-duplicate data stores create a
barrier to entry for competitors. Examples would be Yahoo's data
warehouse of user information, Google's warehouse of information about
the Web, or Amazon's warehouse of information about products.
Users Add Value - user participation is both a measure of your site's
value, and a way of building that value. At Amazon, users contribute
reviews and ratings, which add value to the content that Amazon
generates. For many users, these ratings are more reliable than any
individual reviewer's rating, because they incorporate the feedback of
many people.
Network Effects by Default - the percentage of users that will add value
to your site or application is small. Because of this, sites should look
for ways to aggregate user data automatically and anonymously to create
value for all site visitors. An example of this is the site del.icio.us.
The site lets users create Web-based collections of favorites, or
bookmarks. But the site also aggregates and exposes this information,
displaying recent favorite and popular topics. As the site puts it,
"everything on del.icio.us is someone's favorite - they've already done
the work of finding it."
Some Rights Reserved - intellectual property protection limits re-use
and prevents experimentation. Sites that encourage experimentation,
reuse, remixing and hacking encourage "viral" growth. Many podcasters,
for example, are using tracks licensed with Creative Commons licenses,
from sites like Soundclick and Magnatune, in their shows. This "some
rights reserved" music has an advantage over traditionally licensed
music in new Internet media, because the tens of thousands of people
that are creating audio and video content can legally incorporate these
tracks into new works.
The Perpetual Beta - with Internet-based applications, there is no need
to have arbitrary release versions in order to have a marketable
product. Because of this, sites don't need to do monolithic releases or
upgrades, but instead can add or change features as needed,
incorporating production user feedback. Google News is a prominent
example of this. The service has been in public beta for years. While
its perpetual beta state may make Google News the butt of some jokes,
it's let Google establish the service as one of the most important news
sites on the Internet, warts and all.
Cooperate, Don't Control - the Internet makes it easy for sites to share
and use information. Sites that syndicate content or offer lightweight
programming models encourage others to build on their content. RSS has
established itself as one of the most popular XML formats because it
lets sites share content with others, without controlling how that
content will be used. Sites that avoid incoming links, syndicating their
content or providing open APIs will tend to be marginalized by those
that do. An example of a service that encourages reuse and
experimentation is Yahoo's XML interface to its news search, which lets
you subscribe to dynamic newsfeeds on whatever topic you like.
Software Above the Level of a Single Device - other devices are catching
up and even surpassing the PC as tools for accessing Internet content.
Because of this, companies may need to shift some of their focus from
the Web browser to other devices. Podcasting was the Oxford University
Press's Word of the Year for 2005, because it represents the growing
interest people have in getting free Internet content on iPods and other
portable media players. Video podcasting looks like it will take off in
2006, as the number of portable video players, like the new iPods and
the Sony PSP, increases. Many major sites are now experimenting with
supporting a variety of devices. Because of this trend, sites that only
support PC-based Web browsing will limit their audience.
Is Web 2.0 for Real?
The Web 2.0 concept, as outlined by O'Reilly, reflects its origins as a
marketing idea for a new conference. Nevertheless, the term seems to be
taking on a life of its own.
In a nutshell, the core idea of "Web 2.0" seems to be an optimism that
the web hasn't been overhyped, but that it has been underhyped. While
many businesses pulled back from the web from 2000/2001 on, those that
forged ahead have been some of the most successful. Web 2.0 attempts to
analyze why some sites have been more successful than others.
Regardless of what you think of the Web 2.0 hype, it puts focus on some
ideas that have been important to the Web since its earliest days, and
now are as important as ever.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software
http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/a/6228
Web 2.0? It doesn't exist
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=805
Web 2.0 mania revives dot-com investing
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002691519_btinternettwo19.html
'Podcast' Is the Word of the Year
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-05-2005/0004228195&EDATE=
