Thinking Web 2.0

December 27, 2005 —

Web 2.0, the idea that a second-generation Web is developing, has been getting a lot of attention lately. Sites are describing themselves as "Web 2.0" sites, investors are looking for "Web 2.0" sites, and it's becoming a popular tool for framing discussions about the future of the Internet.

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

Web 2.0? It doesn't exist

Web 2.0 mania revives dot-com investing

'Podcast' Is the Word of the Year

ITworld.com, Ecommerce in Action