Many of you will have stumbled across this site will likely have an interest in the internet and web browsing, and probably web design as well. It is likely that you will be stumbled upon the term “web 2.0″ at some point. Web 2.0 is one of the latest buzzwords on the Internet and is gaining a huge following, but the hell is it?

Web 2.0 is about a renaissance of the Internet, seen by many as the second phase in the development of the World Wide Web. There is no set meaning for the term “web 2.0”, and it will often mean many different things to many people.

Essentially, web 2.0 changes the way we browse the web, how we receive information and content, and also how we involve ourselves in the web, with a big emphasis on a more social Internet.

Web 2.0 makes it easier for everyone to participate and get involved. It is largely about being socialable. Many people now have their own weblog and podcast, and also participate in things such as social bookmarking.

By promoting the use of standards, web 2.0 is about bringing people together through accessibility – making sure that everyone has access to and can view the same content. Newer technologies such as AJAX are now commonly used in site design, and help to make browsing more efficient, often taking away the need to transfer data between server and client. AJAX helps to embed functions in web pages, taking away the need to reload a page on each action.

Content is now often organised in different ways to what it was previously. Category and directory structures are now thought of as too rigid and do not suit the requirements of many. Web 2.0 encourages users to adopt a method of organisation referred to as folksonomy. This method of organisation and structuring allows users to assign keywords to data and information, commonly known as “tagging”. This method makes it easier to find what you are specifically looking for.

Dynamic content is also encouraged, with old style static websites becoming a thing of the past. Web 2.0 technologies such as weblogs make it easy for users to update their sites regularly and add new content. There are also newer ways of delivering this content to users other than an email notification or by simply browsing the site. Users can subscribe to RSS feeds and other forms of syndication to have the updates delivered to their desktops as they occur and in a convenient and organised manner.

Web 2.0 also promotes open source ideologies, giving everyone access to and the ability to modify information and data. This is commonly seen in Wikis, where any user can contribute to the content of the site by adding to it, or editing existing content. This not only brings people together, but also creates a strong and more accurate resource that is verified by many individuals.

Technically minded users are now able to intergrate their sites with other Web 2.0 sites through the use of APIs (Application Program Interface), such the Flickr API and the del.icio.us API.

In conclusion, Web 2.0 covers a vast area and many different things. The meaning of the term “Web 2.0″ is not one that can easily be defined and is changing daily as the use of technologies change and new technologies emerge.

The following mindmap by Tim O’Reily highlights many of the areas of Web 2.0:

The way in which we use the World Wide Web is just not changing, but it’s economic value is too. Web 2.0 is seeing the web surpass the value of one trillion US dollars, also surpassing the value of the web during the dot com boom in the 1990s.

What is Web 2.0? aims to provide you with articles that will explain what the various aspects of Web 2.0 are, and also how they can be used by you and for your benefit.

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