Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is not so much a technology, as suggested by the suffix 2.0, which is usually associated with software, but stands for new methods in utilizing the World Wide Web.

Earlier websites always functioned the same way. There was a company or single person, usually a webmaster, who was responsible for the information on a page. The content of the page represented what the owner wanted on it. In other words, internet pages were only to be looked at. With the dawn of new technologies, however, certain sites widened their spectrum to content that was not corporately created, but was subject to change and individuality.

By the end of the 90s, sites like “Freenet” or yahoo’s sub-site “Geocities” already made it fairly easy, with knowledge of HTML, to create your own web-sites

A few years later, companies were not the sole proprietors for information, but single individuals with personal web-sites. Helpful was also the dawn of computer technology and the easy access to the internet.

Web 2.0 represents the next step of user-based web-sites. Individuals formed little companies and only gave users the tools to make a website, and/or create content for a website. A platform is provided and the user can decide what he wants to do with this platform.

Additionally, communities play a more important role on the internet. Grouped by special interests, websites are made to cater to their needs, providing them, again, with a platform to express themselves. “Flickr” or “DeviantArt”, for example, were made in order for amateur photographers to share their pictures with other people around the world. Suddenly, the internet has become a huge collection of data. This ranges from professional to personal data.

Web content now caters specifically to the individual user. If you are registered with “Amazon” or “Ebay” you get suggestions on what to buy. Interestingly enough, most of the time those predictions are correct. This is possible by data-collection and the documentation of your surfing habits. “Amazon” in particular, documents very detailed on which site you spend how much time and what you clicked on. This results in a personal profile that is used to show you advertising that fits your exact needs and wishes, and mirrors you surfing habits.

Also, sites were created where information or knowledge is collected and shared, such as “Wikipedia”. The idea behind “Wikipedia” is that everybody has a little knowledge about certain topics, and some have more precise knowledge on other topics. If all of this knowledge is put together, we would have a very accurate representation of specialised knowledge. This information is subject to change and the users govern themselves and decide what is right and what is wrong.