The Web 2.0 effect: the characteristics of a Web 2.0 website
The term web2.0 was originally introduced by O’Reilly Media (a well-known media company that publishes books and websites on various computer technology topics). It is a term that refers to a new generation of websites (social networking websites, wiki-based websites, etc.). These websites take advantage of web application technologies and provide web users with the ability to collaborate and share their experiences, views, opinions and interests while browsing the web.
Web2.0 is a revolutionary phenomenon. Let’s talk about the most basic features of websites that use the web2.0 concept:
– A web2.0 website should be fully interactive and dynamic with a friendly user interface based on the latest web2.0 technologies such as AJAX.
– Web2.0 websites must offer web-based applications to Internet users and allow them to make use of these applications through a web browser.
– A web2.0 website must implement social networking capabilities that allow users to interact with each other and create friend lists.
– A web2.0 website should be a democratic website where users can add value by interacting with the web-based application.
– A Web2.0 website should allow its users to exercise various controls over the data and content of the website (add/remove/edit content).
The bottom line is that web 2.0 websites are built on participatory web applications that are basically focused on user experience and collaboration.
Examples of successful web 2.0 websites
Although this new internet revolution or trend is not widespread among web developers or internet marketers yet, millions of users are participating in such websites. Not many know the web2.0 concept but they are already an active part of it.
Here are some super successful websites using web2.0 technologies:
– YouTube.com: The concept of YouTube is very simple. It allows Internet users to share their favorite video files with the whole world. YouTube gained so much popularity in such a short time. Everyone was shocked when the search engine giant Google bought YouTube company for more than 2 billion dollars!
– Wikipedia: The most famous online encyclopedia. It’s free, it’s huge, it’s a great resource for everyone, and it’s updated every minute since anyone can edit its content. That is why it became such a popular website.
– Social bookmarking websites like Digg.com: These types of websites like Digg.com offer users the ability to create friend lists and share their favorite websites, opinions, stories, etc. with people from all over the world. The popularity of these social bookmarking websites is increasing every day, making website owners rich!
– MySpace.com: I bet you’ve heard of MySpace.com. This website will allow you to create your own profile, friends list and personal home page by adding whatever you want (text, images, videos, links, etc.). It will also allow you to share your profile and web page with other MySpace users. Surprisingly simple but so clever. MySpace.com is now one of the most visited websites on the entire Internet.
What do all these websites have in common?
The web2.0 concept. These websites are active web-based applications. All of them allow Internet users to actively participate and customize the way the website looks and feels, thus giving the pleasure and impression of collaborating with the online community. Web 2.0 is so evolutionary because of its simplicity and it will become even more widespread among website designers and internet marketers.