What’s Web 2.0?

Starting from the static page, Web 1.0 has been turned to dynamic contents (like Google, yahoo etc), where users can interact with web pages, by providing instructions and contents through graphical interfaces. In short web 1.0 dealt with human-machine communication through web, accessible through wide range of operating system platforms, which was been possible by using http and html. Besides human to machine communication, the concept of web 2.0 concentrates on the following issues, that I have learned so far

1. Machine to machine communication. You publish your content in one site, which has been automatically shared by thousands of web pages among other servers. This becomes possible through RSS. As a user, you can get updates of a web site contents, through using a RSS feeder.

2. Human to human communication. For example point to point network, social community network etc, where pictures, emotions, biography, music etc personal resources can be shared with friends and friends community can be grown via friends of friends.

3. Rich user experience. Using AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), it becomes possible to send web requests from the client side to server side, through XHTTPRequest method call from browser end, which enables an user NOT to wait to work, until the reply of this web request returns back from the web server. One simplest example can be given as, in Gmail, we can attach as much as files and after then we can begin typing the mail. Lets say this type includes 6 minutes. By this time, Gmail starts sending the attachments to the server, lets say it takes 5 minutes. When my type finishes, the total process takes only 6 minutes, while not using AJAX it would take simply 11 (6+5) minutes. Web 2.0 sites provide, although NOT exactly, but a sort of much similar rich user experience like desktop application. Well one important thing to note, Ajax is not actually new technology, but uses old and very well known technology (JavaScript, xml etc) in new approach.

4. Personal contribution over web content. Web 2.0 encourages personal contributions of the users over the web content. Blog is such a thing, which is called “Online diary”, where a person can enter his words, in daily basis. Each entry is specifically mentioned and maintained regarding it’s publish date. Several blogs in online has some common features, like archives, track back etc. Blogs has become popular, than the web 1.0 style “Persona web site”, as blog includes more personal touch. Another popular web 2.0 concept is wiki, which is called as “Online Encyclopedia”, where people can edit or contribute their knowledge there. Book marking is another web 2.0 features, where URL book marks can be saved and shared with others. Basically blog, wiki, url booking marking are the things are conceptual than latest technology and considers social aspect to share personal contents. These type of ideas encourages “tagging”, where any item can be tagged with one or more categories(in some cases these tags are being used in RSS feed).