By Judith Pearce
Pearce describes Web 2.0 as the next generation of the Internet as a platform. Pearce describes how the term first came into use by the publisher Tim O'Rielly to distinguish Web 2.0 sites from other websites, referring the term to websites that let people collaborate and share information in ways that they weren't able before.
Pearce defines some commonalities / characteristics between Web 2.0 sites such as:
• Data Repositories
• User participation to create and upload data
• Allowing relationships to be built between services using programmable interfaces.
• Data Repositories
• User participation to create and upload data
• Allowing relationships to be built between services using programmable interfaces.
Web 2.0 is built on technologies like Ajax, a web development approach based on JavaScript and the XML programming language. This mix of technologies allows pages to function more like desktop-based applications rather than as old-fashioned static content pages as we have been used to find on the Web. Goode (2005, ¶7)
Examples
Examples of websites given in the article that are proponents of Web 2.0 are:• Amazon
• eBay
• Wikipedia
• Google with its components: Google Maps, Docs, Calendars, Gmail and Blogs
• Flickr and
• Wikipedia
The success of all are the continued contributions of users, who create and make available content – whether videos, audio files, photographs, reviews / opinion pieces and articles.
Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
Personal websites --> blogging
Evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
Domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
Page views --> cost per click
Screen scraping --> web services
Publishing --> participation
Content management systems --> wikis
Directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
Stickiness --> syndication
O'Reilly (2005) provided examples of companies or products that embody these principles in his description of his four levels in the hierarchy of Web 2.0 sites:
• Level-3 applications, the most "Web 2.0"-oriented, only exist on the Internet, deriving their effectiveness from the inter-human connections and from the network effects that Web 2.0 makes possible, and growing in effectiveness in proportion as people make more use of them. For Example eBay, Craigslist, Wikipedia, del.icio.us, Skype, dodgeball, and AdSense.
• Level-2 applications can operate offline but gain advantages from going online. O'Reilly cited Flickr, which benefits from its shared photo-database and from its community-generated tag database.
• Level-1 applications operate offline but gain features online. O'Reilly pointed to Writely (now Google Docs & Spreadsheets) and iTunes (because of its music-store portion).
• Level-0 applications work as well offline as online. O'Reilly gave the examples of MapQuest, Yahoo! Local, and Google Maps (mapping-applications using contributions from users to advantage could rank as "level 2").
Pearce does concentrate on two aspects of Web 2.0 in particular, Wikipedia and the use of web–based photo management and sharing and their implications with her workplace the National Library of Australia. The inclusiveness and interactivity that users receive on these sites is something that the National Library had noted was missing from their services provided.
The National Library developed strategies, using Web 2.0 services to provide facilities that would allow a greater interaction and participation of users. These services include two projects as described by Pearce, using flickr photo sharing and a Wikipedia style information service.
The photo-sharing project had the goal of increasing the number of images in PictureAustralia and to engage with new audience. Flickr was the platform for users to upload their images and add them to one of the PictureAustralia groups.
The second project utilizes a Wikipedia ‘take part’ user program where users of the Australian Dancing can contribute information in accordance to certain conditions.
• Level-3 applications, the most "Web 2.0"-oriented, only exist on the Internet, deriving their effectiveness from the inter-human connections and from the network effects that Web 2.0 makes possible, and growing in effectiveness in proportion as people make more use of them. For Example eBay, Craigslist, Wikipedia, del.icio.us, Skype, dodgeball, and AdSense.
• Level-2 applications can operate offline but gain advantages from going online. O'Reilly cited Flickr, which benefits from its shared photo-database and from its community-generated tag database.
• Level-1 applications operate offline but gain features online. O'Reilly pointed to Writely (now Google Docs & Spreadsheets) and iTunes (because of its music-store portion).
• Level-0 applications work as well offline as online. O'Reilly gave the examples of MapQuest, Yahoo! Local, and Google Maps (mapping-applications using contributions from users to advantage could rank as "level 2").
Pearce does concentrate on two aspects of Web 2.0 in particular, Wikipedia and the use of web–based photo management and sharing and their implications with her workplace the National Library of Australia. The inclusiveness and interactivity that users receive on these sites is something that the National Library had noted was missing from their services provided.
The National Library developed strategies, using Web 2.0 services to provide facilities that would allow a greater interaction and participation of users. These services include two projects as described by Pearce, using flickr photo sharing and a Wikipedia style information service.
The photo-sharing project had the goal of increasing the number of images in PictureAustralia and to engage with new audience. Flickr was the platform for users to upload their images and add them to one of the PictureAustralia groups.
The second project utilizes a Wikipedia ‘take part’ user program where users of the Australian Dancing can contribute information in accordance to certain conditions.
References
Good, Robin “Web 2.0 Examples: A Mini-Guide” (October 6 2005). Online.
Available: http://www.masternewmedia.org/web_2/web_2_examples/web2_examples_of_services_and_applications_20051006.htm (viewed 01-Sept-2008)
O’Rielly, Tim “What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software” (October 30 2005). Online
Available: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html (viewed 01-Sept-2008)
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