Web2.0 , Intelligent web , Interactive web ?
What you should know about web2.0 is what is it all about and what benefit will you get if you adhere to the web2.0 standards and technologies for your website.
According to wikipedia, the definition is
Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.
The term Web 2.0 is coined during the first O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004 which suggests that web2.0 does not refer to any specifications in technical terms. It does show some new ways to use the webs to those who use it ( web and software developers and engineers) along with the end user ( all net surfers).
In terms of user experience and business web2.0 is a creative and effective tool for those who are website owners by providing the interactive solutions and instant data as per customer preferences ( example : AJAX Search, where some part of the page changes and not all, so time is saved in loading the page, improving the user-experience)
For the end user, better inter-action and chance to participate in the process of web knowledge sharing + customizing ( tagging and community participations) is amazingly familiar experience rather than dry and static sites which act as a poster or a booklet online.
Technically Speaking O’Reilly categorized the websites as four levels in the hierarchy of Web 2.0-ness:
Level-0 applications (working offline as online). Examples MapQuest, Yahoo! Local, Google Maps etc.
Level-1 applications operate offline but gain features online. Examples Google Docs & Spreadsheets etc.
Level-2 applications can operate offline but gain advantages from going online. Example Flickr ( a photo sharing community generated database)
Level-3 applications, the most “Web 2.0”-oriented, only exist on the Internet, Examples eBay, Craigslist, Wikipedia, del.icio.us, Skype, dodgeball, and AdSense etc.
