So What the Heck is Web 2.0

Dec 13, 2006

The term, "Web 2.0" jumped from the mouths of O'Reilly Media in 2004 during a debate between the virtues and shortcomings of the web. While many pundits at the time were questioning the value of the internet to consumers and businesses alike, this debate put forth a new notion that the real discontinuous shift in web technology is now. They argued that now more than ever meaningful online applications and websites are coming out of the wood work. This new age of usable meaningful web applications become know as "Web 2.0".

Why Should A Business Executive Care about Web 2.0?

For the most part this shift will impact us all both in business and in our personal lives. A few of these immediate business impacts are:

  • Better Tools for Communication - Web 1.0 was not about sharing instead it was a platform for one-way conversations where the user would read copy on the web and did little to contribute. This was due in part to the technology available which did not easily allow non-technical users to join the conversation. These tools are now available and many are free. For example blogs, anyone with a library pass and access to a computer for 10 minutes or less can setup a blog and start communicating online. For a business this is the ability to disseminate marketing messages quicker and cheaper than every before.
  • New Revenue Opportunities - If your business has processes that influence anything from product fulfillment to customer service there is a good chance technologies emerging around Web 2.0 could help you better position your company with your customers or significantly cut operational costs by streamlining an internal process. For example consider sales tools: Web 2.0 brought the advent "LinkedIn" an online application for managing your contacts and sharing with colleagues. This technology brought networking to a global level in a nearly automated form. In a heart beat you can collect a list of key executives in a given industry who are connected to your circle of influence. These relationships result in business development and sales. Prior to this online community it would have been difficult if not impossible to make these connections. These same technologies can be incorporated into you business to create new platforms for doing business (See " Web applications " for more details).
  • Software As A Service - For the most part up until now your company has had to buy software and install it, maintain it, stress about it, yell when it breaks and try to plug the gaping hole in your wallet caused by the overhead software demands. The concept of Web 2.0 brings with it the notion of decentralized software that exists on the intranet and is accessed through a browser; you need only subscribe to it and use it. These are services that are as readily accessible and as ubiquitous as dial tone. Services like basecamp let you manage projects with ease or sales tools like salesforce.com provide everything you sales team could need.

Conclusion - What Now?

Even the term Web 2.0 is quickly growing old as Web 3.0 starts to emerge. It can be daunting staying abreast of these changes but from a business perspective the semantics of these terms is not important. More simply, consider the internet as you would a toddler learning to walk who is now striving for the next step of development: talking and collaborating. It's these new collaborate technologies that bring opportunities to better your business strategy. Consider the technology as it relates to your operational and marketing goals to determine if there is value for you.

To help in the search for information on this top I have listed a few more links and articles that explore this topic in much greater detail.

Articles on Web 2.0 and 3.0

Show me Companies Building Web 2.0 Software

Glossary of Web 2.0 Technology Terms

  • RSS - A technology format used to publish frequently updated pages like blogs and news feeds. Readers then use software called a Òcontent aggregatorÓ to collect this content for viewing. For example at http://my.yahoo.com you can subscribe to RSS feeds and easily get all your news in one place.
  • AJAX (Stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) - A technical word to explain a web technique used to create more interactive and user friendly web applications. In essence these tools will make the web more like the applications you currently use on your desktop.
  • CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) - A new way to code information online that makes it more accessible across many different mediums.

About Veratta

Veratta is a pioneer in web design and web application development that enables businesses to acquire, convert and retain customers. Using proven leading edge technology and thoughtful creative design, Veratta's core competencies ensure client success. Companies such a Intrawest (Playgrond), Citizen's Bank, DealerVu, and Ascalade use Veratta to gain maximum results online.

Veratta is a web design and web application development company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information please call 604-689-0121 or visit www.veratta.com.

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