You’ve no doubt heard the term "Web 2.0," but do you know what it means? In this article, the author breaks down Web 2.0 in laymans terms, that everyone can understand.

Web 2.0 is one of the hottest catch phrases on the Internet today.

But what exactly is web 2.0?

That’s an excellent question.

Unfortunately, answering that question is also where things get confusing, because if you were to ask ten different authority sources what exactly is Web 2.0, you’re liable to get ten different answers.

For example, Wikipedia describes Web 2.0 this way:

"Web 2.0 defines a newer incarnation of the World Wide Web typified by the transition from the typical website hosting HTML/XHTML pages, to a platform that provides a point of presence (sometimes known as a Web portal), from which any of the following interactions may occur:

1. Syndication of content using XML based formats such as RSS, RDF, Atom, and others

2. Aggregation of content published using XML based formats such as RSS, RDF, Atom, and others

3. Publishing of invocation endpoints for XML based Web services (these may be of the SOAP/WSDL/WS-* variety of RESTian XML-RPC)

4. Conventional publishing of HTML/XHTML documents

5. Exposure of WebDAV based resources and collections"

And here is how Bryght.com’s Chief Blogging Officer, Roland Tanglao defines Web 2.0:

"The web has changed. No longer is it about static web publishing or "brochureware websites," as it was in 1999.

Instead it’s about conversations through networked dynamic web publishing. This was pioneered by blogs through two innovations: easy content management and RSS."

Informationweek.com chimed in with their own definition of Web 2.0:

"Web 2.0 is all the Web sites out there that get their value from the actions of users." Wikipedia, digg, Technorati, Flickr and Frappr are all examples of Web 2.0 properties."

Wow…No wonder there’s so much confusion about Web 2.0.

Even the experts can’t seem to agree how to best define what Web 2.0 is.

Well, the purpose of this article is not to further confuse the issue of Web 2.0, but rather to simplify and make sense of it.

So I’m going to give you my own personal layman’s definition of Web 2.0. But before I do, here’s a little background information on the origin of the term:

According to Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, Inc.:

"The concept of "Web 2.0" began with an October, 2004 conference brainstorming session between O’Reilly and MediaLive International. Dale Dougherty, web pioneer and O’Reilly VP, noted that far from having "crashed", the web was more important than ever, with exciting new applications and sites popping up with surprising regularity.

What’s more, the companies that had survived the collapse seemed to have some things in common. Could it be that the dot-com collapse marked some kind of turning point for the web, such that a call to action such as "Web 2.0" might make sense? We agreed that it did, and so the Web 2.0 Conference was born.

In the year and a half since, the term "Web 2.0" has clearly taken hold, with more than 9.5 million citations in Google. But there’s still a huge amount of disagreement about just what Web 2.0 means, with some people decrying it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, and others accepting it as the new conventional wisdom."

Anyway, as promised, here’s my own personal layman’s definition of Web 2.0:

In my opinion, Web 2.0 is about new interfaces – new ways of searching and accessing Web content. Web 2.0 is a platform – but not just for developers to create web applications like Wikipedia, digg, Technorati and Flickr. I see the web as a platform to build on for business.

For example, if you run a corporation, the web is a platform for business…for Internet marketers, the web is a platform for communications…for journalists, the web is a platform for new media…and for geeks, the web is a platform for software development…etc., etc., etc…

In other words, the web is a platform for virtually everyone!

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By Dale King Published: 12/24/2006

web2.0 on HubPages

web2.0 on HubPages | Brisbane Search Engine Optimization " SEO … July 1 , 2009 Posted by admin In: Search Engine Optimization SEO, Social Media. Organic SEO – SEO NY – Social Media Optimi…

Web 2.0: Blogs

With its new taskforce, the government has got straight back on the web 2.0 horse after taking a nasty fall last year with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Finance Minister Lindsey T…

Technorati Tags: blog marketing, google cash sniper marketing, super affiliate marketing, web 2, Web 2 Marketing, what is web 2

Much has been written about the power of Web 2.0 as a marketing tool and for good reason. Its power to help you market products to potential customers is undeniable. However, besides marketing your products, Web 2.0 can help your business in other ways.

Web 2.0 technologies are increasingly being used within organizations to improve productivity and efficiency and to improve communication between organizations. Take web video for example. Videos can be used for employee training, customer follow-up, as well as frequently asked questions. The purpose is to provide more types of media to fit more customers. Some people learn better by reading. Others by hearing or seeing.

The flexibility and usability of Web 2.0 applications ensures that IT departments can give other workers more power to customize applications to better suit themselves. This not only improves efficiency but also boosts morale and productivity.

Good communication is an essential part of any successful organization. The ability for employees to communicate in real time through instant messaging adds to efficiency. And, with freely available client applications such as Skype coupled with existing bandwidth, the costs are negligible.

Customer support is a must for any business that wants to retain its customers and has become an area where Web 2.0 has been used extensively. Customer support teams can communicate in real time with customers online providing another layer of support and reinforcing a strong customer service environment.

Many companies use blogs as a form of customer support. By posting content for common problems, a company can solve most common issues upfront — cutting customer support costs. And because of the collaborative nature of blogs customers will often add their own problem resolutions.

Blogs are also a great way for a company to gauge customer satisfaction. But, you must be open to criticism. Deleting critical comments is not the way to establish credibility. By giving up a certain amount of control, a business is more likely to respond to customers quickly. What better way to get a solid testimonial than from a customer who had a complaint that was resolved as a result of a blog post.

Finally, Web 2.0 offers excellent opportunities in training and education. A quick browse on YouTube will show that online video training is growing fast in popularity. Several large organizations already use video extensively to provide product training.

From the smallest start up to the biggest multi national, Web 2.0 is revolutionizing the way people work, both within and outside the organizational structure.

If you would like to read other articles and watch videos on topics like this one, you can join us at www.relativitycorp.com . We have tons of resources on Web 2.0 Advertising written by David C Skul CEO and Frank J Klein CIO. You can also sign up to get information in your email in box weekly at the site as well.

By DAVID SKUL Published: 2/15/2008

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Technorati Tags: blog marketing, google cash sniper, internet marketing strategy, social media marketing