We’ve all heard that “the one thing you can count on in this world is change”. While the web has evolved tremendously over a relatively short time, more than any other one creation, it would still be correct to offer the word ‘change’ opposed to evolution when referring to the new Web 2.0. And since most of the time evolution brings mostly benefits, change seems more suitable due to the fact that it can be for a positive or negative, or like Web 2.0, just in between.

Well what is Web 2.0, and how does it affect me and my life you may ask yourself? First we need to take a look quickly at Web 1.0, filled with web sites that companies invested heavily into ‘Webmasters’ to develop a page that needed to look good and have a smooth delivery. The pages were often chock full of (to the visitor) useless information. So to clarify, Web 2.0 was a reaction to this that inevitably created a snowball effect with anyone who had used the internet in the last decade. From a business standpoint Web 1.0 was based on early adopters holding the belief that a few could create the means to attract the attention of and create loyalty of the many. Be it either flashy billboard ads, advertising companies that wasted thousands on unwelcome campaigns, or ‘sexy’ commercials that were muted. Unfortunately over the years this proved to be an unproductive use of the web and most big companies began to notice that their efforts were in vain.

Change began in 2001 and steadily grew until it was officially named Web 2.0 in 2003 by a man referred to as an ‘Internet God’, Tim O’Reilly. And by the next year as more and more social networks and user community based pages began to emerge the term’s popularity grew. Suddenly marketing departments started to notice that peoples’ need to socialize and voice there own opinions by any means had made the web an ideal research environment. Web 2.0 in this aspect was the basis for a lot of the non-web media that’s also been released in the last few years. Companies that were already semi-web savvy were able to keep up by introducing sponsored networked pages complete with hyperlinks to and from forum pages and social networks, RSS (really simple syndication) feeds from other pages that had similar content, often user moderated content (to an extent). And as more people began to use it, the better the experience started to become. Entire page designs began to change, no longer busy and jumbled they adopted cleaner, simpler designs with relevant content, and numerous links to associated companies or services of relevant interest.

A page like Google is a perfect example of a product or form of Web 2.0, not bound by the restrictions of other programs this was entirely web based and offered services where users either paid directly or indirectly. And while it does not seem to be user moderated, Google is a search engine for today for information about almost anything, and word of mouth has spread the word online and offline that this page is preferred. Yet Google was never sold nor packaged, no scheduled software releases, or any other evidence of the previous restrictions of other applications. Google simply offered usage and constant improvement which greatly attracted users, spurring further growth. Other examples of this can also been seen in pages like Amazon, eBay, Myspace, Facebook, Napster, Akarai, etc.

Some might speculate that pages that offering a unique information base, letting users take control over as co-developers is perfectly fine. But others will still argue that personal security and personal information is being recorded for marketing purposes and often sold to other companies. Yet the lack of any boundary in Web 2.0 has given its existence a meaning in the eyes of those who value freedom of speech and seeing more of what they want and need in today’s society.

The topic of Web 2.0 cannot be summed up easily, we elect to remain impartial for the time being about our view of Web 2.0. If the direction of this change has brought us towards Web 2.0 with a more societal based online experience then skeptics fret not, change will come again inevitably. A Web 3.0 you say?