What is Web 2.0?

Before I can start discussing Web 2.0 tools and their integration into the classroom, I think it is important to reflect and discuss what defines a Web 2.0 tool.

This starts with the term Web 2.0 and where it originated. The term Web 2.0 was coined at a brainstorming session between O'Reilly Media and MediaLive International (O'Reilly, 2005). O'Reilly defines the term as:

"harnessing collective intelligence" (2006).

According to O'Reilly, there are a few basics which all Web 2.0 applications or tools have in common. These basics include:

• The Web is the platform
• Collaboration
• Data and Content Driven
• Continuous Improvement
• Simplicity in Programming
• Available on more than just the PC
  
• Rich, Interactive User Experience (O'Reilly, 2005)

Not all programs will meet all seven of these benchmarks, but the more they meet and the better they meet them will help one to decide if the program is really Web 2.0. Not all of the benchmarks are easily judgable by the average user. For me, this mean asking myself a series of questions when I encounter a new program:

• Ease of Use: What kind of account set-up is necessary? Does it require downloads or plug-ins that require updating? Is it free or is there a fee to use it? Does it interface with programs I am already using? Is it user friendly?
  
• Collaboration: Can I publish my work to the web? Can I see what others have done? Can I comment and/or receive comments on my work? Can I network with other users?
• Data & Content: Where is the data/content coming from? Can I change it? Can others change it? Can we share and combine our data/content? Where is my data/content stored?
  
• Continuous Improvement: Is is getting better? Is the program in beta? What are the future plans?
• Availability: Can I use it on a Mac and a PC? Does it have a mobile version? Does it have widget/gadget versions?
  

After reflecting on these questions to determine if the program meets the benchmarks for Web 2.0, I need to decide it if is a tool. Dictionary.com defines tool as something that can be "used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose". So, I add one more set of questions to the list:

• Purpose: What does it help me do? How does it help me do this?
  

Once I have reflected on these questions, I make a determination if what I am looking at is really a Web 2.0 tool. Just because it is not a Web 2.0 tool, doesn't mean it is an inferior tool or resource - it just is not what I am exploring here.

Web 2.0 tools do much more than just access the Internet and information. They change the user from being a mere onlooker to being a contributing member of the community. They thrive on the input and collaboration of their users. They are accessible from any computer in the world, by any user. They are constantly changing and adapting to keep up with the users' demands and needs.

What is your definition for a Web 2.0 tool?

References:

Dictionary.com (nd). Tool. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tool?qsrc=2888

O'Reilly, Tim. (2005). What is Web 2.0?. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html?page=1

O'Reilly, Tim. (2006). Web 2.0 Compact Definition: Trying Again. Retrieved March 6, 2009 from http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/12/web-20-compact.html