The Origins of Web 2.0

The Origins of Web 2.0

An Introduction

It could be said that the origins of Web 2.0 lie with Web 1.0, which is the Internet that existed from the mid 1990s up until the present day. The Internet was a revolutionary technology when it was first introduced, and it continues to be a revolutionary technology today. However, like any technology, the Internet must evolve if it will meet the ever changing needs of webmasters, web developers, programmers, and the general public. Proponents of Web 2.0 feel that it will play a pivotal role in the evolution of the Internet. They feel that it will take the Internet from being a distribution tool for large companies to becoming a distribution tool for individual consumers.

Meaning of Web 2.0

The term Web 2.0 is a word that has become popular in recent years. While many people have heard of it, few know the true meaning of it. The basic definition of Web 2.0 is "to use the Internet as a platform." The term "platform" is generally used to refer to web applications. However, some say that it is talking about the web in general. The overall goal of Web 2.0 is to take the power to create and distribute information and put it into the hands of the average consumer. When you think about it, this is revolutionary. For most of history, information has been created, controlled, and distributed by a small group of people.

In the past it was kings and emperors who distributed information. Powerful religious organizations also have also played a role in this throughout the ages. In more modern times, large corporations have been largely responsible for the control, creation, and distribution of information. However, the introduction of the Internet changed things. People were suddenly given the ability to create a website on the Internet and upload it with any information they wanted. The people who visited their website could then share this information with others.

Difference Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0

Whether or not the information on a website is accurate is not important in this sense. The point is, the Internet allowed the average consumer to build a website and share their views, as well as their information. As soon as this happened, it eroded the power that established authorities had maintained for so many years. It set the stage where important information could be distributed by the public rather than by a select few. This also allowed the Internet to become a truly democratic system, a place where anyone could share their views without censorship.

While Web 1.0 was powerful, it still had a number of glaring problems. First, when the Internet reached the attention of the general public in the 1990s, few people had the money to buy personal computers, which were highly expensive at the time. Second, while the costs of building a website were much lower in comparison to mainstream media organizations, they were still much higher than most people had to pay, and you also need to have a great deal of experience with HTML. Because of these high costs, many of the earliest prominent websites were built by large corporations who had the money to pay for them.

The Advent of Web 2.0

This is where Web 2.0 becomes such a powerful tool. It reduces the cost of creating, hosting, and distributing information, and this combined with the declining cost of computers has allowed more people to contribute to the transfer of information via the web. Let me give you an example of this. In the past, if you wanted to get a book published, you had to go through a publishing company. These publishing companies were notorious for turning down most of the offers that were made to the, dramatically reducing the number of writers who became successful authors. In other words, if you couldn't get your book published through a publisher, the chances of you ever becoming successful were slim.

With blogs and website, writers no longer need to rely on a handful of publishing companies. They can publish news about their book on a blog or website, and if people like it, they will buy it. If they're excited about the book once they've finished it, they can post a review of it on their own blog and website, and news of the book will spread "by the average consumer." After a while, the book can become a best seller online, even though the writer never went through an established publishing company. This is the power of Web 2.0.