Task #4 - Web 2.0 Explained?

What at first seemed like a very simple task - investigate and explain what Web 2.0 is, saw me initially quite bewildered by the entire concept.  From one site to the next, I found myself becoming more and more confused by what I thought was quite a straight forward idea.  Wrong!  How much more wrong could I be? But then, like a gift from above, I stumbled across a YouTube video by Christopher Barnett.  I have never been more pleased to see a stereotypical tech head in my life!  It may have had something to do with the fact that my new friend Chris started by saying:

"Defining exactly what is meant by Web 2.0 is about as difficult as nailing jelly to a wall." 

Who would have thought it possible!

Finally a statement that, after my frustrating search, really spoke to me!  Not to mention the accompanying visual demonstration. 

It may interest you to note that in searching for an appropriate image to support what I thought was the voice of reason when venturing into the world of Web 2.0, that is it is in fact quite possible to nail jelly to a wall - so much for confidence.  If like myself you find yourself easily intrigued and off on a tangent, the following link will help you undertake you own experiments should you feel so inclined or in need of some cheap therapy after one of 'those' weeks.

Nailing jelly to a wall: is it possible?

But I digress!

So, having sat with Chris for just over seven minutes, it is now my understanding that Web 2.0 is basically about "making new and improved forms of online connections" between:

• 2 or more people (Interpersonal Computing - use of online technologies to connect people to each other.  Examples:  Social Networking sites, Wikis, Blogs and Online videos)
• 2 or more online services (Web Services - means by which multiple sites can be connected together allow an individual to interact with two or more business automatically linked together via the internet.  Examples:  PayPal capabilities within business sites, Google maps within real estate sites.)
• individual users and software applications (Software as a Service - online applications which can include the storage and sharing or files, online desktops etc.  Examples: Google docs, Zoho, Jooce)

Of these Web 2.0 applications it was interesting to hear that in the years to come SaaS (Software as a Service) is likely to change the way that we store and access our data.  This is an aspect of Web 2.0 that appears to have great potential and I guess provides me with the focus of my next journey in seeking to better understand what Web 2.0 has to offer and finding new and improved ways to hopefully make my life just that little bit easier.

For anyone who might actually read this blog and finds themself still struggling to understand the basics, my new Web 2.0 best friend Chris' video is really worth checking out  And remember, it is all about the people, people so reach out and make some connections!