Getting on board with Web 2.0
What the heck is “Web 2.0” anyway? Web 2.0 is actually a reference to today’s Internet companies and web applications. “2.0” means it’s the second version, the first version being the dotcom market that crashed before 2004.
online data storage
In a world where portability is everything, it makes sense that we can store our data in a place that we can access from anywhere. Applications such as Windows Live Sky Drive and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) allow users to store large amounts of data online within secure interfaces. They even allow users to share data, documents, and images with others. These new online data storage applications are available at different price levels, depending on how much storage is needed.
online compilation
If you’re storing data online, why not also use free online document and file sharing? Web 2.0 introduces applications like Windows Office Live Workspace and Google Docs that are free storage and sharing services for users. It’s like a virtual desktop, which allows you to avoid sending files via email. Just upload a file, define who can see it and whether or not they can change it and voila! You and your cohorts can access these files anywhere, for free!
Social media
Web 2.0 has the ability to turn the world into a small town. Thanks to social networking services like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, you can reconnect with old friends, make new ones or network professionally on a global scale. The goal of a social networking service is to build “relationships” based on common interests or activities.
Do you want to liberate Tibet? There is a Facebook group for that. What to know what Ashton Kutcher is having for lunch? You and millions of others can follow his “tweets”. Thinking of moving to Tulsa? Find out what positions are available and make some contacts online to ease the transition.
Social networks allow users to share their life details with anyone else they choose, on a secure platform that works to ensure users’ privacy.
Public posting sites
A public posting site allows visitors to upload content and share it with other members. A website that allows its visitors to add content to the site is considered a public posting site. So, websites that include classified ads, job postings, recommended links, etc. All are considered public publishing sites.
Trip on, digY Delicious are three examples of sites where visitors generate the content to direct other users to useful links and sites based on their interest. So you can not only browse the content on a public publishing site, but also add your own to it. As with blogging, it can be a form of “participatory or citizen journalism.”