Web 2.0/3.0

Definition

Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 are terms that refer to the trends and characteristics believed to be representative of next generation web applications emerging after the dot-com collapse of 2001. The term Web 2.0 became widely used after the first O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 Conference (http://www.web2con.com/) in 2004.

Key Points

The term Web 2.0 does not imply a fundamental change in Internet technologies but rather, captures what industry experts believe to be the key characteristics of successful web applications following the dot-com collapse. In general, Web 2.0 applications typically leverage one or more of the following concepts:

• Active participation, collaboration, and the wisdom of crowds. Consumers explicitly improve and add value to the web application they are using either through volunteerism or in response to incentives and rewards. This typically involves explicitly creating and modifying content (Wikipedia entries, Amazon reviews, Flickr tags, YouTube videos, etc.)

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