Web 2.0 is a loosely defined term used to describe new trends in how software developers and end-users utilize the World Wide Web. It refers to increased emphasis on user-generated or user-interactive content, web-based communities, and web-based applications. While there is no official definition, Web 2.0 commonly refers to services that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the Internet. Examples of Web 2.0 include social media sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies (user-generated categorization).

1. What exactly IS Web 2.0?

3. Is it a design template?

5. So we’re well on the way then… Web 2.0 (n) 1. Industry buzzword. Doesn’t really mean anything.

9. We already know what it is A lot of the time we’re already using it. It is the web as it should be used (and perhaps as it always should have been used). We will now look at some of the more useful and interesting Web 2.0 services…

10. Social bookmarking There are a number of sites for this. By far the most popular is http://del.icio.us Rather than bookmarking sites locally allows you to have access to your bookmarks from wherever you are. This is a small example of the “ web as desktop ” philosophy.

11. Delicious demonstration http:// del.icio.us

12. Tagging (folksonomy) Using del.icio.us also demonstrates another Web 2.0 philosophy, that of “folksonomy” or tagging as opposed to simple taxonomy (i.e. the filing of objects within categories or directories).

13. Flickr demonstration http:// www.flickr.com Tagging is also used to great effect on photo sharing site flickr:

14. Google demonstration http://www.google.com We all know Google as a search engine, but they are continually extending their services, in particular providing facilities that support the “ web as desktop ” philosophy: