What is "web 2.0"?

A common question.


the Register attempted to find an answer by asking their readers. Here's a sampling of their findings:


- Web 2.0 is "These marvellous new clothes that only the emergent can see."


- "Web 2.0 is made of stardust; it is golden; it'll help us get back to the garden"





For a slightly less cynical answer, check the second source, from oreillynet.com.


To grossly summarize it, O'reilly defines it as a platform, harnessing collective intelligence, data-centric, free from traditional release cycles, implemented through lightweight programming models, and offering richer user experiences.





Interestingly, every one you'll ask will have a slightly different definition of what "web 2.0" is, yet the same people will usually all agree on whether a site is part of the "web 2.0" trend or not.


That's probably a sign that we need to wait for the dust to settle before attempt to fully describe something that is still in the process of defining itself.

What is "web 2.0"?
Nah, no copy-pasting here. Where I quoted something, I put it inside double quotes.


Where I summarized something, I said so explicitely.


An easy way to detect copy-pasting is to enter an excerpt in a search engine and see if you get any matches. Report It