Web 2.0: The Second
Generation of the Internet
Our world is continually changing, and this includes
our online world. With advances in technology, we now have what has been
termed as Web 2.0. This is essentially technology that is available in what
many consider the 'second generation' of the Internet.
Did you know that the second generation of computer
users is now online? Many people don't think about it - but they are. Personal
computers started appearing in the mid 1990s. Now, approximately twelve years
later, those children who grew up with computers are now - well - computing.
They use computers a great deal in both their careers and personal lives
- more so than the first generation of computer users did. They are the second
generation, and it is only fitting that we now have Web 2.0 concepts.
Web 2.0 is indeed a concept. It is not software that you can buy. It is not
an updated version of software. It is more of an updated way of doing things
on the Internet. Think about how we used computers back in the 1990s. We
'surfed' the web, using web browsers, and we read content. We were able to
purchase and download software, which we could use. We could interact with
others on a limited basis through instant messengers, email, and online forums.
That was pretty much the extent of it.
Today, however, so much has changed. Instead of visiting a web site and reading
it, we can actually interact with it. We have been given a voice with blogs.
We can let our opinions of web sites be known through the use of social
bookmarking. We can interact with people all over the world through social
networking sites. We can even have a complete web site up and running in
as little as one day, where at one time it took weeks or even months to develop
a web site. Things have definitely changed. Welcome to Web 2.0.
While Web 2.0 is not a specific thing, there are specific concepts and specific
technology that make up the whole Web 2.0 concept. The main concept of Web
2.0 is interactivity. People simply are not satisfied with simply reading
a web page. They want to be able to interact with it. This is why so many
web sites today use features that allow visitors to leave comments or to
rate content - or even to submit their own content.
Technology that has been employed by the online masses
include blogging, social bookmarking, and of course, social networking. Sites
that cater to this technology have become extremely popular. Even video has
become a big part of Web 2.0 with sites, such as YouTube.com, where anyone
with a computer and Internet connection can upload their videos for others
to see. We can keep running lists of our favorite sites with social bookmarking,
and communicate with others, while expressing ourselves, with social networking
sites. We are no longer content to simply 'surf the 'net' in a mindless
fashion.
Of course, smart Internet Marketers go where the masses lead them - because
they know that where people gather, there is money to be made. Internet Marketers
are also taking advantage of social bookmarking, social networking, video
sites, blogging, and more.
They realize that the entire Web 2.0 concept, and all of the technology that
goes along with it, is not just a passing phase. In fact, if anything, smart
marketers are keeping their ears and eyes open for signs of Web 3.0 - when
the next generation brings us even further into the technological future.
If you are an online business owner who would also fall into the 'second
generation' of computer users, you probably already know how to make use
of Web 2.0 technology. However, if you are a first generation computer user,
it is vital to the future of your business that you get a grasp on Web 2.0,
and understand how this second generation, and the generations to come, will
use the Internet.
Copyright © Shelley
Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the owner of
www.Web-Source.net. Join Shelley
and many others who work from home. Find out how you can launch 6 automated
income streams in just 24 hours. Visit:
www.BoardYourShip.com/workfromhome/
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
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