What is the Web 2.0?


This term was launched by the O' Reilly editor in 2004. Is it a simple word or does it corresponds to a concrete technical innovation? We will try to answer the question precisely and to explain how to become a Webmaster of Web 2.0.
For that, we will distinguish the improvements, which are former techniques used in a new way or modifications of old techniques, and the true innovations, which allow for additional contents thanks to entirely new means.
Small Web 2.0 innovation on this text: to leave the mouse one moment on a term in bold to obtain its definition.

Contents


What is the Web 2.0

In a simplified outline, here is what the inventors of the term indicate by Web 2.0:

1) On a technical level
- The Web becomes a platform.
- Data are now the central element of the Web, one concentrates on the contents thanks to the CMS and other tools.
- Appearance of network effects by the participation of multiple systems and Web sites, and of independent developers. (Ex: wikis).
- Replacement of the software cycle by models ordered by the contents and syndication (see RSS).
- Existence of a form of E-trade which becomes profitable on a very broad population, which is not possible before Internet (eBay for example).
2) On level of the actors
- The Web becomes a social phenomenon or each one brings contents. That is concretized in particular by the blogs and the wikis.
- Web services are growing and this increases their social importance, and that makes a major economic force of it.
3) On the level of companies and services
Web 2.0 is also described by the appearance of companies related to new services: Skype (telephone), Google (research, publicity by Adsense, Writely, Maps, Earth, etc., youTunes (videos), iTunes (music), EBay, CDiscount (E-trade) as well as e-mail, transport, blogs, forums, etc.

 

Improvements of the Web 2.0

Ajax

Ajax is itsself a whole of techniques: the language of Web pages scripting Javascript to dynamically modify the page, the XMLHttpRequest object to interact with the server, two being used as a basis for Web applications.
Ajax allows to carry out reactive sites like Flickr, for the division of the photographs, YouTube for the videos.

Ajax links:

Blog

Online diary or personal newspaper which is automated by a content manager, and is lodged on a personal site or a community site.Tickets are dated, and posted on the same page, the last entered driving out oldest.
A blog manager allows research, regrouping post in categories, addition of comments by the visitors, trackbacks and blogrolls as well as the creation of RSS feeds.

For the managers allowing to hold a blog on a personal site, see the list of CMS, and in particular Dotclear and Wordpress.

RSS, podcast

A RSS file is an XML file whose semantics is adapted and standardized, which gave two principal formats, RSS 2.0 and Atom. The goal is to publish and make known news of a site. The file, which is called RSS feed, contains a list of articles on one or more sites. It is published on the site and in repertories of RSS feeds. It could then be taken again and integrated on other sites or its personal desk.
A format of outline of documents OPML is used to create lists of exchangeable RSS feeds between sites.

A podcast is a RSS file which refers to a list of audio files or radio transmissions proposed by the creator, on the Web. The Net surfers define their own program and download it on a walkman. The word comes from i-pod and broadcasting.

RSS links:

Wiki

It is the simplest version of collaborative work. One grants a right of edition to the visitors of the site what makes it possible to develop it thanks to the small contributions of thousands of visitors. Any Webmaster can add a wiki to his site, thanks to a specialized library (generally in PHP language) and a database.

Permalink

A "permalink" is a permanent link.
Permalinks are especially used on blogs, where articles are moved from the principal page to archives, but must remain accessible to websites having created a link on him. The majority of blog CMS can create permalinks.
There is no material difference with a traditional hyperlink, it is simply a way of naming the page so that the link remains valid after the page was transferred in files.

XFN

Acronym of XHTML Friends Network, is still one of these new words to indicate something of traditional and basic. That consists in using the attribute "rel=" property of the <a> tag, to mark a relation with the site or the page which one binds, and thus with the person who is the author.
An example:

    <a href= " http://www.scriptol.com " rel= "friend met" >Design of site</a>

These indicators can be exploited by services on the same site or search engines (see in resources).

FOAF

FOAF (Friend of has Friend), is a project to model in a form usable by the computer, contents such as that of personal pages or blogs, to constitute a social network. The system is based on the RDF format, with information such as name, genre, and other characteristics of this kind. The links which form the network consist of URL of the personal pages or e-mail addresses of the people.



Innovations of the Web 2.0

Mashup

It is a hybrid Web application giving access to various Web services starting from a single webpage.
Technically, that consists for the Webmaster in incorporating on his site source codes provided by various actors on the Web such as Google, Yahoo, etc.
It is not a question of a simple accumulation of gadgets: the services can be combined to create something new.
An example:
- On one hand, Google Maps which provides the detailed chart of a city.
- In addition a real service giving access an empty list of residences.
The combination of both makes it possible to physically see the residences available on the map.
That also functions for restaurants, shops, any trade or even any tourist place.
The Popfly website, powered by all recent technologies from Microsoft, is dedicated to mashups and Web applications.

The semantic Web

It is a project to create a universal support of exchange of information while placing on the Web documents which can be treated by computer. Semantics means that the treatment takes into account the meaning of the contents of the documents. The project develops the Web by standards like markup languages and specialized tools for the treatment.
In fact this innovation contains a traditional part, the formats, and a part under development, the tools to carry out an intelligent treatment of information through these formats.

Rich Internet Applications

In other words applications equipped with complete graphic interfaces and functionalities of treatment identical to those of local applications of office.
They are built using frameworks, in Javascript client-side (on the navigator) and generally support Ajax for the interaction with the server.

The characteristic of Web applications and what differentiates them from local applications, in addition to the fact that there is generally nothing to install on its computer, is the collaborative aspect. The possibility of making multiple actors working together and making them collaborate in the construction of a project.
The Second Life webiste, which proposes a virtual existence to you, is a good example of application using all the resources of Web 2.0. Companies as Reuters open agencies in the virtual world, which is an original means of promotion.

Conclusion

One could summarize the article, within sight of this plethora of techniques, by saying that Web 2.0 consists in moving from the original Web, a network of sites providing own contents put on line using HTML page made with a specialized editor like NVU, Dreamweaver or Frontpage, to new sites employing all the modern means of creation and content management, including their promotion. New services appear and applications are transposed from the office to the Web.
With that is added a human aspect by the development of collaborative work as well as the appearance of networks of people.

Web 2.0 and W3C: the standards

How does the W3C, which defines the standards of the Web, support Web 2.0?
By defining protocols and formats, for the semantic Web, HTML and the forms, XML and the storage of data, to facilitate data exchange with the server:

References and resources

(c)2007 Denis Sureau - Do not put this page on another site, place a link on the page instead.
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