What the fuck is up with the use of Web 2.0 to describe emerging trends on the internet'
The Igloo Coder brings up a good question but I think that he's missing the big picture. Web 2.0 is a good thing for us web developers.
For the most part, I think the defining characteristic of a 'Web 2.0' website is that it uses the web as an application framework. That is, it's blurring the lines between the web and the desktop. This has actually been around for quite a long time but has been called different things in the past. At my work, we've tried to use the Application Service Provider (ASP) term in the past.
The #1 problem with trying to sell an Application Service Provider is trust. Why does trust matter' Because we're storing all of the data. Sure, we can sell that in a nice way to you ' we've got co-located, fully redundant servers and can guarantee 99.99999999% uptime in a bullet-proof data center that you don't need to staff because we've taken care of all of your infrastructure and administration costs for a nice little monthly fee. Who wouldn't want that, eh'
Surprisingly, most people don't want. Why' Because of one little thing ' we're storing the data. People have this odd little love thing with their data. They want it. It doesn't matter that they usually don't back it up or that they don't maintain it or that they don't use it effectively. They want it.
However, with the hype of Web 2.0, the Application Service Provider is getting a shot of adrenalin. All of a sudden it IS cool to have somebody else maintain your data. As the lines between desktop and the web blur, people are realizing that the web is a viable platform for development. It's global by nature, shipping a new product consists of nothing more than a simple deployment to a web server and everybody already has a built-in application for using the web without any complicated installation process that varies depending on which operating system you have.
For me, Web 2.0 is awesome. Yes, I agree that it's overhyped by a bunch of folks that are desperate to make money off of the next bubble. And no, I have no idea what Web 1.0 was. But I know that the value of my skills will go up if Web 2.0 takes off. And I like that a lot.