Web 2.0

After reading Tim O’Reilly’s What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, it became obvious to me that one of the most important components of Web 2.0 is user participation. Users are presented with a platform upon which they build networks themselves. Web 2.0 is much more malleable than Web 1.0; it is ever-changing and ever-growing. Instead of delivering software that is pre-built and unable to be augmented as Web 1.0 did, the user asserts more control over the software and can transform it to his/her liking. Without user interaction, Web 2.0 is potentially useless. For example, even though Napster provided a forum in which users could share music files, if there were no users, Napster would have become obsolete. O’Reilly gives several examples of Web 2.0 and contrasts them to their Web 1.0 counterparts; DoubleClick is Web 1.0, whereas Google AdSense is Web 2.0, et cetera.
When considering my own example of what Web 2.0 is, I thought of the on-line social network Facebook; users create profiles that describe their interests/histories/backgrounds which can be viewed by other members of Facebook. With a Facebook account, people are free to join networks and communities that link them to other people in their geographic area, high school, college, or job. By allowing users to join several networks at one time, a complex network that connects thousands of people is created instantaneously. Users then can invite other people to join their Facebook networks; with each new addition, users expand the platform and add value to the service by creating more possible links to other users and increasing the complexity and interconnectedness of existing networks.
User participation is encouraged in many different ways; Facebook is constantly updating and improving the services it offers in order for users to remain interested in the site. Blogs or notes can be posted or shared through users’ profiles, which then can be viewed and commented on by other people. Furthermore, users can post pictures in digital photo albums, which enable them to tag other members of their networks in pictures. Also, people can post links to news articles, videos, or events which are then shared with all of the people that comprise their networks. By participating in all the available services that Facebook offers, users contribute to the “news feed”, which is displayed on the Facebook homepage. In one glance, a user can see that his/her friend has added new photos, or changed their status, or broke up with their girlfriend/boyfriend. Without user participation, a feature like the “news feed” would not be able to function. Another new feature that Facebook offers is the ability to create invitations through the website and invite their friends or extend the invitation to everyone in their network as well as other networks. The invitation can contain photos and also has a place for people to post comments and RSVP to the event. To increase the visibility of an event, users can then create flyers that are visible to entire networks; by clicking on the flyer, a person can view the invitation to the event as well as RSVP.
In my opinion, Facebook is the perfect example of Web 2.0. The service relies on users to add value and to provide feedback on how the website can be improved. Users are given the power to update and change information in their profile and to link themselves with large networks. The more people use Facebook, the more complex the service itself becomes, which creates an environment for change and enhancement.