Web 2.0: Principles and Best Practices

2.1.

The breadth and pace of change make succinct definition of Web 2.0 a challenge—one that has led to a lively global debate. The following is our definition:

Web 2.0 is a set of social, economic, and technology trends that collectively form the basis for the next generation of the Internet—a more mature, distinct medium characterized by user participation, openness, and network effects.

Web 2.0 did not materialize overnight. It represents the evolution and maturation of the Internet during the past decade. The Internet, like other new mediums, began by mimicking those that came before, but only time and experience revealed its unique strengths. In many ways, Web 2.0 is a rediscovery or fulfillment of what the Web was intended to be.^[]

The impact of Web 2.0 is now accelerating as the network grows and becomes more ingrained into the daily lives of individuals and organizations. Yet Web 2.0 as a label has become part of the vernacular because it concisely conveys just enough meaning—in particular, that we are entering a distinct new era—to become the basis for this worldwide dialog. The definition of Web 2.0 is a starting point because, in the end, it is the underlying patterns that are much more important than a definition. Understanding these patterns is the key to success in Web 2.0.

2.1.1.

2.1.1.1. The Eight Core Patterns

Harnessing Collective Intelligence

Create an architecture of participation that uses network effects and algorithms to produce software that gets ...