In my first post, I talked about the transition to web 2.0. But, what does it really consist of?
The term Web 2.0 is a way of designating a change on the web originated by new tools such as blogs, social networks (facebook, twitter), RSS, among others. The term was used by Tim O’Reilly in a conference in 2004. However, the concept does not refer to a technical change, but to a way of use. In fact, the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, described the term as “just jargon,” since he had planned from the beginning that the Web would incorporate these values.
The problem with html pages, the “traditional” ones, is that adding new content requires a lot of work and, ultimately, they end up becoming outdated. Web 2.0 tools allow to eliminate this static character that inevitably appeared in almost all web pages. It also makes it easy to share content, and in this way, blogs about cooking recipes, crochet courses, or skating enthusiasts, created by users who, without these tools, probably could not generate a conventional html page. Finally, it allows you to add Google’s “+1” buttons, Facebook’s “like” buttons, and RSS feeds, which allow you to share the updates of your page on social networks. This way, your acquaintances can visit your page and it makes it easier for you to share your publications.
But it goes much further, as a good number of companies are being “forced” to make the change to Web 2.0. But why would a company want to have a page on Facebook? What’s the point? Mainly because Google values the elements of web 2.0 very positively in its search engine rankings (from my own experience, I can say that in many companies, the blog appears before their own website). This way, Google tries to avoid the trends of recent years, where searching for a page could lead you to a 1999 website, completely outdated. In addition, companies see in the sharing and following of social networks, a way to advertise themselves (something that is still to be seen to what extent it is true). In this way, the web page becomes a static element, an advertising billboard placed on the internet, while the weight of the news, current affairs, etc., is supported by social networks, blogs, and RSS feeds.
Therefore, the change in use is clear. In contrast to the concept of Web 1.0, where the user would open the browser and have their search engine as their homepage, and then go on to consult pages, in Web 2.0, the use of the search engine takes a back seat, with the users themselves sharing news and links of interest among themselves, and the users themselves valuing the content of a news article through the “+1” and “like” buttons. As evidence of this change is the changes in Google’s policies regarding the evaluation of web pages, or the fact that they have created their own social network, Google+, to avoid losing market share to Facebook.