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 to designate a change in the web brought about by new tools like blogs, social networks (Facebook, Twitter), RSS, among others. The term was used by Tim O’Reilly at a conference in 2004. However, the concept does not refer to a technical change, but rather to a way of use. In fact, the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, called the term “just jargon,” since he had intended from the beginning for the Web to incorporate these values.
The problem with HTML pages, the “old-fashioned” ones, is that adding new content requires quite a bit of work, and they inevitably end up becoming outdated. Web 2.0 tools allow for the elimination of this static character that inevitably appeared on almost all web pages. Furthermore, they make it easy to share content, and in this way, blogs about cooking recipes, crochet courses, or skating enthusiasts appear, created by users who, without these tools, probably could not create a conventional HTML page. Finally, they allow you to add Google’s “+1” buttons, Facebook’s “like” buttons, and RSS feeds, which allow sharing updates from 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 Facebook page? What’s the point? Mainly because Google values Web 2.0 elements very positively in its search rankings (from personal experience, I can say that in many companies, the blog appears before their own website). In this way, Google tries to avoid the trends of recent years, where searching for a page might bring up a 1999 website, completely outdated. Additionally, companies see in the sharing and following nature of social networks a way to advertise themselves (something that remains to be seen to what extent it’s true). Thus, the website becomes a static element, an advertising billboard placed on the internet, while the weight of news, current events, etc., is carried by social networks, blogs, and RSS.
Therefore, the change in usage is clear. Compared to the Web 1.0 concept, where the user opened the browser and had their search engine as the homepage, and from there went on to consult pages, in Web 2.0, the use of the search engine takes a back seat. The users themselves share news and links of interest among themselves, and the users themselves rate the content of a news item through “+1” and “like” buttons. As evidence of this change, there are Google’s policy changes regarding website valuation, or the fact that it created its own social network, Google+, to avoid losing market share to Facebook.
