Week Three: Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term coined by Tim O'Reilly to describe a an improved version of the World Wide Web. At this very moment, I am taking advantage of Web 2.0 by blogging. During the days of Web 1.0 people used personal web pages at domains such as Geocities or Angelfire. The concept of Web 2.0 allows for more 'collective intelligence'. This is especially evident through blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and podcasts. This collective intelligence allows for a collaboration of ideas from people all over the world. "The new Web is a very different thing. It's a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter. Silicon Valley consultants call it Web 2.0, as if it were a new version of some old software. But it's really a revolution" Time Magazine. So where is all this heading? With the convergence of media, will we rely on podcasts and blogs to update us on our cellphones as we wait for the bus? It is true that Web 2.0 is bringing us together as a community with no geographical boundaries.

Making a podcast is as easy as looking into a camera and talking. You're nodding your head if you saw my amature podcast in the last post. Web users can subscribe to podcasts, or watch them on sites such as Youtube. So where is this heading? Well some can say that Web 2.0 technology such as podcasts and blogging will make print media and radio news obsolete. I say although blogs and podcasts are popular among social networks, when it comes to academics, we will still rely on print resources as a credible source. After all, who would source an amature podcast in a second year CCIT essay? However, "that's what makes all this interesting. Web 2.0 is a massive social experiment, and like any experiment worth trying, it could fail."Time Magazine.

A great article courtesy of Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html