[Air-l] how to pin down web 2.0

[Lane DeNicola]

Mark Warschaur mentioned O'Reilly Media as the cited progenitor of the
term Web 2.0, and I'd argue Tim O'Reilly's (rather lengthy) 2005
article--appropriately titled "What is Web 2.0?"--is probably still
the best general source on the concept:

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

According to the concept as built there, Alex Halavais is effectively
right, that the term denotes "companies that have attracted funding or
make money on the web over the last few years," but also that "it
suggests some kind of breaking point with earlier approaches to
design," to wit:

"In exploring the seven principles above, we've highlighted some of
the principal features of Web 2.0. Each of the examples we've explored
demonstrates one or more of those key principles, but may miss others.
Let's close, therefore, by summarizing what we believe to be the core
competencies of Web 2.0 companies:

    * Services, not packaged software, with cost-effective scalability
    * Control over unique, hard-to-recreate data sources that get
richer as more people use them
    * Trusting users as co-developers
    * Harnessing collective intelligence
    * Leveraging the long tail through customer self-service
    * Software above the level of a single device
    * Lightweight user interfaces, development models, AND business models

The next time a company claims that it's "Web 2.0," test their
features against the list above. The more points they score, the more
they are worthy of the name. Remember, though, that excellence in one
area may be more telling than some small steps in all seven."

I'd advocate the use of the term, if only because of its circulation
as industry vernacular, but its use should be well-qualified.  As a
fluid construct (one used here to designate "companies with certain
competencies," rather than, say, qualities of specific technologies)
perhaps the best course would be to qualify it as "O'Reilly's (or
whomever's) conceptualization of Web 2.0."

-- 
Lane DeNicola
Doctoral Candidate | Dept. of Science & Technology Studies
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
http://www.nacresky.com/lad
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