WEB 2.0

One Saturday, as I sat in my research class I over-heard a couple of my classmates discussing Web 2.0. They were having a thorough discussion about it and what different colleges offered of it. I was completely dumb-founded by the name Web 2.0, but from my research I learned that I was quite familiar with it. The discussion of Web 2.0 is what will follow below.

First, Web 2.0 means different things to different people, but one of the common threads that runs through many definitions is the emergence of Internet tools that foster collaboration and interaction (Fox, 2009). In a recent online discussion, Tim O’Reilly, CEO of the technical publisher O’Reilly Media, described Web 2.0 as “harnessing the collective intelligence of users,” (Fox, 2009).

Next, there are many examples of Web 2.0 features that we have all become accustomed to using (Fox, 2009). Some common examples are: (1) reading a review of the Kindle 2 on Amazon.com written by a customer who recently purchased it; (2) commenting on an article discussing the economic bailout in the online version of The New York Times or in your local newspaper; (3) using a “tag cloud” to enhance your library catalog search for books on copyright and file sharing, or (4) becoming a fan of your local public library on Facebook or writing on a friend’s “wall,” (Fox, 2009). Web 2.0 tools include blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, Twitter, “tag clouds” for enhanced searching, and social networking sites like MySpace, LinkedIn, and Ning (Fox, 2009).

Ironically, I have been using Web 2.0 tools consistently for almost the last four months. For example, this blog that I am expected to write every week is considered to be a Web 2.0 tool. Funny! Anyway, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter are not Web 2.0 tools that I use often. I did have a Facebook page which I never bothered to decorate and is now defunct. I also opened an account with MySpace which I never use and should delete. I have never, nor will I ever create/open an account with Twitter, at least not for personal reasons. However, as a future librarian, if I had a job that required me opening a Twitter account for professional reasons, I’d be willing.

Finally, Web 2.0 tools such as Facebook, MySpace, wikis, blogs and etc. are impacting the internet constantly. Hence, not only do I know about Web 2.0 tools now but I have become accustomed to using a couple quite often.

Reference

Fox, D.F. (2009). What is web 2.0? American Association of Law Libraries Spectrum, 13 (9), 2A.