The Web 2.0 refers to the second growth phase of the Internet. Web 2.0 marks the shift away from the passive visits to websites in the original Web 1.0, to give-and-take dialogue where everyone is a possible creator of content in Web 2.0.
Tim O'Reilly, the founder of O'Reilly Media and a promoter of open source technology and free software, is the person most associated with the term Web 2.0. After the 2004 O'Reilly Media Conference was entitled Web 2.0, adoption of the term began to become widespread among common Internet users. Darcy DiNucci first used the term "Web 2.0" in an article in 1999, but the term lay dormant until the 2004 O'Reilly Media Conference. Common in technological progression, the numbering sequence 1.0, 2.0, and so forth indicates the level of evolution from the first concept of a product.
Web 2.0 is marked by the social interaction and production of content by all users of the Internet. Whereas Web 1.0 segregated users into creators and viewers, Web 2.0 fosters collaboration between everyone. Prominent examples of the Web 2.0 in action include Wikipedia, Facebook and Myspace, and blogging services. Web 2.0 destinations encourage people to produce content themselves, instead of relying on a small number of creators to serve the entire Internet. This allows even small stories from across the world to be told to an international audience.
However, the Web 2.0 harbors a dark side. The focus upon user-generated content has led to malicious content propagating across the Internet at a rapid pace not seen in Web 1.0. Dasient, an Internet security company, reported that a new web page is infected with some form of malware every 1.3 seconds. The flood of new content from each user of the Internet has provided ample camouflage for malware and viruses. Web 2.0 also inundates users with content, allowing potential content of interest to be missed or ignored. The sheer amounts of content make accurate personalized search and classification extremely difficult.
As the Internet progresses from Web 1.0 into Web 2.0 completely, each individual user of the Internet will be able to share their own unique life. Their content might include photos, sounds, or words. The combined interactivity and collaboration promises to facilitate the sharing of ideas and information instantaneously. The hope of Web 2.0 is that the masses of humanity can be harnessed to provide new opportunities by involving each person.
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