The World Wide Web is turning from a network of machines into a network of human beings:

• The human being is at the centre.
• The user doesn’t simply surf through the net anymore but he modifies and adds to it.
• He writes a web-diary.
• He displays his photographs on exchange sites.
• He puts his knowledge at disposal in online-encyclopaedias.
• He recommends his bookmarks to other users.
• The internet is changing from a network of computers and servers into a network of the people.
• In social networks users are being linked to each other.

Administer pictures with Flickr.

Writing online diaries (travel diary).

Manage knowledge with Wikipedia.

Administer videos with YouTube.

(According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation)

New programming techniques allow of individual data exchange with the server:

• GoogleMail reports without reload when new messages have arrived.
• Writely, the online word processing programme, opens contact menus after right click.
• Google Maps zooms maps without resending the entire request to the server.
• The web is more and more turning into an application, offering look & feel of programmes locally installed on the PC.
• The secret is the new technology called Ajax.
• Ajax stands for „Asynchronous JavaScript and XML“.
• The combination of these two techniques allows the exchange of only specifically requested data between browser and server.
• Ajax provides for new contents on the website without having to completely reload it.
• The traditional web organisation in sites is taken over by new web applications as fast as desktop software.
• In addition, Ajax enables the mixing up of different web offers since data can derive from diverse sources.

The AJAX principle (According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation).

(According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation)

In order to handle software regardless of device boundaries, it is essential to have open interfaces:

• Web 2.0 is open.
• Most applications are based on Open Source software.
• By using open interfaces (APIs) offers and data can be combined with each other.
• RSS Feeds and Widgets allow for the integration of contents on special sites.
• Standards are given and are constantly being further developed by the World Wide Web Consortium.

Open interfaces combine different offers.

(According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation)

While for computer programmes beta versions are always recognizable as test versions which need further development, web applications can be constantly up-dated – in other words, on web 2.0 everything remains „beta“:

• Devices and applications keep connecting themselves to the internet.
• Internet applications are not software artefacts anymore but they become permanent services.
• New features are permanently being introduced, becoming part of the everyday „user experience“.
• Users become real time testers, their behaviour informs about the quality of the product update.
• Shorter „time to market“.
• Reduced risk.
• Closer bond with the user.
• Real time data for taking quantifiable decisions.

„Release early and release often“.

Short software cycles are the critical factor of success on Web 2.0.

Comparison of the Release Histories of Microsoft Windows and Flickr.

(According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation)

The most successful web offers are those whose users take care of the contents themselves:

• Web 2.0 collects data.
• Dynamic categorisation by means of tags (headwords according to subjects and contributions).
• So-called Tag Clouds are created of the tags which display the content of a website according to the current users’ behaviour.
• Bookmarks are not ordered into categories anymore but rather provided with tags.
• The most successful web offers are those whose users’ take care of the contents themselves.
• Amazon has gained from its rating function and the selling of used books (from users for users)
• Users want to work.
• Rating sites are increasing in an over-proportionate way.
• Every second one blog is being created somewhere in the world.
• The more participants, the better the offer.
• Data and contents are at the core (Data is the next Intel Inside).

Administer bookmarks with Del.icio.us.

Administer bookmarks with Mister Wong.

Rating sites are increasing in an over-proportionate way.

The more participants, the better the offer.

Data and contents are at the core.

(According to O’Reilly: Web 2.0 for Participation)