All you need to know about WEB 2.0 (Insert choir of Angels!)

One of the most interesting thing about entering the world of blogging is that it opens your eyes to where the Internet is really heading. One little catch phrase that has been baffling me for the past few months is "web 2.0". I was convinced, for some ungodly reason, that somehow they had changed the whole infrastructure of the web or HTML or something behind the scenes to revoutionise it and that if I didn't keep up that I would be left with a cabinet of tapes when everyone else was inserting their CDs.

The reality is far more interesting.

Web 2.0 is a concept, or a change of thinking. It relates back to the dot.com collapse and is an attempt to explain and carry forward the business models that survived the devastation and rose from the ashes. tim.oreilly.com has an excellent rundown of the historical foundations of "Web 2.0" as well as a concise discussion of successful "Web 2.0" design principles as evidenced in models such as Amazon, eBay, flikr, upcoming.org and, you guessed it, del.icio.us. See, I'm jumping on all the bandwagons! (hint: this is where you will find out about "folksonomies").

The Long Tail
Small sites make up the bulk of the internet's content; narrow niches make up the bulk of internet's the possible applications. Therefore: Leverage customer-self service and algorithmic data management to reach out to the entire web, to the edges and not just the center, to the long tail and not just the head.

Data is the Next Intel Inside
Applications are increasingly data-driven. Therefore: For competitive advantage, seek to own a unique, hard-to-recreate source of data.

Users Add Value
The key to competitive advantage in internet applications is the extent to which users add their own data to that which you provide. Therefore: Don't restrict your "architecture of participation" to software development. Involve your users both implicitly and explicitly in adding value to your application.

Network Effects by Default
Only a small percentage of users will go to the trouble of adding value to your application. Therefore: Set inclusive defaults for aggregating user data as a side-effect of their use of the application.

Some Rights Reserved
Intellectual property protection limits re-use and prevents experimentation. Therefore: When benefits come from collective adoption, not private restriction, make sure that barriers to adoption are low. Follow existing standards, and use licenses with as few restrictions as possible. Design for "hackability" and "remixability."

The Perpetual Beta
When devices and programs are connected to the internet, applications are no longer software artifacts, they are ongoing services. Therefore: Don't package up new features into monolithic releases, but instead add them on a regular basis as part of the normal user experience. Engage your users as real-time testers, and instrument the service so that you know how people use the new features.

Cooperate, Don't Control
Web 2.0 applications are built of a network of cooperating data services. Therefore: Offer web services interfaces and content syndication, and re-use the data services of others. Support lightweight programming models that allow for loosely-coupled systems.

Software Above the Level of a Single Device
The PC is no longer the only access device for internet applications, and applications that are limited to a single device are less valuable than those that are connected. Therefore: Design your application from the get-go to integrate services across handheld devices, PCs, and internet servers.

Check out the whole article here.

Tags: web 2.0, blog, design