Technicalities

>>There is a good amount of controversy about what makes a site Web 2.0, but one thing is certain: The way business owners and consumers interact with a Web page is changing fast. The idea of just going to a Web page and reading the information now seems like old technology.

Web 1.0—the version we knew, say, five years ago—was like traveling by train: You were transported in one direction along a set route to get to your destination. Web 2.0 is more like traveling by car: You control where to go and what you see. Sharing the control of content between Web developer and individual is one good way to describe the Web 2.0 experience.

When I told my 10-year-old daughter I was writing this article, she informed me that Wikipedia was Web 2.0 because, "If you have an account with Wikipedia you can change the information, as long as [what you write] is accurate and you have proof." Other examples of Web 2.0 are eBay and Amazon.com, which allow visitors to create content, including product reviews and recommendation lists.

Personally, I want to interact with a Web site and to some degree have intelligence built into it that anticipates my needs.

Make Web 2.0 work for you

LinkedIn, a great social-networking site for professionals, is one example of how user-generated content can turn into new business opportunities. Based on your input about places you’ve worked and schools you’ve attended, the site creates a roster of employees and students who were there at the same time. Then you choose whom to invite in your circle of contacts—implicitly recommending these professionals. You can also explicitly recommend someone with a written review.