1.0, 2.0 … Web 3.0?? What will that be?

What is Web 2.0? Tim O’Reilly 2005
This article was a little bit dense. I had thought that I would be able to follow it pretty easily, being a relatively internet-savvy college student, but it’s as though Mr. O’Reilly is speaking a whole other language that I haven’t really been exposed to. But I’ll still try to pull out some points from it.
An interesting part is a chart showing how Web 2.0 has changed, i.e. Britannica Online has been replaced as the main source of information by Wikipedia, the photo sharing site Ofoto replaced by Flickr, etc. It makes you wonder what things we consider to be staples of today’s internet usage – such as FaceBook or Twitter or Google – may become obsolete. It’s hard to imagine because they’re so cutting edge right now.

In Web 2.0, the internet is about consumers and participation – sites revolve around the person who views them or interacts with them. As far as I can tell from this article, the web was previously viewed as a way for advertising. Which of course it still is, but now it is advertising that revolves around you.

Live web: facilitated by RSS, which allows you to subscribe to a page and be notified when it changes. This is probably one of the most interactive parts of the internet, and can be used for just about anything, which means that just about anyone would want to use it. It’s primarily for blogs, which are also an upgrade from a traditional static web page because, again, it changes and can be completely customized. Of course we know about that in ds106, I am writing on one!

Another interesting aspect of Web 2.0 is that software must be able to be used by multiple devices in order to be competitive. Almost everyone has some form of smart phone or tablet these days, and software is only useful if you can access it from all of your devices.

Web 2.0 Storytelling 2010
Blogs are a primary form of “Web 2.0 storytelling.” They are for the most part very easy to use and can become a representation of the person who publishes it. It’s a new type of communication and interaction with other people, people who may live across the world from you that you’ll never meet. It can be more than a diary (a story of your life); it can also be the story of someone else, someone imaginary. And as mentioned in Mr. O’Reilly’s article, it is a great way to be engaged online with other people.

I have to say I did not expect Twitter to be included in this reading; I definitely have never considered it to be a vehicle of valuable information. However, as the author points out, it is perfect for aphorisms, which can be a story unto themselves.

The Creative Commons article was interesting; I’m the kind of person who definitely does not want anyone using my stuff without my permission, whether it be my sister borrowing my clothes or someone using my photo off the internet. I especially hate when people steal professional photographers’ photos, because that literally takes the business right out from under them. However, after we discussed it a little bit in class, I can see how creative commons would encourage further creativity. I’m still not sure I would want my stuff being used by just anyone, although that is an inherent risk when you put your stuff out there online.