Wiley Amazon.com Mashups 978-0-470-09777-9 Manuale Utente

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Web 2.0

This book deals with Web 2.0 topics. But then again, maybe it doesn’t. You see, the problem is that
no one really knows what Web 2.0 is. In this chapter, I’ll present some thoughts on the matter and
then you can decide what it really means to be Web 2.0. Being Web 2.0 or not might not really mat-
ter in the end. What you will learn from this book are some cool techniques to take the Web to the
next level.

What Is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 as a term was first coined during a brainstorming session at a conference on Internet tech-
nology. The breakout session was the easy part. Web 2.0 as a tangible entity has taken quite a while
longer to manifest itself. 

In the old days, six years ago (back in Web 1.0), Web sites were well-insulated entities that exe-
cuted entirely within the browser and well within their own sphere of influence. If you wanted to
build a Web site, you thought only of yourself. Users were important, but no one would dare ven-
ture so far as to suggest that you let the users tell you what they wanted, or worse still, write the
requirements. 

Web 2.0 challenges this line of thinking on just about every level. Web 2.0, like art, has no real defi-
nition, but you’ll know it when you see it. Web 2.0 companies take a different approach to almost
every aspect of their business.

A typical approach to starting a business circa 2000 would dictate that you figure out the business
you want to be in, conduct a series of brainstorming sessions, document requirements, get some
funding, build out your site, and sit back and wait for the money to roll in. 

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