My Favorite web 2.0 tools, part 1

In the beginning we had web 1.0 or first generation websites, these where mostly text and where used to distribute information from distributer to user. Eventually we got images and web 1.25 (second generation) was born. This was similar to a magazine, cool glossy pictures, text but still no interactivity. Then low and behold someone comes up with Flash! This is the third generation of the internet and it created cool interaction but on a very limited bases, more like playing a game.

Today we have the fourth generation of the world wide web and we call it WEB 2.0. This next generation allows users to create, expand, share and interact with all sorts of content and each-other.

"Web 2.0 is the term used to define the applications on the world wide web that are used to increase interactivity between users.  information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration." (From wikipedia)

Diagram showing the connections of users to web 2.0. Because it looks like a cloud we often use the term Cloud Computing.

There are new sites and applications being developed daily and it feels to me like we are on the verge of something very powerful. Google has been on the cutting edge of invention. Most of the programs they have developed or acquired are similar to programs that have been around for a long time. Google has just made them available on any computer with a web browser. Many of them feel very familiar to some of the programs I learned on when I was in college in the early nineties. That is not to say they are not advanced but are more accessible to the everyday user. In addition to the applications we also have social media. There are hundreds of sites that allow users to collaborate, communicate and interact at various levels. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger are just a couple of examples. Even the most rudimentary sites these days have options for people to leave feedback.

With great interactivity comes great responsibility! MikeG, one of my classmates brought up the question of ownership? Who owns all this material? Who has access to it? Who is paying for it? Mike pointed out that Google owns all content in their sites. (update: Michiel another classmate posted this that clears up some of the issues) Up till now they have been very adamant about customer privacy, but who knows what the future will hold. Does the government have the right to access our documents? Who is google selling our information to? For now we can only assume that google is protecting us, but who knows what the future will hold.

Stay tuned for part 2!