Web 2.0 Characteristics

Characteristics of Web 2.0

Though there is a controversy still going on over the definition of Web 2.0, yet it has some basic common characteristics. These include:

1. Web 2.0 use network as a platform as it deliver or receive applications thoroughly via a browser.
2. Users gets, manipulates and controlled the data on the site.
3. Participatory architecture in which user can add or edit value to the application according to their requirement.
4. A rich, interactive, user-friendly interface based on Ajax or similar frameworks.
5. Some social-networking aspects.
6. Enhanced graphical interfaces such as gradients and rounded corners (absent in the so-called Web 1.0 era).

Usage of Web 2.0
After emerging of Web 2.0, it is being vastly used because of its wide range of variety and very attractive features. Descriptive list of Web 2.0 tools are endless even though we can say that the new generation of Internet approximately uses its tools. Web 2.0 tools include Weblogging, Wikis, Social networking, Podcasts, Feeds, Social bookmarking, and Cascading Style Sheet. The Approach behind using Web 2.0 is different. Some uses it accidentally as for browsing purpose. Some uses it to fulfill theirs’ job because they need it. Some uses it by curiosity as they want to check it and some uses it by default as they have no knowledge about it. Overall, many people and companies use it but they don‘t know why? The reason may vary, but its utility is still undoubted.

Technical Overview
Web 2.0 has a complex and growing technology that includes server-software, content-syndication, messaging- protocols, standards-based browsers with plugins and extensions, and various client-applications. All these differ in functions and approaches but provide all the requirements beyond the expectation such as information- storage, creation, and dissemination capabilities.

A web 2.0 website may usually feature a number of following techniques:

• Rich Internet application techniques, optionally Ajaxbased
• Cascading Style Sheet, CSS
• Semantically valid XHTML markup and the use of Microformats
• Organization and collection of data in RSS/Atom
• Clean and meaningful URLs
• Excessive use of folksonomies (in the form of tags or tagclouds)
• Use of wiki software either completely or partially (where partial use may grow to become the complete platform for the site) partially, e.g. the LAMP solution stack
• XACML over SOAP for access control between organizations and domains
• Blog publishing
• Mashups (A mix up of content and Audio usually from different musical style)
• REST or XML Webservice APIs.