We have customers often ask us “can we use Web 2.0 on your system?” so we thought we would put together a post explaining what Web 2.0 is all about.

Web 2.0 is not a specific technology but a term used to describe the modern way in which websites are designed, developed, how the information on the site is used and how the user interacts with it. Many successful Web 2.0 websites share many similarities, one of which is social interaction. Some of the most popular Web 2.0 applications include Flickr, Facebook, Digg and del.icio.us  to name a few and are all built around user generated content.  Though social interaction is a major part of Web 2.0, it’s not the only defining factor, below is a breakdown of some of the technologies and practices used in today’s Web 2.0 websites and applications.

Design and Coding
Modern websites now tend to be built with standards-compliant code with semantically valid XHTML and HTML mark-up.  Websites are styled using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Using a single CSS allows the developer to make site wide design changes very quickly. You will also notice with Web 2.0 sites that the designs share common characteristics including drop shadows, rounded corners and subtle gradients.

Rich Internet Applications (RIA)
Using technologies, such as Ajax, Adobe Flash, Java, Flex etc., allows developers to enhance the user experience on a web page.  These powerful technologies can not only improve the usability but also the design and the way the user interacts with the page.  Developers can now create an interactive website that is similar to the way a computer application works, e.g. a drag and drop interface or perhaps updating information on a site without having to reload the page.

Social Interaction
User-created data is a large contributor towards Web 2.0. You will find that a common characteristic with most of today’s successful websites is allowing users to interact and participate with them.  The most popular interaction methods include Blogging, Tagging content, maintaining a Wiki and Podcasting.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
SOA is the way in which a website provides and permits the use of its data, allowing developers the freedom to use this information to create a richer user experience on their own website.  The distribution of this data is commonly found in the following formats: RSS, Feeds and API’s.  A related Web 2.0 term that utilises multiple data sources, such as API’s, to create a single integrated application is a Mashup.  Some good examples of Hybrid websites utilising some of the most popular API’s are as follows:

A combination of Flash and the Google Maps API to create a flight simulator:
http://www.isoma.net/games/goggles.html

Utilising Flash and the Flickr API to create this slick-looking gallery application:
http://www.bcdef.org/flappr/