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I hear a lot of discussion around defining Web 2.0; I think a simpler definition is better, such as “user-based collaboration and content generation.” There are a number of people who want a clear-cut definition on exactly what Web 2.0 is and everything that encompasses  Web 2.0. This is analogous to asking for a list of every animal that exists now or has ever existed before they are willing to talk about dogs or buffalo. Even today new species are being discovered.   If I may borrow the famous words of the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Steward, “I may not be able to find  it, but I’ll know it when I see it.”   Web 2.0 is still growing and evolving and this is why it is still so hard to define.

 

The biggest issue facing Web 2.0 is not technology. Most of the technology used in Web 2.0 has been around for quite some time. It is the application of this technology that  is  unique and challenging.  Web 2.0 is analogous to the concept of democracy, elements of which have been around since before the ancient Greeks. The elements of democracy have evolved over time and been integrated into something far different than what the ancient Athenians would recognize. Similarly, the elements of Web 2.0 continue to evolve and are being integrated into something different.