1. Academic Computing Services, LRG
Web 2.0: What is it?
Hope Greenberg
Academic Computing Services, LRG
Mastering the Maze 2008
Welcome,
Check name off roster
The plan: a bit of history, a look at a few favorites, your favorites

2. New Technology Existing technology + cultural concepts 
Web 2.0: What is it?
Existing technology + cultural concepts 
New Technology
The creation and adoption of any new technology grows from existing technology and cultural concepts about what is important.

3. Existing technology + Cultural concepts
Web 2.0: What is it?
Early 20th Century Example
Existing technology Cultural concepts
Steel production
Innovative design
Powerful engines
Bigger is better
Luxury is a must
Speed matters
History is replete with examples of how these two do not always align. (Example: an early 20th century technology: we are very good at making steel but the steel we make is not always completely consistent in how it behaves in extreme conditions like cold temperatures. We have innovative designs and we can build powerful engines. Cultural Concepts: bigger is better, luxury is something to be desired, and we are the century of speed. The result?
The result 

4. Web 2.0: What is it?
Sometimes things don’t work out quite as planned…In the case of the Titanic, the inconsistencies in the steel combined with the speed in cold, ice-filled water, and ship design all combined in a most unfortunate way. But the point is, the Titanic disaster didn’t just happen because of an iceberg: it was a combination of unfortunate events, both technological and cultural.

5. Existing technology + Cultural concepts
Web 2.0: What is it?
1980s Example
Existing technology Cultural concepts
Personal computers
Hypertext
Internet ( , ftp, telnet, gopher)
SGML (structure/markup)
Global library
Readers/Authors
Collaboration
I don’t want to imply that the history of Web 2.0 is a Titanic in the making! But I do want to situate it in history—technolgoy doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
personal computers: my documents, my data, on my box, on my desk;
hypertext (idea from Engelbart, name from Nelson): build links between words;
the Internet: connect and share information,
SGML: structure and content separate
Cultural: info online globally, readers shape what authors write through their own interpretations. Collaboration: work in teams, multi-editors on documents.

6. 1989/1990: Tim Berners-Lee’s proposal to CERN for a system that would help them manage a large project

7. How will we keep track of these large projects?
a system that answers the question: “How will we keep track of such a large project?” So he wrote a program and installed it on one of the servers at CERN. Oh yes, the program’s name?

8. WorldWideWeb

9. Web 2.0: What is it?
Although Berners-Lee tried to develop an true hypertext system where all the people using it would be contributors and creators, the reality was:
libraries, collections, the practice was brochures, and the early developments favored an author/designer driven approach. In other words, few creators, many consumers. And of course in the early days it was seen as yet another tech gizmo, not part of “real life.” In this early example of the UVM Home Page, the emphasis was on the links—how do we get you where you want to go. It was expected that some people would find this page, but it wasn’t considered part of the university identity.

10. Web 2.0: What is it?
In the next iteration of the UVM home page, the conversation moved to design and audience: who “owns” the home page, who is the audience? The answer seemed to be: the UVM home page makes a great brochure to prospective students.

11. Dream Reality UR Identifier Global brain We Interactive UR Locator
Web 2.0: What is it?
Dream
Reality
UR Identifier
Global brain We
Interactive
UR Locator
Global store
They
Brochure
URI: link to any section of any document wherever it is or moves to
URL: link to a file that has a static location
Global brain: knowledge available everywhere (educators lead the way)
Global store: consume, buy things from home in your pajamas (commerce led the way)
We: “this is a great place to collaboratively build knowledge”
They: ”there is not enough good scholarly material on the web for me to use it”
Interactive: share your information with us as we converse and create together
Brochure: we will publish our information and you can read it

12. Web 2.0: What is it?
But…
But some interesting things were happening along the way

13. Web 2.0: What is it?
Google started by being a simple search engine—look for stuff, they would find it for you. But then they started paying attention to what you were searching for, and started displaying ads related to that search.

14. Web 2.0: What is it?
Amazon was also paying attention “who bought this” and allowed people to contribute reviews for others

15. weblog  we blog Web 2.0: What is it? 4 other interesting developments
Classmates: communities built around a shared experience, but not just one shared experience
eBay: the Long Tail – interesting stuff happens at the edges
Weblog: Jorn Barger: weblog (1997), Peter Merholz: we blog (1998) blog apps (1998/1999) easier web sites, posts chronological and searchable
Wiki: Ward Cunningham, wikiwikiweb (quick) 1994/1995 Honolulu shuttle bus: group editing

16. Skip ahead to 2003… Web 2.0: What is it?
The dot-com shakeout has occurred, things are changing. People begin to notice that the web seems to have new capabilities, a new emphasis, a new direction. Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty brainstorm a new conference.

17. Web 2.0: What is it?
They try to define what this new web culture is about. Of course, they name it because everyone wants to create the new buzzword!

18. “The services are largely guided by core principles.”
Web 2.0: What is it?
“Web 2.0 refers to applications or services that are built with technologies that emphasize the open, and the interoperable.”
“The services are largely guided by core principles.”
So how do they define it

19. The technologies include:
Web 2.0: What is it?
The technologies include:
XML, APIs, AJAX, DOM, RSS, Ruby on Rails, and more.
From a developer’s perspective, it means that certain programs, techniques or practices can be utilized to allow web sites to behave in certain ways. It also means that the techniques or programs can be developed in such a way as to continue to move this behavior in certain directions. (ex open software, user-enhanceable software). Some of the techniques or underlying programs are XML, API, RSS, AJAX, DOM, Ruby on Rails, and most recently mashup builders.

20. Web 2.0: What is it?
From a user perspective, it means that the web is moving towards one of its earlier visions as a collaborative, community space.
Describe each one:
Application platform: no longer on box on your desktop
Participatory: create don’t just consume
Social affiliation: share with others, more minds=better result
Being online
Digital self-expression: more of your work, play, creativity will be in digital form

21. Web 2.0: What is it?
One way to think of web 2.0

22. Web 2.0: What is it?
Some of the adjectives, buzzwords, and technologies

23. And some of the apps

24. web page (I’ll talk to you) web site (I write) personal web site
listserv
bookmarks
Word/Excel
blog (you can talk back)
wiki (we write)
Facebook
rss
del.icio.us
technorati, digg
Google docs
Google Maps (api)
Flickr
Twitter
Technically, listservs predate the web, but the action of one writer, many readers, is more web 1.0 like, author-centered.

25. Google docs/spreadsheets
Web 2.0: What is it?
Facebook
myspace
linkedin
Google docs/spreadsheets
LibraryThing
Twitter
Del.icio.us
iGoogle
From a user perspective, it means that the web is moving towards one of its earlier visions as a collaborative, community space.
Describe each one:
wikis
RSS
youTube
blogs
Flickr
podcast