WEB 2.0 – SIX BIG IDEAS

Holly Fairbairn

DATA ON AN EPIC SCALE

Due to nature of web 2.0 there is an ever increasing amount of data online both from professional producers and consumers/ prosumers.

Many web 2.0 applications find this data hugely valuable and easily accessible. Despite this there fear that datafication is causing us to drown.

THE WISDOM OF CROWDS

that reside on the internet, they can create highly accurate information for pages such as Wikipedia. They can also produce helpful information on problems that other people may face with their technology and other products.

OPENNESS

The nature of web 2.0 allows people to work in an open and collaborative way especially on multimedia websites such as wikis and group blogs.

Many people that do work with the internet place an “Open source software” in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.

NETWORK EFFECTS, POWER LAWS (AND THE LONG TAIL)

The Network effect describes the increase in value to the existing users of a service in which there is some form of interaction with others, as more and more people start to use it.

The Power Law means that when the network is very large this increases the chances that users will find some material that is very useful to them.

THE LONG TAILA theory on how the internet has transformed economics, commerce & consumption.

Web 2.0 makes it easier for more people to search for and buy a wider variety of products which has resulted in a shift away from mainstream products. This also means that distribution is no longer constrained by shelf space as the internet is unlimited.

The use of internet marketing also allows a producer to target consumers individually.

ARCHITECTURE OF PARTICIPATION

The design of online services on web 2.0 can simplify mass user participation meaning that it easier for the consumers to use the different websites at one time.

USER GENERATED CONTENT

User generated content is a large part of web 2.0 as it allows the users of the internet to create and post their own content online. This is mostly through multimedia sharing sites such as blogs and wikis. Due to this the consumer becomes a prosumer as they are not only a consumer but are also now a producer.