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“Web 2.0″ buzzing in your Ear - Do you buy the hype?

Aren’t you sick of hearing about web 2.0 this and that? I love when people ask for a “web 2.0 look” when Web 2.0 is more to do with functionality then anything else. It’s the latest in a long line of buzz words used to distract developers, designers and most people (and businesses) want the look but aren’t entirely sure what it is. You see looks are “emotionally driven”. We’ve all got our own ideas of what looks cool, sexy, hot and ugly and the term “Web 2.0″ is no different. So what is Web 2.0 officially anyways?

To explain the concept of Web 2.0 a bit more I’ve enlisted the help of Wikipedia mainly because their definition of “Web 2.0” is simple to grasp and easy to use. This is what Wikipedia says about the term “Web 2.0″…

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O’Reilly Media in 2004, refers to a supposed second-generation of Internet-based services — such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and folksonomies — that let people collaborate and share information online in previously unavailable ways. O’Reilly Media, in collaboration with MediaLive International, used the phrase as a title for a series of conferences and since then it has become a popular (though ill-defined and often criticized) buzzword amongst certain technical and marketing communities.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web2.0

Here are some of the characteristics of a web 2.0 site/application again pulled from wikipedia…

Visual Characteristics aka “The Look”….

· Gradient backgrounds

· Large colorful icons, often with reflections and drop shadows

· Large text (especially in comparison with the emphasis on very small text in earlier designs)

· Diagonal hatch background

· Glossy three-dimensional elements

· Apparently random highlights and call-outs in text

General Characteristics aka “The Feel”…

· “Network as platform” — delivering (and allowing users to use) applications entirely through a web-browser

· Users owning the data on the site and exercising control over that data

· An architecture of participation and democracy that encourages users to add value to the application as they use it

· A rich, interactive, user-friendly interface empowered by Ajax

· Some social-networking aspects

For those of you new to Web 2.0 and the principles behind it that should give you a small overview as to what Web 2.0 means. It really has more to do with how a site operates then how it looks in my opinion. If someone out there wants to prove me wrong I am all ears and i am listening.  Have a look at this architecture diagram i pulled off of SOA Web Services Journal…

My worry with this design and layout is solely that as a developer, people will have sites that look and act the same as everyone elses. Developing an identity for your organization, company, business, website or whatever you want to call it takes time and attention to what makes your business unique.

In the spirit of DIY web 2.0 design I found a cool Blog site called Photoshoplab.com that boasts a wide array of tutorials to help you. The two of interest are…

Web 2.0 Design Kit (http://www.photoshoplab.com/web20-design-kit.html)

Web 2.0 Design Kit 2 (http://www.photoshoplab.com/web-20-design-kit-part-2.html)

Check out those tutorials and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at least from a style perspective as to the beginning of designing for Web 2.0. Remember if you are designing it yourself, give it flair, originality because elements like that will set your online business apart from the competition.

Web 2.0 is a great idea from the site architecture point of view but keeping your web development fluid and moving is best as your company grows. After all you didn’t get into business to be like everyone else… or maybe you did.

Luc

Web 2.0 Compliant but NOT reliant