Enterprise & Web 2.0 Readiness

With web 2.0, a new perception of the internet is characterised by interactivity and personalisation, writes ITWeek. Web 2.0 expresses a sense that the character of the internet is undergoing a radical shift. "Blog" and "Podcast", both of which count as web 2.0 technologies. The technical drivers behind web 2.0 include broadband connections, cheap storage, and connected mobile devices. RSS news feeds, Ajax(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML), and XML web services are all important elements of Web 2.0. This is not so much about specific technologies, but more to do with new ways of exploiting what an always-on global network can do. A great way to get a feel for web 2.0 is to look at new geographic applications such as Google Earth, Google Maps, and Microsoft's Virtual Earth. They bring together cartography, aerial photography and internet search to create a compelling answer to the question "where?" Web 2.0 sites are portal-friendly, easy to aggregate and easy to link to. This is where representational state transfer (Rest) architecture is valuable - the idea that even on a dynamic site everything should be URL-addressable. If a site has an API or even just an RSS feed, someone is thinking on the right lines, especially if it is useful for mobile devices as well as the desktop. Another characteristic is simplicity. Web 2.0 sites do everything to accommodate the user. Finally, web 2.0 is about conversation, which is not just a feedback form, but new ways of interacting with users.