The Web 2.0 Mindset

John Hagel writes that there is an essence behind the term web 2.0 that is waiting to be captured. He suggests that Web 2.0 ultimately refers to "an emerging network-centric platform to support distributed, collaborative and cumulative creation by its users." He adds rightly so that in many respects, Web 2.0 represents a return to origins of Internet. While tracing the process of evolution, John points out that the original goal of the pioneers developing and deploying the Internet was to connect researchers and their computers together so that they could more effectively pursue their research in distributed locations. Tim O'Reilly points outthat Web 2.0 is the era when people have come to realize that it's not the software that enables the web that matters so much as the services that are delivered over the web. Web 1.0 was the era when people could think that Netscape (a software company) was the contender for the computer industry crown; Web 2.0 is the era when people are recognizing that leadership in the computer industry has passed from traditional software companies to a new kind of internet service company. The net has replaced the PC as the platform that matters, just as the PC replaced the mainframe and minicomputer. Web 1.0 largely consisted of stand-alone web sites for specialized publishers and vendors seeking to more effectively reach audiences and consumers. It was a broadcast and distribution medium, rather than a creation medium. Hagel sees the real power of Web 2.0 to be its ability to re-shape economic, social and legal frameworks to exploit the full potential of the technology.