June 16, 2008 · Erik Reagan
It seems the rage these days is what many are calling "Web 2.0". Well what exactly is Web 2.0? Some define it as a more interactive web experience. Others define it by the core programming that drives a web application. And then there are those that say all you need to be "Web 2.0" is a shiny reflective website design and a bubbly logo. My personal opinion is that "Web 2.0" is the natural evolution of how the web is used by businesses, organizations and individuals to interact with their audience.
In the "early" days of home computing you need to be able to program and hack away at an operating system just to know how to use one. As technology gets more and more advanced it seems the general public prefers to need to know less and less about how to use something digital that's put in front of them. Reference manuals are rarely read and the majority of people don't understand there is a responsibility to "surfing the web."
I try to keep up with new tech advances by subscribing to tech RSS feeds and boy are there some crazy things being created. For the sake of this topic I will stick to business and home computing products. With the power of cloud computing and the cheap prices in data storage it seems just about anyone can power and pay for a fairly widely used web application. With the power of client-side scripting, such as JavaScript, or a Flash or Flex application a website can become just as interactive as a desktop application.
I foresee a new way of interacting and marketing on the web. With the stunning things being done multi-touch technology and the functionality of Flex and Air I can certainly see TVs shipping with an operating system and remotes that double as a mouse. TVs will surely gain basic touch screen controls and eventually intricate controls once the computer and TV are one. I'm not sure if I favor "all-in-one" computing solution growing and adapting native TV reception or if I favor TVs incorporating the operating system inside. Either way the same product will come of it and once again the focus of the web application will shift.
You should never get too comfortable where you are because change is always around the corner ready to pop out and surprise you. I really enjoy where the Web is today and I'm certainly interested in seeing where it goes. Until next time.