Introduction
Information as any other discipline in the world has developed tremendously over the last Ten years. The internet has reduced the world into a small village where one can interact with ease to any one in the globe. Indeed this has been made possible through the web pages. The web has also developed from the basic site of the Netscape era where it could only display contents. In contrast to this, one can interact with a web page, modify contents, and post your own website at the click of the button. The later forms the basis for the web 2.0.
Main body
The term Web 2.0 can be described as the use of the World Wide Web and web design technology to enhance creativity, interaction, sharing of information by the users or customers and even employee of a company. This has led to the development of web based communities, wikis, blogs and folksonomies.
Some of the web 2.0 tools uses interactively are as follows; Google, Wikipedia, face book and tagged. Through the Web 2.0 online users become more of the participants rather than mere viewers.
The need for interaction, collaboration with the users led the development of platform of web 1.0 to web 2.0 over the last 10 years.
The Web 2.0 technology involves complex and gradually evolving infrastructure which include the server- client software, content-syndication, standards browsers with plugins and extensions, and various client-applications. The technology also includes the information storage space (memory) and more of the Web 1.0 tools and feature.
Some notable characteristics of the web 2.0 platforms include and not limited to;
No need for the expensive servers as can be accessed and run on any computer. The services are easily available and also easy to use. The data / information can be stored in small sites located all over the world that can be personalized to meet the needs of a single user. This data can be queried and are easily available at the click of the button. The tools are available for free unlike its predecessors, for instance the Google and Yahoo. Google is not packed but comes as a service that is cost effective and scalable. The web is made up of specialized data bases which are dynamic. The noble advantage of the web 2.0 platform ensures discussions of various groups- this brings about the collective intelligence and makes the web a ‘Global brain’.
One the advantages of the Web 2.0 are the communication of the masses with each other, other than from a single authority. Based on this, the information can flow freely and people can express their ideas without fear of repression. Web 2.0 would make the internet a truly digital democracy. As a result of the free flow of the information, the world would become more informed. In addition, the availability of information from different site would allow the masses to filter the information that is relevant to them and make informed decisions. The most powerful advantage of Web 2.0 is the communication.
The internet has become the greatest medium of communication in the world. Here the communication is instant unlike the other medium of communication. A good example of the instant and interactive site includes the Face book and tagged. This allows the online user to interact freely and timely with anyone in the world
Conclusion
However, one of the disadvantages of the Web 2.0 is freely available of the unfiltered information and the over dependence of the internet. This has mostly affected the underage and some quarters have raised the alarm for web regulation. This has been received with mixed reactions.