The Seven Principles of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a concept that originated from discussions between the Tim O’Reilly School and MediaLive International. What was noted as interesting in these discussions, about the web, in the past, present, and future, was that the web never really “crashed”, but rather went through some very significant changes or turning points that today have a major influence on how companies market their services and goods, as well as conduct business on the internet. From the observations of web activity, O’Reilly and MediaLive were able to identify some commonalities between companies that had survived the so called dot.com collapse. From this emerged a formulation of practices and principles of those companies that made it through that significant web changes.

We can look at the principles and practices of Web 2.0 like they are threads that tie together internet sites and users like they are all a part of the fabric of interconnecting thoughts, ideas, communications, and goals. There are seven of these practices and principles that seem to be very common among all successful Web 2.0 internet businesses. Not every company possesses each of them however. Some do possess all, while others may only possess a couple of them. The point is that there exist identifiable characteristics of the Web 2.0 company. Let’s take a brief look at those basic principles and practices that will make a Web 2.0 company a Web 2.0 company.

Services

Packaged software is becoming something of the past because the web itself has become a platform for most applications. For example, in the early years of the web the consumer would have to go to their local computer software distributor to obtain the desired software packages to meet their needs, whether those needs were for local applications or the internet. Today, the majority of that same software can be purchased and then downloaded, into local systems, through the web. Additionally, these services are now more aimed toward the outside edges of the web (all users) rather than being centralized (specific users).

Control

In the early years of web design and business, vendors had a monopoly over computer and web products and what the consumer needed and bought. If the consumer needed a specific application that consumer had to go directly to the company that produced it. It was a one ended transaction. Today, because the web is a platform, the monolithic approach is no longer a solution. Vendors that control both ends of a transaction are in the best position to build a dedicated user base.

User Trust

Another element of Web 2.0 is that vendors are realizing that many users can make positive contributions to the growth of web based applications, often surpassing the professionals. Wikipedia is perhaps the best example.

Collective Intelligence

User trust opens the door for a company to harness the collective intelligence of the users that participate in their websites.

Focus On The Long Tail

Successful Web 2.0 companies find a substantial profit in selling small volumes of hard to find products to many customers.

Software Is No Longer Limited To A Single Device

Another feature of Web 2.0 is that software is no longer bound by the single PC platform. Software can be written on the web, rather than being limited to being written on an individual computer.

Lightweight Interfaces

Lightweight interfaces allow for innovation in assembly. With lightweight interfaces it becomes easier to snap together two existing services, for example.