b.cognosco

Buzzword? Slang? Concept? Technology? Meaningless? I’ve begun to use the term myself recently and found [via Jack Vinson] this summary of explanations by Lee at Headshift. The web is a big idea and, for me, Web 2.0 (or 3.0 or 4.0) means we’ve made a significant step forward in usability and usefulness. Not necessarily new or different (because the web, as conceived, was a really good big idea,) but we’re doing much of it better and it’s getting easier to do what we want.

Lee writes with a bit of irony and a touch of humor as he collects various definitions of the term from around the web and MSM.

What is Web 2.0?

The phrase Web 2.0 is bubblicious right now, with both Business Week and the Economist dedicating some intelligent coverage to its various manifestations in recent weeks. Elsewhere, I notice 198 occurrences of the term in my RSS news reader, which means that lots of people are talking about it.

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Like 'wiki', 'Web 2.0' is a silly name for something really useful and important, and I just hope that it doesn't act as a further barrier between us and the ordinary users whose participation we need to create the network effects we crave.