I was recently asked about the difference between Web 2.0 and Web 1.0. Simple question, I thought. But when I   sat down to write this I realized the explanation isn’t as straight forward as I had originally thought. So read as I try to explain the differences between Web 2.0 and 1.0.
Web 2.0 refers to how we are using the internet today. There is no one definition of Web 2.0 (some believe it is just a marketing term) and technically there s no change to the technologies used to power the web but there is a clear distinction between Web 2.0 and 1.0. As you know (since you’re using it now) the internet has quickly become a staple in people’s everyday lives. We rely on it to communicate with friends, families, coworkers and sometimes complete strangers. The internet has made things that were once out of reach, at the edge of our fingertips. With the rise of social networking giants like Facebook the dawn of Web 2.0 is here.

As is life, things change and evolve – we’ve seen the car evolve from starting with a hand crank to starting when you sit in the driver seat with a sensor in your pocket/wallet/purse. We’ve seen the cell phone evolve from a 10 pound box with a phone and battery attached that was only used to make phone calls (usually only in emergencies since it cost so much to make any kind of call) to small multi functional devices as light as a few ounces. Just as cars and phones have evolved, so has the internet.

In the 90s the internet was starting to become much more mainstream, people were typically hopping on their dial up connection to send e-mails, chat with friends and/or do research for a school project. In the sense that it has helped us to communicate and learn, the internet hasn’t changed. It is in how we are going about communicating, learning and using the internet that has changed. As the internet has expanded, it evolved into a much more social and interactive tools as opposed to being static.

With Web 2.0 we don’t just use the internet we interact with it. Keywords to describe Web 2.0 are community, collaboration and user-driven. The way we used Web 1.0 was typically very linear. The internet was seen as a tool for business and utility. Webmasters created websites and users visited and viewed them. Communication was between webmaster and client. Webpages were static, when we needed an answer to a question our only option was to “AskJeeves” or “Yahoo”, now we have the opportunity to “Google it”, “Bing it” or ask questions of other users in forums.

Web 2.0 sites allow users to interact not only with the site and webmaster but with other people who access the site. Some good examples of Web 2.0 sites are Facebook, MySpace, and Digg. Web 2.0 is about web applications that users can interact with and control. Nowadays anyone and everyone is creating their own webpages filled with content that they enjoy. Making webpages is now within the reach of people who have no programming knowledge. In Web 1.0 website creation was left to the “experts”. The use of the internet went from being driven by expert webmasters to being driven by users. Users are now involved in creating their own internet experience. One way I like to think of the difference between 2.0 and 1.0 is to consider Web 1.0 as a 2D picture that one looks at and enjoys whereas Web 2.0 is a 3D experience where things are happening all around you and you are a part of it.

Here’s a visual representation of the differences between Web 2.0 and 1.0 for all you visual learners out there:

To put it simply here is a break down of some key differences between Web 2.0 and 1.0:

Web 1.0 had webmaster created sites, Web 2.0 has user driven sites
Web 1.0 used dial up, Web 2.0 uses broadband

Web 1.0 had AOL, Web 2.0 has Google and (now) Bing

Web 1.0 was about business, Web 2.0 is about community

I recently reinstalled TweetDeck on my desktop and realized in order to get the most out of the program I really needed to be following more than just the 7 or so people I was already following.  So off I went to search for the top Twitter accounts to subscribe to.  One such account that was on almost all of the lists I perused wasMashable.  Great, I thought, another techie website that I can get updates from.  Little did I know how much I would fall in love with and utilize the website.  So many great tweets were coming from the site multiple times a day, just what I was looking for, tweets on the topics I was interested in and posted on a regular (almost hourly) basis.  It was the perfect way for me to keep up with all that is technology related while on the run at work.

After a few very enjoyable days of receiving tweets from my new friends at Mashable I decided to look a little deeper and get some more information about the site and it’s founder.  After conducting my research I learned that the site was started about 4 years ago by a now 23 year old Scotsman named Pete Cashmore.  My first reaction to the this information was that I couldn’t believe I was older than this guy, had the same passion for the same topics as this guy yet he was the one that came up with the brilliant idea to create this awesome site.  Currently he is serving as an inspiration to my creating and maintaining not only this blog but also my website.  So mosey on over to Mashable’s Twitter account and click on the ‘Follow’ button, you won’t regret it.  And thanks Mr. Cashmore for creating Mashable and providing inspiration and information to all the Web 2.0, social media enthusiasts out there!