I often get asked "What is Web 2.0?" And usually I do the best I can to explain it, but recently I jotted down some notes on Web 2.0 that I thought I would share with you. This list is far from complete. so feel free to contact me with your thoughts on the subject.

Web 2.0 attempted definition

It's similar to what supreme court justice Potter Stewart said when describing pornography, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it." But I'll give describing it a shot anyway.

From the users perspective

• It usually consists of large fonts of simple text that make it easier for users to understand your website.
• It usually consists of a lot of open space on the site to make it easier for your users to find the product, service, or task that fits there needs.
• It usually gives users more descriptive options at the bottom of every page so that after users finish scanning the page they are directed to popular or related pages.
• It usually consists of clean simple designs (that one is a little subjective).
• It usually consists of dynamic content (especially on the home page) that makes it easy for users to find current and relevant information without cluttering up the page.
• It sometimes consists of user interaction that allows the user to generate some of the content for your site.
• It sometimes consists of the the ability to perform services on the web. This is the Software as a Service model (SaaS). An example would be if your clients would pay a subscription or subscribe for free. They would get a login and password to your site and you would provide them with a relevant service. But it has to be something of value for your clients and partners.
• It sometimes consists of content that is updated very frequently with interaction from the user and allows other users to aggregate this information easily with RSS feeds. (Think podcasts).
• It sometimes consists of webservice that allow partners and users website's to interact with your website.

 Technically speaking

• Technically it is also a way of developing websites that isolates content, style, and behavior. So the content is managed by the CMS. The style is handled by separate CSS, and the JavaScript or server side behavior is all separate. This makes it easier to update one portion of your website (eg content) without changing the other parts.
• Technically it is also a way of using rich internet features like Ajax to give your users access to a lot of information without cluttering up the website.
• Technically it is also a way of building website so that they work on old browsers, but as new features become available the website becomes more feature rich.

For graphic designers

I hope that gives you a starting point when discussing Web 2.0 with your clients. There is no definitive explanation (as far as I know). Some folks focus on the client interaction. Some folks focus on the design. Some folks focus on the SaaS. Realistically it is probably some combination that fits with your business and your budget. Smaller budgets focus on the web 2.0 design aspects. While larger budgets focus on the user interaction and SaaS which are usually more expensive to build.