Web 2.0 Misunderstanding

[claybutler]

Why argue with your clients? Just start by discussing what their goals are for the site. Talk about their brand and how they will define success for their website. Talk about conversions and features that are necessary to achieve these conversions. Once you have that established, the web 2.0 talk will be a moot point as you'll just be creating solutions that are appropriate to your client's goals. This is the definition of a "good" website. One that's in complete alignment with the client's strategic goals.

[danielle v2.1b]

Hi James,

I usually tell clients that web 2.0 is simply a cool way of talking about two-way internet, hence the 2.0. It's a natural evolution from the static brochure sites of the old days (web 1.0 as in one way communication) to the interactive sites we use today (which offer two way communication, rather than just the owner's view).

Normally after setting them straight on that, I tell them that if they want a modern design built for accessability and usability, they'll get that as standard whether they want a 1.0 or 2.0 style site. It's very much the case that the XHTML/CSS/usability revolution that's gone through the web design industry has led to us collectively favoring certain best practices and I think that's really what clients are generally asking for when they say they want a 2.0 site

[Steelchord]

Devil's advocate: You guys may remember that rounding corners off with valid CSS used to be a righteous pain in the ass. I think that shiny, buttonized, rounded visual styles have a valid place in the 2.0 concept cloud, considering that it took quite a lot of advances in standards compliance and technology in general to make them achievable without having a completely graphics-dependent page. (client-side image maps for text links, anyone?)

That said, the way I explain Web 2.0 is like this: Web 1.0 was when we built websites. Web 1.5, if you can stomach such a concept, is websites where people can talk back; commenting, forums, shoutboxes. Web 2.0 is when we built and reached a critical mass of websites that talk to each other--allowing widgets, software as a service, social networking on a massive scale, and 'ecosystems' of sites such as the Twittersphere... you know what I mean?

[ebuzzmaster]

One of the tricky parts with jargon is that it does mean different things to different people. To the uninitiated, Web 2.0 might be Javascript pull-down navigation and Flash splash pages.

Instead of trying to get them to understand the real meaning of Web 2.0, might it make more sense for you to try to understand what they mean by Web 2.0? In the long run, if you and the client both have a similar understanding about what they mean, then happily let them misunderstand the phrase - or gradually bring in what it really means in ongoing conversations - and upsell the work by adding on true 2.0 features.

[williamc]

EBuzz: That is probably the best suggestion I have seen for this topic anywhere.

[jamescabrera]

Thanks for the feedback guys, a lot of helpful insights.

I understand the idea of Web 2.0, I just have this little peeve of those who think other things of it. But as mentioned above, so long as I understand the needs of the client regardless of jargon, we're still on good grounds.

[ronchalice]

This may the the oversimplification of the century, but I've been translating technology into normal human and vice versa since Moses was a teenager, and I tell my clients...

Web 1.x means the site spews information at you. Visitor interaction is limited to two activities, click a link for more information or leave the website.

Web 2.x allows the visitor to become a part of the site information flow via interaction with either the site data or with other visitors.

I have a lot of sites with Web 2.0 architecture (e.g. CMS, Forums, Blogs) but currently they are still Web 1.x sites because I don't allow user interaction other than clicking links to more data.

[morestar]

so is web 2.0 design ideas? is it a technology? is it a standard? a coding standard? is it a website that doesn't sell products? How can it mean different things to different people? If a person says I want my website to look like this who's to tell that that is web 2.0?

Why is there so much ambiguity related to this thing we call web 2.0? I've been told that it's a site with two buttons: one to register and one to log in and is decorated with what they call web 2.0 colours? Are these web 2.0 colours not a part of the millions of colors that are in our rainbows or decorated into the millions of websites that came out before the elusive web 2.0?

I think it's a farce and there is no such thing. I would also like to know who coined the term web 2.0. That would be interesting.

Web 2.0 is not a solid anything is it?

[dmadance]

No, Web 2.0 isn't an anything, and it doesn't really even mean anything. It is marketing hype, nothing more. Web 2.0 is overused meaningless nonsense. There is only the web, and what you want to do with it. There are no Web 2.0 standards, such as there are for HTML, CSS, DNS, HTTP, etc.. There are no Web 2.0 design standards, there is no Web 2.0 standard library. There is no Web 2.0 governing body. There are Web 2.0 conferences, but hey, there are conferences on determining extraterrestrial agendas.

The idea that you might actually want two way communication or even community isn't exactly earth shattering. Businesses have been doing this since business has existed. Goodness, people had "protocols" for secure communication in the ancient Roman days (look it up).

There used to be communities before the internet, even with computers. I used to host a real BBS with people who dialed in. People could leave messages on their "wall" which other people could see and post. Of course there was two-way interaction even then, and that was text-based. Anyone remember FIDONET? That was a real community, because the people who dialed into my BBS in fact, for the most part, knew each other in person. I guess the web is catching up to the 80s.

The issues are what does your client want, and if you can't give it to them because of your biases, don't! Take on another customer.

There are different technologies out there, the question is what are you trying to do with them?

[rickvidallon]

From where I sit in my well used chair in Virginia Beach,
Web 2.0 is -- Communicating, Information Sharing and Collaboration.

1) Web 2.0 is an e-commerce website that allows blog-type commenting and rating for products
2) Web 2.0 is live chat
3) Web 2.0 is You Tube
4) Web 2.0 is Wikipedia

Web 2.0 is user interaction via any web interface.