Social Networking and Web 2.0 Go Hand in Hand

It sounds like a new type of software for the computer. Web 2.0 has become the buzz word of the moment. Even as popular as the term, there are many people who want to know exactly what Web 2.0 really is. If you’re one of them, you are not alone.

According to Wikipedia, the term was first used by Dale Dougherty and Craig Cline and shortly after became notable after the O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004. It seemed to take off and morph into a new idea for the advancement of social networking sites on the Internet. So, Web 2.0 is actually a type of platform that supports and brings more to these social networking sites.

The idea of social networking begins with the individual model. Individuals meet other individuals and form connections. This concept would be physically demonstrated by Tinker Toys, the balls, sticks and blocks we used to play with as kids. Without the sticks to connect the balls, they wouldn’t have a connection.

Web 2.0 provides the base where these interactions occur. It also defines the way in which the interactions can occur. Individuals create profiles that can stand alone and meet new people through those profiles. Other features of the platform like news feeds, multimedia content, blogs, instant messages, social groups, audio and video, and message boards are also a huge part of Web 2.0. In this way, the connection of one individual grows and develops into an entire network of others.

There are several social networking sites that use Web 2.0 as their basis. Including some you may have heard of:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Wikipedia
• MySpace
• WordPress
• Flickr

There are many more, but you get the idea from the partial list. If you belong to any of these social networking sites, you have sampled a Web 2.0 platform. Each site utilizes user-generated content that is ranked by the search engines. Good content is found and the content producer gains a following that can be used to gain popularity on the web or increased visibility for a business.

Web 2.0 platforms are used by businesses, universities, and individuals. It is a way to keep in touch with easy to use and manageable applications. One useful application is the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed which automatically updates subscribers when changes occur to your page. This is specific application is frequently used on blogs and news sites to save readers time. They no longer have to check their favorite websites daily for updates. Instead they receive a notice via email or in their feed reader when something new has been posted.

Web 2.0 provides several tools for the business user and the purely personal social networker. Driving traffic to a blog, website, or other piece of information has never been more convenient than with the rise of Web 2.0 and social networking sites.