Web 2.0 Primer

Like SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), Web 2.0 is a fuzzy word. Despite Web 2.0 is gaining popularity and visibility, the term is not well understood and there is no consensus on its meaning. Compared with Web 1.0, Web 2.0 is characterized by (1) user centeredness, (2) openness, (3) simple and lightweight technology, and (4) decentralized, distributed and participatory process.

1. User Centeredness. Web 2.0 embraces user participation. Web 2.0 attributes of user-contributed content and user-generated metadata have great potential for business transformation, differentiation and competitive advantage. Like the collaborative, online encyclopedia Wikipedia, in which the contents are contributed and edited in real time by any web users. Del.icio.us, exemplary user-generated metadata, enables users to layer metadata (tags and bookmarks) on top of the raw data of Web pages and then share with other users.
2. Openness. In Web 2.0, focuses have been put on openness and transparency in development processes, technology and business models. From reliance on open-source technologies (such as LAMP), to open APIs (application programming interfaces) for third-party applications (such as LiveJournal and Zimbra), or even disclosure of business practices (e.g., CTO of LiveJournal published a detailed description of the company's server architecture).
3. Simple and Lightweight Technology. Web 2.0 ventures emphasize on a lightweight "Keep It Simple" approach. They concentrate on one functional area and do it well. Instead of adopting cluttered and complicated layouts, they usually use simple designs. For example, Flickr for photo sharing and Del.icio.us for bookmarks sharing. Agile methodologies as well as lightweight technologies such as Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and REST (representational state transfer) are being favored.
4. Decentralized, Distributed and Participatory Process. The content creation of Web 2.0 website is decentralized. Unlike Web 1.0, the publishers have the content control; Web 2.0 stresses on collective intelligence (i.e., bottom-up). Content is tagged by locally defined "folksonomies" rather than one global taxonomy. The content delivery is also transformed from search-and-browse model to publish-and-subscribe model.

To summarize, the essence of Web 2.0 is a richer user experience. It is a new attitude and a new culture on using the Web. It is also a design pattern and business model for the next generation of software.

Source: Web 2.0: Get Ready for the Next Old Thing, Gartner, Inc., 28 December 2005

What is Missing from Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is a recent trend in technology and business model of the Internet. With its potential to deliver business value, improve competitive position, help tap new markets, and optimize business processes, enterprises should be aware of the trend and consider to implement Web 2.0.

However, two major gaps, security and transactions, need to be tackled before adoption. For instance, Ajax does not have native support for data encryption and digital signature. Such security loopholes could be hazardous in exchange of sensitive business data between web servers and browsers. On the other hand, Web 2.0 promotes the use of the publish-and-subscribe model to disseminate information. This is a new model contrary to the conventional B2B transaction model. In the B2B transaction model, a content provider normally prepares specific information for specific recipients and initiates to send the information to these recipients. In the publish-and-subscribe model, a content provider prepares all information for every potential content consumer who decides which piece of information to receive. This new model can be applied by business areas although it needs to be extended to suit the B2B transaction model.

Being market-centric, CECID is going to study and address the shortcomings in the new ITF project, "Extending Web 2.0 to Deliver E-Commerce Services".

Source: Web 2.0: Get Ready for the Next Old Thing, Gartner, Inc., 28 December 2005

Who is ...

Bob Koon, Project Leader of R&D Team and one of the founding members of CECID, has extensive experience in user interface (UI) design and development. He is a core developer of various UI applications in CECID, including ebMail, BIM and BPM. Bob is interested in investigating technical problems and is strong in Java and C#. Since this year, he has taken up more project management role in his work, and led the architecture design of the deliverables of our ITF project, Project Plumber.

As Bob is eager to take challenges and keen on learning new things, he has a wide range of interests. To name a few, he plays badminton regularly. He also enjoys playing guitar and bass guitar, performing magic and making cakes.