The New Edition

For some, Lyons says, a site is Web 2.0 if it uses the groundbreaking Web-development technology Ajax . “For others, a pastel-colored logo with a ‘beta’ badge suffices,” Lyons says. (A beta badge is a graphic element on a Web site announcing that the site is in “beta,” form, i.e., still being refined. However, it's often used to make a site look high-tech even if it isn't.)

“In some ways, Web 2.0 means we’ve landed on a set of standards, where there were none before,” Lyons adds. “And through those standards we’re able to open the Web up to more of what is most powerful about the technology—connections.” Those standards are more like an unofficial delineation between the old static Web sites used as information repositories and new interactive Web sites that invite participation and personalization. 

Alberto Marzan, president of Minneapolis-based Internet strategy and marketing firm Net Gain Interactive says, “It’s a catchphrase for what new media will be like. Social networking, viral video [video content that gains popularity through sharing over the Internet], podcasting, user-generated Web content—that all falls under this category. All we’re really talking about is letting audiences drive content. Databases don’t drive the Internet, content does.”

But beyond being a snazzy-sounding way to describe what, to some, are time-wasters, like You-Tube and MySpace, Web 2.0 represents a convergence of user and technology that’s pointing the way toward tangible, practical—even socially significant—innovation.

“It’s the democratization of content in the sense that everybody’s content holds value and worth,” says Andrew Eklund, CEO of Minneapolis-based Internet marketing consulting company Ciceron. “That includes everything from Madison Avenue ad content to some kid blogging on a topic that’s relevant to a niche handful of people.”

Everybody is a Star

Every year, international public relations firm The Edelman Agency, based in New York and Chicago, comes out with what it calls its Trust Barometer, based on a poll of hundreds of opinion leaders worldwide. Last year, the number one response to the question “Whom do you trust most?” was “A person like me.” In 2005, the most trusted people were experts who didn’t have a vested interest in the welfare of a particular company. To many experts, the innate need to find others who share our passions and values might be the driving force behind Web 2.0. “The juice behind 2.0 is that there are a billion people on line now, sharing opinions and information, and that gives you a good chance to find someone like yourself,” Eklund says.