A Little Background on Web 2.0

last updated on 2008-12-18

These resources will give you an idea of what other people think Web 2.0 is, and what it might mean to you:

• Web 2.0 - The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)*. This short YouTube video by Michael Wesch illustrates Web 2.0 in under 5 minutes.

• ReadWriteWeb*, the blog of popular Web analyst Richard McManus, has interesting resources, such as:

  • 63% Of IT Depts Say Web 2.0 Will Impact Their Business*. This blog discusses whether IT departments will lead the way for Web 2.0 adoption in order to control risks, such as unsanctioned use of these tools by employees and leakage of sensitive company data.

  • Enterprise Adoption of Web 2.0: It's Happening*. This blog discusses the fact that workers are not just using blogs, but also social networks and other Web 2.0 applications for business and for pleasure, which sometimes frightens upper management and causes IT nightmares.

  • There is No Web 3.0, There is No Web 2.0 - There is Just the Web*. This blog discusses Tim O'Reilly's widely accepted definition for Web 2.0, his and others' definitions of Web 3.0, and whether the Web really doesn't have versions.

  • 2008: The Year Web 2.0 Hits the Enterprise, Says Forrester*. This blog describes Forrester Research that indicates strong demand for Web 2.0 tools in the enterprise and predicts many IT departments who expected not to use this technology, will soon embrace it.

• What's up with Enterprise 2.0?*. This blog provides links to interesting viewpoints and info about Web 2.0, such as why it doesn't work in the enterprise yet, whether it is just another fad, and case studies on the Socialtext web site*.

• Book: Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide Business thinking and strategies behind successful Web 2.0 implementations*. If you need to implement a Web 2.0 strategy, this book illustrates through examples how businesses are using the technology to improve their bottom line.

• Web 2.0 Summit*. This year's summit is over, but there will be another one next year, plus the site has links to other Web 2.0 info.

• Web 2.0 Expo*. This conference/tradeshow is co-produced by TechWeb and O'Reilly Media and is for those who are embracing opportunities created by Web 2.0 technologies.

If you are interested in more of Sun's perspective, read these background papers and customer case studies, which explain how Sun technologies, such as Solaris Containers, ZFS, and DTrace, can streamline storage management, improve disk allocation, and increase uptime for Web 2.0 implementations:

• 7 Practical Ways to Web 2.0 (in Sun Inner Circle newsletter)
• Migrating to Solaris 10 enables Chinese social media web site to increase efficiency
• Fast-Growing Web 2.0 Company Boosts Performance Sixfold by Switching from Linux to the Solaris 10 Operating System
• Sun Top Choice for Web 2.0 Internet Leaders
• Using Sun Startup Essentials Program to Implement a Fast, Reliable Web 2.0 Services Platform
• Sun Microsystems Powers More Web 2.0 Innovators

Also, check out the The Estuary Effect: Sun Takes Web 2.0 into the Workplace case study on Peter Reiser's blog, which explains what Sun is doing in the Web 2.0 space and how organizations can take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies. See link to view SlideShare document.