This interview covered a variety of Web 2.0 topics, including it's past, present, and possible future's. Tim O'Reilly began by explaining the Web 2.0 ideology and how the concept came about. After the burst of the dot-com bubble, the few internet businesses that were left truly understood the value of network effects. Tim says that networking is now the primary model of internet communication, which is what is was originally designed for. In order to be successful, he says companies must truly understand how people value content. Tim then gave his most consise definition of Web 2.0 as a design of systems that get better the more people use them.
Next, Tim was asked about the future of the Internet and social networking. While he gave no predictions, he cited networking and collaboration trends of the past as an example. He says that the Internet now is a result of people learning the medium, adapting to it, and gaining a certain level of comfort with it. This is something we're also seeing with mobile phones, which Tim projected as the medium that will drive innovation in the future.
Next Tim talks about Twitter in the interview, describing its fuctions and uses. Previously, I really didn't see any practical use for Twitter, but after listening to the interview, I can see how it would be nice to have that percieved closeness with family members you may not get to see or talk to every day.
After a questions sparked by an employee of the government, Tim talks about what different governemtn agencies are doing to use the Internet as a useful tool. This is another topic he believes will continue to evolve.
The interview was wrapped up with Tim making a few predictions for the future. He beleives mobile phones will slowly make PCs less needed. He says using your PC as a control center for your phone seems like a direction many people are going, as many people are interacting with their phones more than their personal computers. Tim also said the keyboard may be replaced in time by other user interfaces and data entry methods.
I enjoyed the interview, and I think it's a very exciting time for the Internet, and I can't wait to see the direction that it takes.
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I think Tim O'Reilly and everyone else has missed one thing when talking about web 2.0. It is most often stated that web 2.0 was not a literal advance in technology but just a change in the way people use and think about the net. However, there was a literal advance in technology that made web 2.0 possible, the upgrade from 56k phone modems to cable modems in people's homes. WIthout this upgrade web 2.0 would have never happened (anyone else remember 3 minute songs taking 30 minutes to download?) Can you imagine youtube, facebook, myspace, E-bay or any of these other sites being around if it took people 3 minutes just to post a comment, an hour to view a 5 min youtube clip, or 10 minutes just to see the pictures of an auction?
ReplyDeleteI only say this because I believe that if we want to know where the web is going we need to start considering the advances in hardware & technology that are happening around it and comparing them with the ones that have already changed it.
I completely agree with that statement by Tim that systems "get better the more people use them". Especially now with the 2.0 system. I think facebook is a strong example of this. It was created by someone our age who had grown up with technology and gone through the original version of the web.
ReplyDeleteThe use of cell phones and other mobile devices are certainly going to be a trend that continues into the future. At the same time, I feel like there is going to be a change in how the information is accessed somehow.
I agree that Twitter is a good way to communicate with family members you don't see often, however if you have lots of people that you are connect to you are still more than likely going to miss comments by your family members, thus making it, in my opinion, still a fairly impracticable source of communication.
I don't think that the personal computer will actually end up being replaced by the cell phone but I feel the cell phone will add another aspect of information receiving that people can use.
As much as the Web 2.0 movement was a movement away from big businesses one-way communication, I think Web 3.0 will be the complete integration of social media into everyday lifestyle. That was why the iPhone was so revolutionary- it brought Web 2.0 media to the masses. As much as everyone has a laptop, even more people outside of the usual social media circles bought an iPhone.
ReplyDeleteHey
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that twitter can be used to somewhat intimately connect with family or friends that you do not get to interact with on a day to day basis. I strongly agree, and I would really enjoy seeing a sort of 'status update' from my family mostly, and friends out of the state. Some would argue that this is the least intimate you can get, or why not just call them. Yet, it is surprising how well you can convey a message in one or two sentences, especially if you know who is receiving it.