[crimsonc]

Web 2.0 is a buzzword, in itself it has no specific meaning. Many people consider Web 2.0 to be a style of design, others consider it to be the use of AJAX. Some people believe web 2.0 means community sites like Myspace, Facebook and the newly opened virb.

The truth is it's the conversion from a static broken web to a fluid interconnected network controlled and contributed to by users.

Websites like Digg.com are a good example of this, all content is submitted by users and each item links to an external website. Users vote on what they like and what they don't, creating in an organic development of the content.

The 'Web 2.0 style' is just an evolution from the last style, a lot more of the design elements rely on code rather than images. Usability took the place of eye candy and while a graphic heavy layout can look impressive, it can also be slow loading, hard to navigate and give an unpleasant user experience.

The development of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is not the reason we have 'Web 2.0' but can play an important part in it. The ability to load and submit data between server and client without refreshing the page is useful in many ways, not least the user experience.

It is however often misunderstood and used as a buzzword to excite the customer. It's not uncommon for a client to ask for 'A web 2.0 website, with AJAX and CSS / XHTML!!' without knowing what it is they're asking for.

In summary, Web 2.0 means nothing on it's own, it's a term to describe a collection of elements. Don't be afraid to use the term, just be aware of what it truly means.

Useful Links

Digital Web Magazine - Web 2.0 For Designers

Web Design From Scratch - Current Style in Web Design

IMPORTANT READ
The following article will explain better than I ever could. It's a long article but well worth reading.

O-Reilly - What is Web 2.0

[twopointoh]

I've actually read that Oreilly article before and it's absolutely worth reading, for anyone who is hoping to keep up to date with trends in Web Design.

My favourite bit is this, it demonstrates the difference in a really good way

Web 1.0 Web 2.0
DoubleClick --> Google AdSense
Ofoto --> Flickr
Akamai --> BitTorrent
mp3.com --> Napster
Britannica Online --> Wikipedia
personal websites --> blogging
evite --> upcoming.org and EVDB
domain name speculation --> search engine optimization
page views --> cost per click
screen scraping --> web services
publishing --> participation
content management systems --> wikis
directories (taxonomy) --> tagging ("folksonomy")
stickiness --> syndication

Obviously the sites on the left are Web 1.0 and the sites on the right are the equivilent sites and terms in Web 2.0

[crimsonc]

Are you a developer yourself then? Or is it just a passing interest? Personally I would say I was one of the top but I can hold my own, maybe you can give me a hand now and again if I get stuck on something!

[twopointoh]

Well I wouldn't say I was a developer, I'd call a developer someone who works with .ASP, PHP, Java etc

I'm more of a XHTML, CSS, Design person. Don't get me wrong I can tinker with PHP and Java Script but I'm not as great at it as I could be.

I've started to learn all about XML and XSL as well, which is going to be handy for ecommerce type projects (not that I could code a store yet!)

[crimsonc]

I'm about the same, check it out!

Design Prophet // XHTML and CSS Coding Services

I make a fair bit of money via this but not nearly as much as I would like. There is a demand for it though, a good website designer may not be a good coder, or people who buy templates with no web design experiance at all!