There has been a lot of talk lately about the Web 2.0 and Ajax. And possibly even more talk around why the heck there’s so much talk. They have definitely achieved over-hyped buzzword status, but underneath the hype there is some fundamental value. In response to a query on one of the mailing lists I’m on, I recently took a stab at identifying what this value is. It goes something like this:

Web 2.0 is a label for the paradigm shift that we’re seeing in the way the web interacts with users and, more importantly, within itself. Let me elaborate…

The “interaction with users” part is the most obvious and, frankly, least interesting aspect. This is where Ajax and the standardization of DHTML technologies (DOM2, CSS2/3, JavaScript) come in. The pain in creating a cross-browser DHTML application has subsided enough that we (developers) can now use these technologies to turn our web “sites” into web “applications” and, in turn, make them much more interactive and pleasant to use in general. Which is all well and good, and makes for lots of schnazzy demos, but doesn’t really change the nature of the web for us. It just makes it nicer.

The really important part of Web 2.0 is the philosophy of openness and interaction among the web sites themselves. To my mind, a Web 2.0 product is defined by an ability to communicate with any and all other properties on the web. It does this by accepting and providing data and services that support open standards. Specifically, the people that are driving the development of that property need to encourage access to the value they provide, rather than hoarding it.

A perfect example of this is embodied in SkiBonk … or, rather, in the technologies upon which any mashup like this is built. Here is a site that would be difficult or impossible to create in the Web 1.0 universe. The business and technical cost of gaining access to the data and presenting it in a consummable fashion are just too prohibitive. Yet with a minimal amount of work, the site integrates data from four different weather/ski information sites and Google Maps to produce a genuinely valuable and compelling resource for skiers.

Anyhow, the long-term implication of the Web 2.0 is fascinating. Sites that play nicely using open formats and standards form a single, living breathing entity with tremendous information and functionality; as the power and attractiveness of this shared community grows and draws users, the other sites that take a more proprietary approach to what they offer are being marginalized to extinction.

That’s my take. ‘Be curious to know whether or not you agree (or care).

[Editor’s note: I only got this half-right. Please read “The Web2.0: Social Networks” for the important half I missed!]