Sometimes a buzz-term pops out of nowhere and I try my best to ignore it for as long as I can. I don’t wikipedia it and blink on all article titles with this term in them. I don’t know why I do it. Maybe because I am waiting for the buzz to go away and if the term survives, then it is worth my time to read about it. I hate marketing micky-mouse bullshit.
“Web 2.0” is one of these buzz-terms that has been buzzing in my internet ears. Paul Graham is a consistently good writer and when he writes, I read. So, his new article, simply entitled “Web 2.0″ caught my attention. It’s time to see what the hell “Web 2.0″ is all about and if there is a “Web 3.0″ sequel in the plans. As I come to expect, Paul is very insightful and thorough. Enjoy. Here’s a quote:
I think everyone would agree that democracy and Ajax are elements of “Web 2.0.” I also see a third: not to maltreat users. During the Bubble a lot of popular sites were quite high-handed with users. And not just in obvious ways, like making them register, or subjecting them to annoying ads. The very design of the average site in the late 90s was an abuse. Many of the most popular sites were loaded with obtrusive branding that made them slow to load and sent the user the message: this is our site, not yours.