Web 2.0 Brainwash
Warning... while this blog is intended for a broad audience, this post skews a bit more to those who work in tech day-in/day-out.
I have a new pet peeve. I think I'm an one of the first to really start to get annoyed at this peeve, but I'm fairly certain I won't be the only one.
It's funny how sometimes words or phrases can take on the shape of a hit song. At first no one really knows about the song, save for the cutting edge, hanging out at the Viper Room crowd. Then, those in the mainstream start to hear the song and it starts to show up on Top 10 countdowns, get played at sporting events and enters the general lexicon. Finally, it reaches a point where it gets played so damn much that people want to start pulling their hair out, cursing the artist, and generally wish ill things on to those associated with the song (ok... maybe an exaggeration.... but maybe not).
Well, this has started to happen to me with a certain phrase: Web 2.0
Now before you chastise me for an assault on what has evolved into an entire conference and industry, let me explain...
So what is Web 2.0? Who really knows to me, it's a pretty nebulous term that I would say has been most closely associated with ideas based on the premise of user-generated content and using AJAX in some way, shape or form, preferably when in conjunction with an open API. Boy, if I can produce a product that knocks off those three checkboxes, am I set. Let the VC funding roll!
Throwing out the phrase 'Web 2.0' is like double dog daring someone. At this point in time, you can't back down. If you reject their idea because they've evoked the name of Web 2.0, somehow you're an outcast and drop down irespectabilityty - how dare you question the holiness that is THE way. So why do I care? Because I think it's affecting smart decision making:
- You need funding for this project? It's budgeted to take 500k? Sure, well if it's really tapping into Web 2.0, then how can we pass this up?
- We really need to start doing more in AJAX. Who cares if we actually just a static page for contact info... let's make it refresh inline!
- Oh, you don't Web 2.0? Lame... we can't work with you.
Cool ideas don't have to be classified as falling within a certain genre to be valid. And labeling something as Web 2.0 has lost much of its relevance as it become a catch-all, umbrella term. I wish I could write more, but I actually need to tag some AJAX related sites on del.icio.us and upload some of the related photos to Flickr. I wonder where the Google Maps API fits into that...
I have a new pet peeve. I think I'm an one of the first to really start to get annoyed at this peeve, but I'm fairly certain I won't be the only one.
It's funny how sometimes words or phrases can take on the shape of a hit song. At first no one really knows about the song, save for the cutting edge, hanging out at the Viper Room crowd. Then, those in the mainstream start to hear the song and it starts to show up on Top 10 countdowns, get played at sporting events and enters the general lexicon. Finally, it reaches a point where it gets played so damn much that people want to start pulling their hair out, cursing the artist, and generally wish ill things on to those associated with the song (ok... maybe an exaggeration.... but maybe not).
Well, this has started to happen to me with a certain phrase: Web 2.0
Now before you chastise me for an assault on what has evolved into an entire conference and industry, let me explain...
So what is Web 2.0? Who really knows to me, it's a pretty nebulous term that I would say has been most closely associated with ideas based on the premise of user-generated content and using AJAX in some way, shape or form, preferably when in conjunction with an open API. Boy, if I can produce a product that knocks off those three checkboxes, am I set. Let the VC funding roll!
Throwing out the phrase 'Web 2.0' is like double dog daring someone. At this point in time, you can't back down. If you reject their idea because they've evoked the name of Web 2.0, somehow you're an outcast and drop down irespectabilityty - how dare you question the holiness that is THE way. So why do I care? Because I think it's affecting smart decision making:
- You need funding for this project? It's budgeted to take 500k? Sure, well if it's really tapping into Web 2.0, then how can we pass this up?
- We really need to start doing more in AJAX. Who cares if we actually just a static page for contact info... let's make it refresh inline!
- Oh, you don't Web 2.0? Lame... we can't work with you.
Cool ideas don't have to be classified as falling within a certain genre to be valid. And labeling something as Web 2.0 has lost much of its relevance as it become a catch-all, umbrella term. I wish I could write more, but I actually need to tag some AJAX related sites on del.icio.us and upload some of the related photos to Flickr. I wonder where the Google Maps API fits into that...
posted by Tim O'Shaughnessy at 1:47 PM
1 Comments:
Technically, the web is on version 5.0:
1.0: All text - you used the Lynx browser to surf
2.0: Mosaic comes along. Layout options include left, right and center. If you click enough links, you always end up at the Louvre's web site
3.0: Netscape 2.0 arrives with tables and cookies. This is the biggest evolution on the web to date.
4.0: The advent of CSS based layouts. People finally realize that nested tables are bad bad bad
5.0: What people are now calling Web 2.0. AJAX is the order of the day, with social services launching left and right. User driven folksonomies are proving to have more power than centrally controlled hierarchies
So there we are. No matter what you call it, the web is evolving for the better. I too am sick of the whole Web 2.0 schtick...too much hype IMHO
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