Our world is continually changing, and this includes our online world. With advances in technology, we now have what has been termed as Web 2.0. This is essentially technology that is available in what many consider the 'second generation' of the Internet. Did you know that the second generation of computer users is now online? Many people don't think about it - but they are. Personal computers started appearing in the mid 1990s. Now, approximately twelve years later, those children who grew up with computers are now - well - computing. They use computers a great deal in both their careers and personal lives - more so than the first generation of computer users did. They are the second generation, and it is only fitting that we now have Web 2.0 concepts. Web 2.0 is indeed a concept. It is not software that you can buy. It is not an updated version of software. It is more of an updated way of doing things on the Internet. Think about how we used computers back in the 1990s. We 'surfed' the web, using web browsers, and we read content. We were able to purchase and download software, which we could use. We could interact with others on a limited basis through instant messengers, email, and online forums. That was pretty much the extent of it. Today, however, so much has changed. Instead of visiting a web site and reading it, we can actually interact with it. We have been given a voice with blogs. We can let our opinions of web sites be known through the use of social bookmarking. We can interact with people all over the world through social networking sites. We can even have a complete web site up and running in as little as one day, where at one time it took weeks or even months to develop a web site. Things have definitely changed. Welcome to Web 2.0. While Web 2.0 is not a specific thing, there are specific concepts and specific technology that make up the whole Web 2.0 concept. The main concept of Web 2.0 is interactivity. People simply are not satisfied with simply reading a web page. They want to be able to interact with it. This is why so many web sites today use features that allow visitors to leave comments or to rate content - or even to submit their own content. Technology that has been employed by the online masses include blogging, social bookmarking, and of course, social networking. Sites that cater to this technology have become extremely popular. Even video has become a big part of Web 2.0 with sites, such as YouTube.com, where anyone with a computer and Internet connection can upload their videos for others to see. We can keep running lists of our favorite sites with social bookmarking, and communicate with others, while expressing ourselves, with social networking sites. We are no longer content to simply 'surf the 'net' in a mindless fashion. Of course, smart Internet Marketers go where the masses lead them - because they know that where people gather, there is money to be made. Internet Marketers are also taking advantage of social bookmarking, social networking, video sites, blogging, and more. They realize that the entire Web 2.0 concept, and all of the technology that goes along with it, is not just a passing phase. In fact, if anything, smart marketers are keeping their ears and eyes open for signs of Web 3.0 - when the next generation brings us even further into the technological future. If you are an online business owner who would also fall into the 'second generation' of computer users, you probably already know how to make use of Web 2.0 technology. However, if you are a first generation computer user, it is vital to the future of your business that you get a grasp on Web 2.0, and understand how this second generation, and the generations to come, will use the Internet.
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