I first wrote about this in October of 2005 and decided to resurrect the post so more people can read it and respond along with the edits I added. Another term that is developing along side Web 2.0 is "cloud computing" which means about the same thing...computing in a web browser versus traditional boxed software.
The term Web 2.0 started surfacing a few years ago, but is just now becoming a common industry buzz word. Web 2.0 refers to the level of functionality brought to the web. Internet users with fast connections (DSL speeds and up) can now do almost anything on the Internet that they can do with desktop software. Not all the applications are as refined (yet) as desktop software, but are compelling all the same. A computer user can use web based word processors, spreadsheets, databases, invoicing, financial programs, photo programs and much more.
My current favorite Web 2.0 applications are:
Microsoft is worried about Web 2.0 because it means revenue loss for them. As good as Web 2.0 is, I can't wait to see what 3.0 brings. I'm including a few more links for you to browse with more links to Web 2.0 sites and applications:
Links:
[1] http://www.drupal.org
[2] http://www.zoho.com
[3] http://docs.google.com/
[4] http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/
[5] http://www.blogger.com
[6] http://del.icio.us/
[7] http://www.thinkfree.com/
[8] http://web2.wsj2.com/the_best_web_20_software_of_2006.htm
[9] http://www.allthingsweb2.com/
[10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2
[11] http://virtualkarma.blogspot.com/2006/01/complete-list-of-web-20-applications.html
[12] https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=rick@yourpcpartner.com&item_name=Buy
[13] http://www.helpmerick.com/node/1415
[14] http://www.helpmerick.com/node/1500