Web 2.0 definition for non-techies

I took a stab at a definition for Web 2.0 recently, and a reader commented how it really doesn't help to get so technical.

I happen to agree. As with any complex topic, it's easier to use complex descriptions: list out everything that it is, rather than actually define it.

In my view, the most basic definition for Web 2.0 is a site that does something unique, practical, and powerful while creating a social connection. Web 1.0 sites are more static, rely too heavily on HTML, lack strong social connection features, and are often poorly designed. I think design plays a crucial roll in what makes a site qualify for the Web 2.0 distinction: sites that emphasize usability and simplicity over a cacophony of features and a sprawling array of text and graphics. You can go to a Web 2.0 site and find out within just a few minutes what the site does and how to use it. A Web 1.0 site throws everything at you at once, splat.

I just wrote about Obama vs. McCain battling in the Web 2.0 space, but I think this online battle also serves as an excellent way to define what Web 2.0 even is.

At McCain's site, you sit there for a second and think: what the heck am I supposed to even click on? Granted, Obama's site also uses a top bar navigation, but on Obama's site it is much easier to find. There's an easy "click me" appeal to the site, you just know what to do when you visit. McCain's site is Web 1.0 in that it just feels like the designers and writers just discovered this new thing called the Web. Obama's site looks like it was designed and created by people who get the Net. There are obvious links to Web 2.0 services as well, like Digg and FaceBook.

So, links are obvious, the social aspects are clearly defined (MyBo, in Obama's case), the whole site just has a more interactive appearance.

It might also help to think of Web 2.0 as any site that extends the reach of the Web deeper into your non-digital life. I love how the site Twitterfone.com lets you call in with your cell to give an update on your status. That's so Web 2.0! And, not because it uses a phone, but because it realizes that the Web is a pervasive part of our lives.

Interestingly, a site like Yodio.com is actually more like Web 1.5 because it doesn't really do something that extends the power of the Web that much into your non-digital life. In fact, it's really the other way around - it's a service for those who don't really get the Web - that the idea of annotating photos has been around for years and something you can do by recording audio into your computer, so using your phone to annotate them is not that amazing or necessary.

I suppose, in the end, defining Web 2.0 is an exercise in futility. It's a term that's a bit nebulous and constantly evolving, but one tat is also important because it helps us get a better picture of what is happening on the Web now, where we have to go from here, and how the Internet can help us communicate better, be more productive, and maybe even have some fun online.