Someone asked me .. What the hell is Web2.0?

Most of you have probably heard the term Web2.0 before. It’s an over-used buzzword that I liken to WiMAX or 3G. But here’s the deal. Here is what fascinates and inspires me, because when we look past the “noise” of the media and the hype, what we have is an evolution.

Here’s how we started out using the internet. We used dial up and logged on to send Email. We used a web browser called Netscape to go to search portals like Yahoo or Alta-visa to look for news and information. We chatted on #IRC, used Instant Messaging like ICQ to talk to our friends. We started building “home pages” using free webhosting on Angelfire. We used software like Napster to download music.

Time passes. Malaysia enters the social networking scene with Friendster and Facebook. We start to share pictures with friends and family using Multiply or Flickr. We watch endless hours of video on YouTube. Early web applications like Angelfire gave birth to the phenomenon known as “Blogs” on platforms such as Blogspot , Wordpress and countless others. Today, every aunty, kai fan stall, and politician (yes, in this order) has a blog.

What we are witnessing is an evolution through time. A Darwinian process whereby only the best, most engaging applications survive and even those will continue to change. The world-wide-web is no longer just “You” visiting a “Site”. We have evolved from singular applications to full blown social interactivity and complex web applications. And that is Web2.0.